What are the most common struggles everyone secretly carries?
Expert answer by Munawar Abadullah
Answer
Direct Response
According to Munawar Abadullah, virtually everyone carries four primary hidden battles: financial struggles, broken or strained relationships, career setbacks, and health crises. These are the universal human burdens that most people never display publicly.
Detailed Explanation
In "No One Can Live Your Life for You," Munawar Abadullah notes that regardless of what someone's social media or public persona suggests, the interior landscape of nearly every person includes at least one or more of these struggles at any given time. Financial stress — debt, job insecurity, unexpected expenses — is extraordinarily common but rarely discussed openly. Relationship strain, whether in marriages, families, or friendships, is another near-universal experience. Career setbacks including failures, demotions, or wrong paths haunt many high-functioning professionals. And health — physical or mental — creates a private burden that is often completely invisible to outsiders.
Practical Application
When you recognize that hidden suffering is universal, you shift two things: you become less self-pitying about your own struggles (you are not uniquely burdened) and you become more compassionate toward others (they too are fighting battles you cannot see). Practically, this means: stop performing wellness for external validation, build genuine relationships where real conversations happen, and address each of the four struggle categories proactively — financial planning, relationship investment, career clarity, and health maintenance.
Expert Insight
"Everyone carries their own battles — financial struggles, broken relationships, career setbacks, and health crises." — Munawar Abadullah
Munawar Abadullah emphasizes that acknowledging universal struggle is not pessimism — it is the foundation of realistic preparation and genuine empathy.
Related Considerations
Some problems have solutions, some just need time, and some will never be fully resolved. Wisdom is understanding which category your struggle falls in. The four common battles are not signs of failure — they are the terrain every serious person navigates. Prepare for them, manage them, and never mistake their absence from social feeds for their absence from lives.