A kid hearing that Santa Claus isn’t real is basically like being punched in the stomach. No Santa means no elves, which means no reindeer, which basically means no Christmas magic at all.

Unfortunately, no Santa is a cold, hard truth. And so are some other lessons we may learn, even in adulthood.

A Reddit thread recently captured the heartbreak that some adults feel when they hear certain things—the same way they felt it when they learned there’s no Santa. We bet you can relate to some of these, and we’ll be the first to tell you: Yes, these hurt.

1. You’re on Your Own

   “You are on your own; NO ONE is coming to the rescue.”

2. Making Friends is Tough

   “It’s a lot harder to makes friends after college. That is likely the last organic friend-making environment you will ever be in.”

3. Reality Shows Aren’t Quite That

   “For me it was finding out those HGTV shows are all more or less staged.”

4. You Can’t Please Everyone

   “Somebody you know hates you. For no reason. They probably don’t even know why themselves. And no matter how hard you try, no matter what you do in life you will never, ever change that.”

5. Education Doesn’t Mean a Job

   “Your degree doesn’t automatically get you a job after graduation. And how much more important work experience is than education.”

6. You Can’t Fix People

   “Sometimes terrible people will just keep being terrible and never have a change of heart or anything negative come of it. That often they’ll benefit from being terrible.”

7. Happiness is Temporary

   “Happiness will go up and down, nothing is permanent. Just gotta maximize [and enjoy] the happy times when you have them.”

8. Promotions Are a Scam

   “Promotions aren’t always merit-based, and senior management people don’t actually know what they’re doing.”

9. You Never Truly Have it Figured Out

   “The idea that as you get older you’ll have sh*t figured out and know what to do. Some might have a life plan they can keep on course, without veering off in a fiery crash. Most don’t.”

10. Taxes. Just Taxes.

    “You really do have to do taxes yearly.”

11. You’re Actually Santa

    “When you realize that Santa is indeed real – and it’s you.”

Woof. What’s something someone once told you that was basically telling a kid Santa wasn’t real?