Top Stories

People Explain How They Rebounded From The Lowest Point In Their Life

When we are in a valley, depressed, anxious, or feeling hopeless, it can seem that things will never improve again. It feels as though that destroyed self-image and total lack of motivation is a permanent state.


Truly, it's a sense of total doom that arises from a mixture of both internal and external circumstances.

But we can get out of there. We can leave that place. People have been there and ascended. It's possible to resurface and rediscover joy, to access feelings of pride and gratitude that seemed gone forever when down in the valley.

What pulls a person out of the hole, however, is variable. Different things work for different people. Some need interpersonal connection and love. Others need to forget themselves in an ongoing task or action.

However it happens for people, their stories remind how entirely possible it is to get back in the saddle.

panicdotjpg asked, "What broke you out of your lowest point in life?"

Externalize 

"Getting a job, interestingly enough."

"I actually had something to do during the day instead of being stuck at home missing my recently-passed grandfather and listening to my parents' marriage implode."

"Being forced to interact with people also made me more assertive and gave me responsibilities."

-- TheMidnightScorpion

Fake it til You Make it

"Theater."

"I was in an abusive relationship. I played a character who's husband was plotting to kill her. I kept on getting compliments on how well I played the part of the terrified battered woman. The week before we opened I left him and never looked back."

"If my character could survive and find happiness than so could I."

-- BAUIntern

Love Helps

"I was saved by a girl I was really crazy about. She was outside of all the problems going on and was a beacon of light and hope in the disaster that was my world."

"I started building a life with her in another state and could escape the horrors I was dealing with and go visit her whenever I could afford the plane fare."

"She kept me going, gave me hope, and ultimately helped rebuild our world together."

-- LovesMeSomeRedhead

Nurturing Forces

"My fiance and my mom. I'd been running dead end fast food and living in my own filth after my ex destroyed me emotionally and I failed out of college."

"I met my fiance on line and we started talking. She kept going out her way to keep me company when I was lonely and online playing games together."

"Meanwhile my mom pushed me to try a budget program for kids who didn't go to/finish college to get IT training and job skills to be more hireable."

"It's been 4 years now. Engages. Working a high end job. I owe it all to the 2 best women in my life."

"I am a lucky man"

-- CaptainOptimail

Forget Yourself

"Had a child. I never even realized I was at my lowest point. I was a night shift worker at taco bell after failing out of college."

"Up to my ears in debt with no prospects in sight and the worst part was I had grown to accept that I would be struggling to pay rent, going without health care, and living off of Ramen for the foreseeable future."

"I would have even said I was happy."

"Then I found out I had a kid and suddenly I knew that I had nothing to offer. I wouldn't be able to provide a stable home, Healthcare, or any of the costly advantages a kid can get in this country. 6 months later I was in a bus headed for basic training."

"18 years later he is getting ready to go to college and I have always been able to keep a stable place for him to come to when things get too stressful."

-- shroom2021

From Someone Who's Been There

"I was recovering from a life changing injury and was taking my limitations a bit hard. I met a guy my age that was confined to a wheel chair, he spoke with me and was so positive."

"He had it worse than me and had that kind of outlook. I had no right to be a stick in the mud, I chose to accept my situation and live positively."

-- AdmiralTallywacker

Neurochemical Interventions

"Magic mushrooms. I was at my heaviest weight and a mushroom trip gave me the push I needed to start losing weight and being healthier."

"I'm still not where I want to be with my weight, but I'm going in the right direction"

-- askmeabiutlife

Other Neurochemical Interventions

"Medication. I can't stress enough how much of a difference I've felt and experienced after starting anti depressants. The fog has lifted and I've never been this level headed and confident. I've struggled my whole life and have experienced some very very low points."

"Finally in my 30s I decided to look I to meds and it really helped."

"There is definitely something to be said for diet and exercise and getting outdoors, but failing that, talk to your doc."

