If you’re anything like us, you might randomly start daydreaming about just how awesome things would be if life were more like our favorite video games. The plotlines would be better, we’d feel empowered, and it’d be extremely convenient to see our stats and abilities whenever we want. And if things get too tough—our rent increases a bunch or we find ourselves frequently ill—we could simply type in a ‘cheat code’ and find our problems disappear, effortlessly.

Though real life is as far from video gamey as things can get (look, I really want my own personal starship), cheat codes actually do exist in real life. It’s small things that you can do throughout your day that drastically improve the quality of your life. And though it’s not actually ‘cheating,’ the positive results can make you feel as though you’ve got an angel or a wizard in your corner, backing you up.

The insightful folks over on r/AskReddit have shared a whole bunch of cheat codes for life in a series of fun and informative threads. Bored Panda has compiled the very best posts to give you a boost in whatever part of your life that might feel lacking, dear Readers. From relationships and cooking to parenting and health, there’s a hack for pretty much every situation. Upvote your fave tips and tricks, and pop by the comment section to share your own advice that’s so powerful, you can’t keep the secret all to yourself.

Oh, and in case you’d like a crash course on excelling at work and navigating tense job situations, we’ve got you covered. Check out Bored Panda’s recent list of workplace cheat codes right over here, when you’re done reading through this article.

Bored Panda reached out to fitness coach Anna Armagno Toussaint for her advice and ‘cheat codes’ when it comes to taking care of our physical and mental health. Read on our full interview with the fitness expert below.

#1

When you are really angry at someone, write why you are down on a piece of paper and sleep on it. If you are still angry about it in the morning talk to them about it. This has saved me from making a big deal out of relatively small things.

Image credits: homerda1

#2

Books, they are the real cheat codes for life. in a few hours reading you get information that took years for the author to get.

My favorite books are ‘A brief history of nearly everything’ by Bill Bryson, ‘And then there were none’ by Agatha Christie and ‘A brief history of time’ by Stephen Hawking

Image credits: WinterGlitchh

#3

If you’re a parent and want to enjoy some time undisturbed use the cheat code “I’m gonna take a nap and when I wake up we’ll all do chores together” on your kids. They’ll want to let you sleep as long as possible to avoid doing housework, so they’ll leave you alone to actually nap or do other things like read.

Image credits: -eDgAR-

Bored Panda wanted to get fitness coach Anna’s opinion about the type of mindset that helps pursue fitness goals, what we can do if we feel that we hate exercise, and how to get ourselves to drink more water throughout the day. She highlighted the fact that when we move in a way that we thoroughly enjoy, it doesn’t feel like we’re forcing ourselves to exercise.

“When I first got into exercise I did a dance cardio program because I didn’t want to feel like I was working out. That plus the goal of one serving of veggies per day (I wasn’t always getting that) and I lost about 5 pounds after 3 weeks. That was enough proof for me to push a little harder,” coach Anna told us.

“But setting small goals is a great start. So even if it is a 10-minute workout from YouTube or stretching or 10 squats and lunges. Any small step in the right direction is still progress,” she pointed out that every tiny little step really does count. No matter how small the step might seem, you’re making progress, and that’s what’s important.

#4

Playing dumb has gotten me out of trouble more than once.

Image credits: Jumpinalake

#5

Count to 5 before opening your mouth, does magic, sometimes you’ll discover that you don’t even have to open it.

Image credits: MobBap

#6

Cooking bacon in the microwave. Quick, no mess, crispy and perfect. Is like using a cheat code to get extra lives/energy.

Image credits: island-breeze

Odds are that you probably don’t drink enough water. Many of our friends, coworkers, relatives, and acquaintances aren’t staying hydrated enough.

“I think most people in general don’t drink enough water. The American goal is half your body weight (measured in pounds) in ounces of water, so a 200-pound man should drink 100 ounces of water,” she said. So, someone who weighs 90.7kg should aim to drink around 3 liters of water each day. Obviously, with how busy our lives are, we can forget to hydrate. And nobody enjoys feeling forced to do something.

#7

My big cheat code is always compliment. Not their eyes or weight, but something that they chose. An unnatural hair color, a dope a** backpack, or some wicked Chucks they’re rocking.

#8

Respond with a friendly and polite attitude when someone is being an [jerk]. It shuts them down 90% of the time.

