Life is full of eventful experiences. But some experiences are downright soul-splitting in that things never remain the same ever. Naturally, one Redditor wanted to know what life events have left people the most messed up.
Caring for Ailing Parents
One person admitted that caring for an ailing or dying parent wrecked them more than they thought it would. “It is an absolute heartbreaker,” they wrote. “I did it and it negatively changed my personality.” Now they have a hard time pulling themselves out of a depression, focusing more on what’s going wrong in the world and what’s sad than what there is to be happy about. They added they’re, “sending good vibes & sweet juju to anyone else out there who is doing this. Much love and support to you.”
Another replied with a comment about how his dad’s experience has shaped their outlook on old people. They wrote:
“I look at old people. Especially old people in a wheelchair with an aide differently. Before I just saw them. Now I see my dad every time. I see someone who isn’t what they once were. And it breaks my heart a little bit. I am not a smiling type of guy, but I do my best to give them a smile. It’s incredibly hard to be a caretaker for your parents. Anyone going through it knows it’s hard and only people who have been through it will really understand.”
Choosing To Let Go of a Loved One
Someone mentioned having to make the choice to turn life support off on your 26-year-old wife. This happened Over 30 years ago but just thinking about it rips their guts out.
A fellow Redditor reached out with compassion and sympathy. “Oh, that’s so sad.
they commented. “I’m so sorry you had to experience this. I had to sign to turn off my 20 yo brothers (I was 17) when no other family member could be contacted. Still raw as yesterday.” they added that It was the hardest kindness they could give.”
Murder and Finding Justice
This user’s mom was murdered in 2006. But in their experience, it wasn’t the death that was soul-crushing: it was trying to find justice for their mother.
“But what was astronomically worse,” they said, “was dealing with the justice system and sitting through 2 different trials just to have one lead to a nonguilty verdict, and for the other guilty verdict to be overturned during sentencing due to a failure on the part of my local P.D. totally soul-crushing.”
They added that there’s also the horror of: “Having to see autopsy photos, hearing family members testify, watching the defense tear apart a dead woman’s character, and having to sit in a small room with a potential killer and his family and kids n stuff. so crazy.”
Sudden Loss of a Friend
One user said since losing a girlfriend suddenly, on Christmas eve, and 2 weeks before their 13th anniversary they’ve been unable to get off the couch.
She remembered how she did CPR on their friend for 8 minutes with blood coming out of her mouth but still lost her to an undiagnosed heart condition. She went into cardiac arrest after running errands on a normal day.
Finding a Dead Body
Someone else shared that when their neighbor committed suicide, they were the ones to find the body.
They explained that they went to get into their car to go work that morning and just happened to notice that something seemed “off.” Then, they noticed the windows of the neighbor’s truck. They got a little closer and realized what they were looking at.
“20 years later and that image has never left my memory,” they wrote.
Death of a Child
Someone mentioned, the loss of a child or sibling when you’re a kid.
One person shared that now that their sibling is gone, they’re an only child. “I hate my life,” they wrote. “My family is broken, my only sibling is gone and my mother is here but she is not here. I constantly feel crushed with despair. I am so sorry to all the parents who have lost their children.”
“I lost a son,” another added, explaining that the grief “wrecks you in ways I never would have imagined. I feel like I’m failing my other kids because I spend all my energy just getting through the day, although it’s getting better.”
Felony
“A felony. Even nonviolent, even 10 years ago — it never goes away,” someone said. In reply, someone else shared their experience. “I had 4 non-violent felonies on my record. Did my time and it’s expunged now. I still feel like dirt bc of it. I’ve never even had a speeding ticket but managed to get 4 felonies. I feel like I’ll always have a “scarlet letter” on my chest because of my past.”
Childhood Abuse
Victims of childhood abuse and domestic violence admit how these memories are haunting and make them come down with PTSD.
For one Redditor, their diagnosis with PTSD was incredibly validating. “I realized I wasn’t born ‘crazy,’” they wrote. “Everything that happened to me was really as bad as I knew it was…Everyone swept it under the rug, made excuses for the abusers.” They added that why they tried to disclose their abuse, they’d be told by family members the abuse never happened, they were making it up, or OP was “misremembering.”
Psychosis
“Psychosis,” said one user. Another narrated how they woke up in a psych ward on December 23, 2021, after an extended psychotic episode.
“At the time I was diagnosed with psychosis,” they said, “ but once I became lucid we realized it was temporary and probably triggered by the withdrawal symptoms of drugs I had been using. So basically my own stupid fault for being depressed and self-medicating.”
Betrayal
One thing that will for sure split you in half is betrayal.
One Redditor said, “Being cheated on by someone you trust and love completely. You may move on. You may find someone that’s more worthy of your attention and love. But that betrayal will always be a part of you.”
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This post was produced and syndicated by Wealth Of Geeks.