-- ironmcheaddesk

Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Older Generations Explain Which Things Young Folks Get Wrong About Past Decades

Reddit user WeirdJawn asked: 'Older Redditors, what do young people get completely wrong about past decades?'

retro diner interior

Spencer Davis on Unsplash

I have no aesthetic or emotional issues with getting older as it certainly beats the alternative, so I freely admit I have reached a certain age.

It's the age of sound effects when I get up from a chair and asking younger people to pick things up off the floor for me.

It's the age of having to use Urban Dictionary daily to understand messages I get from younger friends and relatives.

But as much as I don’t understand their language, music or hobbies, there's a lot they'll never understand about my childhood and adolescence.

I was reading an article by writer Eric Chilton who pointed out Gen X—the generation born between 1965 and 1980 of which I'm a part—was the last to live in a world without the internet, cellular phones and social media.

And those are only a few examples of the paradigm shifting innovations in our lifetimes.

Keep reading...Show less
Old Blockbuster location
Photo by Sean Benesh on Unsplash

We've all gone into at least one business, store, or restaurant that left us completely dissatisfied, and we can understand that sometimes, that's how things work out.

But when we're disappointed by them every single time, we might wonder how that business is still even open to receive customers.

Ready to hear the tea, Redditor Square-Floor8879 asked:

"What company has you shocked that they have not yet gone out of business?"

Door-to-Door Sales

"On a Wednesday at around 2:00 PM, I received a tap at my door from an elderly woman who wanted to show me a Kirby Hoover."

"Additionally, it appears that door-to-door salespeople will still exist in 2023."

- zibanm

"It’s surprisingly big in B2B (Business-to-Business) sales, as well. Cold-calling on the phone is almost dead, but if you know how to talk with people in person and aren’t afraid of in-person rejection, you can do very well with door-to-door sales."

- Marijuana_Miler

Are They Really?

"That furniture store that has had the 'Going Out of Business' sale going on for the last four years."

- SomeGuyInSanJoseCa

"That’s a whole thing. People will open a store for a year or so and run this kind of going-out-of-business sale and make an absolute killing. Then they’ll dip out and someone else will do the same thing right behind them."

- plexiglasssit

A Constant Reunion

"Classmates.com still trying to charge what you can get for free on Facebook."

- VegasRoy

"I'll get emails from them: 'John, Mike, Sarah, and Amber want to see what you're up to.'"

"Well, they can all see it on Facebook or Instagram."

- Kahne_Fan

A Fading Tune

"Guitar Center. I worked for them for 13 years, they were on the brink of death the whole time."

- Vault76exile

"I actually just bought something from them for the first time ever. A lot of workers in the store, like every dept had somebody in it. Not that many customers, though."

- AtomicSamuraiCyborg

One Word: McAfee

"McAfee."

- inkyblinkypinkysue

"I swear, those motherf**kers installed the malware themselves."

- syu425

"McAfee IS malware."

- MalevolntCatastrophe

Physical TV Guides

"TV Guide still exists."

- dorkimoe

"I see big potential with TV Guide. They could get a lot of traffic and be an amazing source of information if their search engine didn't suck."

"These days, it's so annoying trying to find out what streaming service has that one TV show or movie you want to watch. TV Guide has a 'where to watch' button that will show you what subscription services have it and how much they cost."

"TV Guide, if you're reading this, fix your search engine. You can be the source of information of what and when we watch just like your golden age again."

- Firree

Affordable Iced Tea

"I hope they don't but Arizona Iced Tea has cost the same my whole life. Good on them."

- Kuuzie

"They actually just reduced the size from 23oz to 22oz. Fortunately, the 99 cent price holds."

- Dylinquency

"I'm actually okay with this, to be honest, because I basically have to force myself to finish that last couple of ounces most times."

- navit47

Expensive Mattresses

"All the mattress stores that are somehow across the street from each other and never have any customers but open new locations down the street all the time."

- GrayWarriorKnight

"It's actually crazy going to one. I was mattress hunting last week. While I was there for like two hours, two people showed up and purchased mattresses."

"One for like $2300, and the other for just over $3000. All were financed."