Eventually you develop a reputation for being calm and consistently friendly with assholes, so if you DO decide to cuss out or be rude to that last 10%, your coworkers and boss won’t believe the complaints. 🙂

Whatcha gonna do about it, customers?

#9

People don’t think about you as much as you think they do.

Anna’s tip for getting around this conundrum is to not just drink plain, “boring” water. She explained that tea, electrolyte powder, and seltzer all count toward your fluid intake. Though if you’re using any flavorings, be sure to watch the amount of sugar you ingest. What’s more, eating fresh fruits and veggies will help hydrate you.

We were also curious about the type of mindset that can help get the best physical and mental health results. “You have to love yourself enough to want to do better. Punishing yourself or starving yourself will not last and it will be so bad for your mental health,” the fitness coach said.

“One thing that helped me was the recommendation to read personal development books, which is usually 200 pages of telling you you’re great,” she added.

#10

If you get a bloody nose, you can stop it by stomping the heel of your foot on the same side that your nose is bleeding on. I know it sounds absurd, but I swear to you it works. I get heavy nosebleeds, and nothing would stop the damn things. That is, until I learned the heel trick. It works every time without fail.

Image credits: SkyeWolfofDusk

#11

If you use code: “no salt” when ordering mcdonalds fries you can annoy the mcdonalds staff. Oh and you get fresh fries.

#12

For college kids: if you need a bunch of sources for a paper just go to the Wikipedia page and go to the bottom where the sources are. There’s usually more than 50 PROPER sources in citation format.

Please, make sure to at least briefly read over the source to make sure it’s relevant to your topic.

Image credits: poolprty

We’ve picked up a few pearls of wisdom over the years circling the sun on this blue-and-green rock we call home. In short, what helps you lead a happy, high-quality life includes taking good care of your body and mind, learning how to communicate with others, and recognizing what emotions you feel without shying away from them and without being controlled by them.

A lot of misunderstandings and arguments happen because of breakdowns in communication. When not everyone is on the same page, someone might end up hurting someone else by unintentionally crossing their boundaries, setting up wildly different expectations, or accidentally hurting their feelings in a hundred tiny ways.

People tend to avoid conflicts and don’t necessarily like to gamble with their social reputation. That’s why you see so many folks being passive bystanders in tense situations, whether at work, school, or at home.

#13

Plant food, but focus on perennials.

Spring hits, food just starts growing. Everyone is starting seeds, and I will have asparagus in about a week. My garage is filled with Jerusalem Artichokes. I have thousands of strawberry plants out of the 4 that I bought.

Given everything that’s going on right now, I think a lot of people would really benefit to having food growing on their land instead of just useless grass lawns. Keep some lawn, sure, but maybe also plant some potatoes or something. Everyone’s freaking out about a food crisis and I just keep giving food away to neighbours. I also just do this as a hobby, I work full time. I just decided to replace some lawn with food, and it’s been really helping out people around me as they panic about being locked up and having nothing to eat.

Now imagine if everyone did this. Not a ton, just a little here and there. How much less stressful would this crisis be if everyone had 6 months of stored food at all times – kinda like their grandparents lived. It’s actually not that hard either. Some stuff is hard, but some stuff is stupid easy, like Jerusalem Artichokes, strawberries, fruit trees, etc.

Image credits: Suuperdad

#14

I find that if I drink water when I wake up, and then drink coffee later, that I feel better and have more energy throughout the day

#15

Be polite to people who can help you over the phone. I’ve had people bend over backwards to help me just because I was nice.

In our experience, the best antidote for anxiety, anger, and angst is the humble, friendly-yet-honest conversation. Sit down, have an open chat about how you’re feeling, what your expectations are, and try to get the other person’s side of the story if there’s a disagreement. Look for common ground, consider compromises. There are very few people who are genuinely evil in this world. Misguided, confused, sometimes incompetent, with different goals, aspirations, and worldviews than yours—but rarely evil.

So your go-to approach when dealing with social conflicts should be diplomacy, setting clear boundaries (without forgetting to enforce them), and, well, taking steps to address the problem in the first place.

People tend to think about themselves and only themselves first and foremost, so what might be an issue that’s making your life hell might not be something that your friend, boss, or family member might even be aware of. It takes courage to actively work on fixing your problems instead of hiding from them. It might be uncomfortable, but it’s always well worth it in the end.