"I had no clue people paid that much for mattresses."

- dekugon22

Cheap Claire's Jewelry

"It feels like they have been saying Claire's is on the edge of bankruptcy for 20 years."

- CallMeSkii

"I found myself ordering something online from them a few years back and it still feels like a fever dream."

- redhair-ing

Sears' Serious Long Game

"Pretty sure Sears is still holding on?"

- Brs76

"Down to only 11 locations left, with plans to close five of them by 2025."

- thedankbank1021

"One of them is near me! In a mall that feels like it has time traveled from the '90s, so that makes sense. It's right near an FYE, which also apparently still exists."

- SkippyNordquist

"Man, I absolutely LOVED FYE when I was in middle and high school. Haven’t seen one in a solid 20 years. Granted, I haven’t been to a mall in the better part of 10 years."

- OriginalBrownCow

Maybe It's an MLM; Maybe It's Mary Kay

"Mary Kay."

- TemperatureTop246

"Mary Kay is a MASSIVE business. I also wonder how they survive but there’s a ton of scholarships and research they sponsor in the cosmetic science community. They have a big pull, Mary Kay and Amway."

- TheLatinaNerd

"Because it's basically a pyramid scheme and they sell their products to wannabe entrepreneurs who are stuck with unsold goods."

- lboogieb

A Return Location

"Kohls. Don't get me wrong, I love my Kohl's. But every time I go in there, it feels like 90 percent of the shoppers there are just there to return their Amazon package. Kohls does have some pretty good stuff so I do hope they stay in business (mostly because they are just so convenient for returns)."

- babypho

"The coupons have so many restrictions anymore that I think they may have doomed themselves. I went in with a 40 percent off coupon and could basically buy their Sonoma brand stuff and that was it."

- Flyinggoatfest77

Questionable Kids Parties

"Chuck E. Cheese’s had its hay day years ago, their business sucks, their shows aren’t that good, and the animatronics are mostly gone at this point. And debt. Lots of it. Surprised they’re still around even though they just filed for bankruptcy three years ago."

- DabbinBingel

A Ghost Town

​"Macy’s."

"One of my favorite stores, but it gets pretty depressing to shop there. You see maybe two employees on the entire floor. Products are often never organized and the fitting rooms are even worse. Clothes just dropped on the floor and no one ever checks how many clothes you go in with or what you truly do inside…"

"Some Macy's locations are better but many are really bad. It feels like a complete ghost town."

- Soup_and_Rice

Money Harvesting

​"Wells Fargo. Considering all the shady ways they try to harvest cash from their customers, I simply cannot believe anyone does business with them."

- TheWorldNeedsDornep

These accounts were really eye-opening. Most of these companies weren't on the list for potentially closing because of their business practices, but because of how they treat their customers.

It just goes to show how important it is to foster good relationships with customers, to value them, and to treat them with respect.

Amazon Echo device
Nicolas J Leclercq/Unsplash

With the latest advancements in technology, consumers are faced with the challenge of narrowing their list of products to buy.

The anxiety is only fueled by FOMO–fear of missing out–when they see their friends on social media bragging about the latest gadget that supposedly makes life easier.

But some people can't be bothered with all the fancy gadgets that are at the top of consumer reports as the best product so far in whatever year we're in.

They just prefer sticking to the basics and doing things the old-school way–like clicking on the TV with a remote instead of dictating to it what you want it to do after fumbling around for that elusive mic button to activate the function.

Curious to hear from consumers, Redditor WaterWalsh asked:

"What product no matter how innovative it is do you refuse to buy?"

Some people could do without all the bells and whistles of tried and true basic appliances.

Chilly Reception

"Smart' Refrigerator. I just need something that keeps my food cold. I don't need it to show me advertisements or what foods I might be out of. I can look for myself."

– SomeSamples

"Unless it can remind me of the box of fresh spinach that I stacked the yogurt in front of and, therefore, forgot existed, I wouldn't even consider it."

– FallenEquinox

Things Get Heated

"A stove also shouldn’t be connected to the internet and should just be a normal stove."

– Illustrious_Risk3732

"My stove has an app so you can set the oven temperature from your phone, when I got it I thought 'ok this might be useful if I want to preheat the oven on my way home or something,' but alas, it proved itself useless, you have to touch your phone to the oven to give it the command, like wft?? I'm already here I might as well just turn on the damn oven."

– I_dont_know_you_pick

Get The Picture?

"If I could, I wouldn’t even buy a smart tv. That’s what my Apple TV is for. I just need something to turn on and make a nice picture."

GlendoraBug

"I intentionally locked out my smart TV because I have a secondary device. It doesn't need to be connected to the mothership. My TCL television probably has zero security, and who knows how many backdoors to circumvent my router."

"All these IoT devices are just great "dumb" tools to use for DDOS attacks by unsavory nation states. Blackberry said this years ago."

– SkivvySkidmarks

Just because products are under a famous person's name doesn't necessarily make them top quality.

Clever Marketing, Poor Product

"I’m Irish and Conor McGregor’s whiskey isn’t really drank over here. It’s very average whiskey with a premium price tag. You could buy far superior whiskey for less. His branding is amazing though."

"It’s the same with his stout. No one in Ireland touches it... Again his branding is amazing and people all over the world are buying in to this sh*t."

– geoffraffe

Refusing The Socialite Family Brand

"Anything promoted by any kardashian… my curling iron broke so I stopped at target on the way home (This was years ago)… all they had were curling irons with Kardashians on the box - I refused."

– SammieCat50

These consumers just don't get the hype over these smart devices.

Bendy Phones

"Folding smartphones. They're expensive as all get out, and I've seen a lot of them develop weird screen issues just through normal use, that are prohibitively expensive to repair. I'll stick to my slab phone."

– EvilDarkCow

Personal Home Assistant

"Alexa."

– f'kswagga

"My roommate has one and I f'king hate it."

– VeterinarianFit1309

"My girlfriend has an Alexa in our bedroom and it's the most annoying thing in the world. She uses it to set a morning alarm and it always start spouting the weather and playing sh**ty music that we both hate. She refuses to get rid of it because she comes from a third world country and always dreamed of having 'American-life tech.' Of course, I overlook it because I don't want to be an a**hole, but nevertheless I dread waking up in the morning and hearing the Bezos bot."

– OldLavyGenes1998

Undesirable Communication Partner

"As a general rule, I don't like talking to inanimate objects."

– Interesting_Ad2464

"We got one as a gift, put it in the kitchen."

"1. The little kitchen TV was on and had an Alexa commercial and then our Alexa started talking to the commercial because the woman on TV said "Alexa" and it kinda went back and forth."

"I thought some people broke into the house. Our Alexa (don't ask me how) was playing our neighbors having a fight next door through their Alexa."

"The device lasted about a week before it was donated."

– Mackheath1

People were getting nowhere fast with these cars of the future.

Out Of Touch

"Cars with touch screens."

– Ruminations0

"I could stand a touch-screen, so long as it was supplemented with buttons. A car with only a touch screen? Terrible."

– SuperFLEB

"Have one of those at work. Just changing the heat while driving is a risk of traffic accident."

– Kaikeno

Some Drivers Musk Need This

"Tesla."

– brando9d7d

"I rented a Tesla on my last trip. I have the electric Volvo as a company car, so I was curious what Teslas were like. What a piece of sh*t. Materials are cheap, fit and finish was like my 95 Saturn, and it took forever to figure out how to control everything. Almost every damned thing has to be controlled by the software. Even the wipers, which is really distracting while you're driving. The key card recognizes when you walk up and unlocks the door, however in order to actually drive you have to tap the card on the arm rest. It's so stupid. Oh, and the 'shifter' is where the wipers should be, on the steering column. It's like they went out of their way to make the whole car as different as they could just to do it. I was happy to get back to the Volvo as it's a normal car that happens to have a battery, and a much better product."