#16

Being conventionally hot. I recently lost 20 pounds and people treat me so differently, and it wasn’t even that dramatic of a change (though I’m 5’1 so it does make a difference on a small body)! When I’m in a crop top, and my hair and makeup are done it’s like all social interactions go on easy mode.

Image credits: not-into-usernames

#17

If you want food to taste good, butter.

I used to think there was something restaurants did to make food so delicious and they must be amazing cooks. I’m sure some of them are.

But when my daughter was a toddler, she was underweight and the doctor told me to add twice as much butter to my cooking for her to get extra calories. Turns out, butter is amazing. Half the time when you eat something that is just heavenly, it isn’t magic or crazy skills or exotic ingredients. It’s just butter, and lots of it.

Edit: This isn’t to discredit people who are actually great cooks! Butter isnt the end-all of good cooking. But it is really difficult to make good food with only minimal fat and it is really easy to make good food with a lot of fat. If you want to be a 10/10 cook, go to culinary school. If you want to take your cooking from 3/10 to 7/10, add butter.

#18

Use your local area code + 867-5309 as the membership id at almost every grocery store and it will work. You get the discount without having to sign up because someone else already signed up with that number.

Shout out to Tommy Tutone.

Image credits: thisemailisfake

Another major piece of wisdom that we can share is learning to deal with your emotions. They’re what make us human. However, constantly being at the mercy of what you feel can make life far more difficult. Embarrassment and failure are integral parts of life on Planet Earth. One of the best things you can do is to learn to embrace these feelings and admit to your mistakes, instead of running away from them.

That way, you’ll be far fitter, emotionally. And if people see you act in a humble way, they’re much more likely to respond positively to you.

#19

If anything seems too big or too difficult break it down into small steps.

#20

You can sneak into pretty much anywhere if you wear business casual and stand up straight and talk on your phone about business-related things.

Also, you can wear a blue-collar getup and bring a cooler full of beer, no one stop the beer guy, works with bags of ice too.

Very important that you act and look like this is just another shi**y day in your shi**y job, don’t look in a rush either.

Image credits: deleted

#21

Everyone in these comments is calling buffs and starting traits “cheat codes.” It’s like they’ve never played video games. I’ll give you a couple real ones.

Compliment your friends behind their back, your relationships will improve magically.

If you ask someone you don’t know well for something small, like to borrow a pen, they will actually like you just a bit more. (for best results, return pen) (does not stack)

Image credits: themonkery

Meanwhile, it’s paramount that you do not live in constant anger. With the amount of injustice each and every one of us sees both near and far, it’s easy to fall prey to outrage about the state of the world. However, being constantly angry erodes your health and does more harm than good.

Above everything else, prioritize your physical and mental health. That means getting enough movement, eating nutritious food, and getting enough sunlight. It means drinking plenty of water and getting enough sleep at night. All the while, you have to draw clear boundaries between your work life and your leisure, spend time building genuine emotional connections with others, and know when to disconnect from the internet. Sure, we’ve got plenty of cat memes here, but often, it’s better to go for a walk and see a cat in person.

#22

Cutting toxic people out of your life has zero consequences and will make your life 100% better.

#23

Even if it is on sale, you still have to spend money.

Image credits: [deleted]

#24

When you go to Chipotle wait until after they’ve scooped your first scoop of meat to ask for double meat. That way they’ve shown their hand on what a single scoop is

Image credits: bdlcalichef

#25

Buy ingredients and cook for yourself. I started recently, and I’ve spent 30$ for over 10 meals. A fast food burger and fries is around $7-8, and bad for you too. Not only that, but cooking for yourself is an excellent skill that earns brownie points.

#26

Take a shot of oil before a night of drinking. Believe me. It works.

#27

Brushing your teeth when you’re young and continuing to do so throughout your life will save you a lot of money after 30.

#28

For getting people to like you: be genuinely interested in their personal life. Not embarrassing things, but things they enjoy about their own life. Ask about their kids, dog, etc. And (this is key) remember details for the next time you talk. If they tell you they are potty training, then ask how it’s coming along. Only offer advice if it is truly helpful, not for the satisfaction of giving advice.

Also, learn their name as quick as possible. For many people, their favorite word is their name.

Image credits: level 1 AustinRiversDaGod

#29

Press 0 to get a human.