– IcedT_NoLemon

Maybe it's because I'm not a gamer, but I personally don't see the need for an iPad.

I love using my iPhone and MacBook Pro to get all my business and social needs in order. Introducing a third option for going about my daily tasks and interacting with social media will only make my head spin.

I've also seen people walking around with their iPads and taking photos with them, which looks ridiculous in my opinion.

I remember thinking to myself after witnessing the bizarre practice, "I will not be that person."

But hey, that's just me.

A cat and a dog lying down next to one another.
Photo by Andrew S on Unsplash

We all love our pets.

And be it a dog, cat, parrot, or turtle, we all like to think our pet is cuter and smarter than everyone else's.

Most of the time, that is purely owing to our unending love for them.

But every now and again, we might witness our pet do something truly extraordinary, leading us to believe that our pet truly is the smartest animal on earth.

Redditor CoreyMatthews was curious to hear about the times people were truly blown away by the intelligence of their pets, leading them to ask:

"Pet owners of Reddit, what are some examples of your pet doing something that made your realize how intelligent they are?"

Talk About Coordination!

"I watched both my cats sit in the hallway and roll a ball back and forth between them gently and on purpose."

"They both know how to open doors."- TurbulentStep4399

The Real Truth About Cats And Dogs

"I had a cat that learned to turn on my radio so I would think the alarm was going off and get up to feed him."

"He and my dog would also team up on me in various ways."

"The most memorable was when I had gotten a little water pistol to squirt the cat when he got on the kitchen counter."

"I always kept the water pistol in the very back corner of the kitchen counter."

"I got home one day, and the water pistol was chewed to pieces on the floor."

"It was too far back on the counter for the dog to have reached it by herself (and it’s not the sort of thing she would normally have liked to chew on), so the only explanation is that the cat climbed onto the counter, pushed the water pistol across the counter until it fell on the floor, and then convinced the dog to chew it up."- TheBat3

More Than Most People Can Say About Their Children!

"My 6 month old kitten will alternate bringing his mylar ball to me or my husband to throw--taking turns."

"He plays fetch better than my dog did."

"He puts his toys away at bedtime."

"I have a small basket that we keep his toys in."

"At bedtime, I'll tell him, 'Let's pick up your toys' and he will get any toys that hasn't been eaten by the couch and drop them in his basket."

"No hard balls/toys as he can't pick those up with his mouth."

"I pick up those."- Danivelle

cat playing GIFGiphy

The Female Of The Species...

"I had two Shelties and one large dog bed."

"The female Sheltie did not want to share the bed with her brother, so whenever he was lying on it she would go to the door and start barking like crazy at … nothing."

"He would leap up barking and race to the door to guard the house alongside her and as soon as he got out of the dog bed, she would run back and curl up in the middle of it."

"He never caught on."- NoNefariousness104

Always On The Lookout

"My dog greeted me at the garage door when I got home."

"He then had me follow him to my daughters room, then my sons room, then the front door."

"My mother in law had picked up the kids."

"He was telling me that 'this one and this one are gone and went that way'."

"Let’s go get them!'”- YourFriendInSpokane

Asking Permission Never Goes Unnoticed

"I had a blue heeled mix that was crazy smart."

"Two of many examples:"

"He was occasionally allowed to eat table scraps off of a plate but was never allowed to beg."

"He had to wait until the plate was put on the floor."

"One day I was caught up working on my laptop and had put the scraps from my dinner on the couch on a plate next to me."

"An hour or so went by and I saw him pick up the plate off the couch and put it on the floor so he was allowed to eat it."

"He slept in my room and was getting up in years."

"One night after I was settled in bed he let me know he needed to go outside, thinking an older bladder, I got up to take him out."

"Instead he went to the kitchen and turned to look at me."

"Curious I followed him."

"Same thing , he went to the family room and waited for me."

"When I turned on the light, he went to an end table near the TV where one of my teenagers had left an uneaten piece of fried chicken."

"He stood and stared and it and then turned to me and I swear he asked if he could have it."