Ever have to dial a hotline and have to go through Press 1 for, Press 2 for, Press 3 for, etc? A lot of time when you want to speak immediately to someone on those prerecorded telephone hotlines you can just hit 0 for a human. Now some places they are really smart. Hitting 0 just ends the call, which by then you mentally implode.

Image credits: GetOutOfTheWhey

#30

Write it down. Whatever it is. Then you don’t have to focus on remembering it or worrying about it. The simple act of writing it down makes it more real. I always have a pen on me and paper close at hand. Make lists, keep a budget, tell someone you love them, jot a reminder, doodle.

#31

If you need to remember something but don’t have anything to remind you (like you don’t have time to set an alarm), visualize yourself remembering. For example, if you don’t want to forget to bring your hat when you go out, imagine yourself about to walk through the door, and imagine yourself thinking, “oh, my hat!” Bad example maybe, but the point is that just visualizing is quick, easy, and effective.

Image credits: justonemom14

#32

Actually sleeping 8 plus hours a night. Trying sleeping at 10 pm to to no less than 4 am every night. This is when your body has enough melatonin and get the sleep it needs.

Most people wait till they are literally falling asleep while watching tv or their smartphone.. by then you have already messed up your natural sleep cycle

#33

If you want an answer to something, don’t just ask. No one answers. Instead you deliberately put in the wrong answer: “Is THIS how you do something? xyz”. People just love to correct you. They just hate answering straight questions for unknown reasons..

#34

Give a customer a longer estimate knowing it wont take that long, and then that way it impresses and pleases them when you gets the results more quickly. This is a “cheat code,” because it gives the impression that you’ve worked harder or faster, when really you’re just manipulating expectations.

This can apply to most any timetable or deadline. The easiest example would be a hostess at a restaurant. Tell a party it will take 30min to be seated, knowing it will take actually take 10-15min.

IIRC, this technique was mentioned on Star Trek as a ploy the engineers would often use to impress the captain.

Image credits: Swampfoxxxxx

#35

I have a tendency to break out in acne and feel really sluggish after I eat ANY kind of junk food, any dairy, eggs, or anything with a ton of unnatural sugars in them. (But….I love chocolate, and cheese especially.)

My personal cheat code for this is, if I eat some of any of that, when I get home or wake up, I put two teabags of green tea in a mug and I drink that.

Green tea is great for clearing toxins out of your body and for helping boost your energy, so my face clears up faster and I don’t feel the effects of the foods I’m not used to as much.

It may be a bitter tea with a kind of a sharp tang, but it is so worth it not to look like a pepperoni face.

#36

Pay daily expenses and bills with a rewards credit card and pay it all off each month. No interest that way but you keep the rewards. Just make sure you can pay your bills and daily spending.

#37

There’s hundreds of free certifications you can get online and add to your resume. Throw a few on your resume that are relevant to your career and they’ll become a conversation piece during the interview. They won’t land you the job by themselves, but they’ll make you stand out among other candidates.

Image credits: Lyn1987

#38

Realize that life isn’t fair. It never will be. Once you accept that, you’re on the first step to success. That guy driving a Porsche, sipping Starbucks and living in a huge house? Odds are, he busted is ass to get that. If he didn’t, he’s either lucky or inherited the results of someone else’s labour.

Life. Is. Not. Fair. The sooner you realize that and divert your time and energy to getting educated, getting trained, doing SOMETHING to improve yourself instead of protesting the 1%, the sooner you’ll be on the road to a life of comfort. Luxury? Maybe not. Comfort? Yes.

Repeat after me:

LIFE. IS. NOT. FAIR.

#39

Reverse psychology in children. Tell them not to do something you secretly want them to do, and they’ll do it almost every time.

Image credits: Bob-the-Human

#40

Under promise, over deliver. People will be pretty impressed and even if they know your good at something you come off as modest

#41

When you ask for someone’s number, repeat the number they gave you, but change the last digit. That way, if they say the number is correct you can tell that he/she doesn’t want to give you his/her number.

#42

Two sheets of toilet paper into the toilet before pooping reduces splashback. Life. Saver.

#43

Keyboard shortcuts.

Seriously. The GUI is nice if you’re not sure what you want or need to look around, but memorize anything you do 3+ times per day. Your productivity really goes up

#44

I always ask for a romantic table when making a reservation at a restaurant for a date. Usually my date and I get seated at the restaurant’s quietest or “best” table. I’ve also occasionally received a free drink or dessert, probably in an effort to help me impress my date. Highly recommend!