"I laughed and took the meat off the bones and put it in the floor for him, after which we both went back to bed."

"How he knew that chicken had been left there is beyond me!"

"I could share dozens of stories like this."

"He was as smart as most humans I know."

"I will miss him forever."- JCKligmann

dog human eating GIFGiphy

Peeing With Purpose

"My mom's cat had a urinary infection."

"So he peed a tiny bit in the bathroom sink and waited by it for my mom to see it."- HyliaSerket

Everyone Wants A Little Attention Every Now And Then...

"A small thing, but my cat will paw at my hand when he wants to be petted."

"The first couple times it happened, I didn't think anything of it, until I realized one day that he basically had me trained/conditioned to pet him whenever he nudged or pawed at my hand."- Square-Raspberry560

And You Thought All They Could Do Was Change Colors

"My chameleon will look me square with both eyes and make a chomping movement with his mouth when he’s hungry."

"He’ll also pat at the glass if he wants to come out."

"He’ll hold a grudge, calculate ways to go or get what he wants."

"One of my Boas will only look at me when hungry."

"She had a go at caudal luring whilst doing it the other day."

"Like 'look, dude, I know you bring the food'."

"I’m hungry, look I’m even trying to lure you to give me some food'."

"It worked."- Ugglug

Giphy

A Kind Gesture Is Never Forgotten

"My brother’s cat, Coconut."

"We live 2,600 miles apart."

"The first time I met her, I gave her a little pink fuzzy kitty toy."

"2-3 years later was the next time I was able to visit her again for the 2nd time ever."

"She immediately disappeared & came back with this filthy, dusty, brown toy that had obviously been hidden away somewhere."

"We dusted it off & it was the toy I had gifted her years before."

"She remembered me."

"My brother said he had never seen the toy again until that day."

"She’s also very precious with her toys & will leave them outside his bedroom door as bribes."- emilyyancey

Innate Obedience

"When she was a baby I said, 'Go get your toy!' in the same pitch I always do."

"Never trained her with that phrase."

"She went a grabbed her toy and came back."

"I tested her again the next day and the next day."

"She went to her toy pile and brought back a toy each time."

"She picked up the phrase by herself."

"She's also the first dog I've had that looks at planes in the sky when they fly overhead and recognizes dogs on TV even on mute."- Spare-Bread8416

Get The Tissue Ready...

"I have two cats and a dog."

"A little backstory about my dog:"

" I don't know anything about dog training."

"I wasn't even thinking about adopting a dog but it seems like it was one of those things that 'meant to be'."

"My sister found him on the street at a winter night."

"We thought he was lost and there is an owner looking for him."

"Because where I live we have so many strays and you wouldn't see many 'specific breeds', they are just strays and specific breeds have an owner 99% of the time."

"So we took him home and start to search for the owner but it was obvious that poor dog went through some sh*t."

"And we learned about his story from an animal society; that he had a few owners but all of them left him to the streets because he was barking a lot (we haven't heard him barking even once during that time), he was peeing everywhere (he did it once and that was probably because he was nervous of being in a new environment and that was it), he wasn't listening at all (we had 3 cats at that time and I said no one time when he tried to run at them and that was it, never did it again)."

"And we learned that he has been in the shelter twice with big wounds."

"And I said I'm not going to let him go through more, he stays with us."

"He learned how to let me know he needs to go out all by himself."

"He learned to pee on the pads all by himself on the days that I can't take him for a walk."

"He learned to give me my slippers when I come home all by himself because I wear slippers when I get home."

" He learned how to clean his face by watching cats doing it."

" I still don't know how to train a dog other than a few basic stuff."

"He just learns."

"That's been a really long comment."

"So I'm going to leave that how I know my cats are clever for another time."

"Thank you for reading my sweet dogs story."

"I'm glad to have him and I don't know who was lucky about all those; me or him."- LittleBitOff2Day

dog pies GIFGiphy

Never underestimate your pets.

As sometimes you have no idea of the things they might see or notice.

Making it all the more important to give them the love and attention they deserve.