#45

Purchase and learn to use a handheld plumbing auger before asking your girlfriend to move in with you.

It’s only a matter of time before your shower drain is clogged with hair.

#46

Dont ask your wife what she wants 2 eat, instead, tell her to guess where you’re taking her then take her to the first place she guesses.

#47

When it looks like someone isn’t going to give you space on the side walk, I stop walking and pretend I’ve stopped walking because something on my phone caught my attention.

We’re now no longer playing king of the side walk. They’re faced with the choice of walking into someone standing still, or moving to their side. I’ve never had someone not give me appropriate room doing this.

#48

Start a savings account when you turn 16(or sooner)

put 10% of EVERY paycheck into it and DO NOT TOUCH IT. once you turn 18, you can put that money into a retirement account(preferably one that can utilize investments) and again, do not touch it. once a year, transfer the money from the dedicated savings account into the retirement account. continue until retirement.

also, USE your credit card. use it as soon as you can, but unless you can afford to pay it off in full at the end of the month, dont get too much into credit card debt. been using my credit card this way for the past 15 years, and recently found out i am sitting on an 830 credit score. i dont even have a house yet, but when i start looking soon i will be very well qualified.

#49

Combine your grocery list with things your SO needs from you emotionally (e.g. tortillas, cereal, Remind her that you’re proud of her).

I used to keep a separate notes section on my phone for things to do/say that make my SO feel better, and combining it with my groceries means I see it a lot more

#50

If you say you are a social worker most companies will just tell you any information you need, believing you are helping someone.

I actually am a social worker so you know, I can abuse this power for good.

#51

You can walk up to the reception of any hotel in the world and ask them to book you a taxi, even if you’re not a resident and they will, not only that but they will also get priority over any else booking one at the time, so you’ll get your ride faster

#52

Shredded parm inside the breading. chicken parm gets that sexy crunchy outside this way

Image credits: intersecting_lines

#53

If you fake confidence long enough, you become good enough for people to believe it hence you will become confident.

#54

There’s a pressure point right under the base of the skull in the center of your neck that if you press with a couple of fingers like you are trying to get under the skull it will relieve like 90% of headaches. If you feel relief in 5-10 seconds, hold it for a minute. If you don’t feel better after 10 seconds, it’s one of the few headaches that it won’t help.

#55

Give children a choice when you want them to do something, like instead of saying “can you clean up your mess?” Say “would you like to either clean up your mess or do the dishes?” Make the second one a lot more likely for them not to choose.

#56

When a toddler or anyone is having a meltdown, as an out of ordinary question such as “what colour is your shoes?” It tends to take their mind off things

#57

Meditation – people don’t know how many of their problems are caused by an unharmonised, out of control mind which meditation helps to get under control, harmonise, and exist within a state of peace

#58

Don’t drink or do drugs. You will find that you have more time and money, a clear mind, you will feel better, and have very few problems.

#59

use VPN to change your area for content that is not available in your area

#60

Using hands as a squeegee before getting out of the shower. Towel ends up much drier.

#61

Advancing the charisma skill tree can make it feel like you’re playing on easy.

You can have the best ideas, but ultimately people have to know who you are and want to work with you, for more opportunities to become available to you.

#62

When doing public speaking just stare at people’s noses.

#63

Save and invest early. If you didn’t start early, start now. Compounding returns are incredible.

#64

Fully accept that it sucks. Then try to create your own kind of beauty and fill your own kind of happiness in it. It will help you focus on the latter, beautiful part and take your mind off the nasty things.

#65

Jiggling the handle of a leaky toilet to make it stop running.

#66

Atleast in Ontario you say you want french when picking a language on an automated line and they transfer you to someone who is probably French Canadian.

You just continue in English and they will help you which is a lot easier instead of getting somebody from the Philippines who is hard to understand.

#67

Be kind to people, and don’t be a douchebag. You don’t know how many favors or help I’ve received in my life by not being a d**k

#68

Getting the corporate rate at any downtown hotel by name dropping the biggest company in town. “Sorry, they didn’t give me a number.”

#69

Being able to cry on command. At school I once did something very impulsive against a teacher for not getting fair grades. I almost got a warning but I went to that teacher and apologised and cried my eyes out and stuff. I’ve never gotten any kind of punishment.
Source: boredpanda.com