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People Describe The Scariest Experience They've Ever Lived Through

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Gut Feelings That Actually Saved Someone's Life

The Worst Thing My Doctor Told Me

The Worst Thing My Doctor Told Me

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People Explain Which Scientific Facts Scare The Sh*t Out Of Them

These People Made HUGE Mistakes

These People Made HUGE Mistakes

People Share The Least Fun Facts They Know

People Share The Least Fun Facts They Know

People Break Down The Most Disturbing Facts They Wish They Didn't Know

People Break Down The Most Disturbing Facts They Wish They Didn't Know

People Break Down The Extremely Dangerous Things Most People Think Are Harmless

People Break Down The Extremely Dangerous Things Most People Think Are Harmless
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The world is a big place, and as such it's filled with many terrors. Some, very obvious, like disease, famine, bears, bears with jetpacks, and so on.

However, it's the fears we don't see coming, the dangers hidden in the shadows of the wider range of the world where we think everything is okay.

We're safe. This thing we're doing can't possibly hurt us.

Until it's too late.

Reddit user, devitod, wanted to know what to keep any eye out for when they asked:

"What’s something most people don’t consider dangerous, but is actually extremely dangerous?"

You know what the most interesting thing after giving birth is for you and your partner?

They just let you take the baby home. Like, it's yours.

Your taking them home to a world of potential dangers and death and they just let you do it. ​

Put The Nets Up. Don't Be A Hero.

"Trampoline. I know 2 people that broke their necks, one is now paralyzed waist down."

Educational-Delay211

"Insurance companies consider trampolines like one of the biggest risks when quoting property. The numbers must prove it, risk is quantified when it comes to insurance."

OmarBarksdale

Give Them A Long Time To Get Acquainted

"Allowing their babies to get up in dogs' faces and vice versa."

Leoluki25

"I hate this! I can’t believe people do this! I got my first dog when I was 4, and I’m now 55. I absolutely love dogs. I rescue them, I train them, I adore them. Never let a dog near your baby, people! I don’t care how precious your little Fido is. Don’t do it!"

MusicalLifeForever

Always Read The Labels

"People not following dosage instruction on paracetamol. Either taking the next dose too soon or thinking the 8 in 24 hours, is 8 during daylight hours. No. You start taking them 5pm, you have until 5pm the following day to take the 8 (if needed)."

laaaaaaaana_

"For anyone who doesn't know, paracetamol is also called acetaminophen, aka tylenol. It's particularly bad with alcohol. And a nasty way to die."

ravinghumanist

The scariest things about these seemingly innocuous activities is how often they happen to us. Some happen to us every day and we don't give them a second thought, until one day it's a little harder to poop than normal.

Get Some Rest If You Can

"Driving while tired"

FierceSTEAK

"Cars in general. People are so cavalier about these two ton metal boxes speeding around within inches of each other, just inches from pedestrians and buildings. It’s insane when you stop and think about it."

Taxitaxitaxi33

The Brilliance Of Life, The Fear Of Death

"Pregnancy."

Done-By-Hand

"As a labor and delivery nurse I can confirm this 10000%. It’s true that yes, modern medicine has made labor and delivery safer and easier with less death rates, thank god. But trust me, those deaths still happen. Those terrifying situations that can easily cause death if not treated very quickly and appropriately can still happen in an instant, and I see them happen on a daily basis on my unit alone. Being pregnant and giving birth is flat out dangerous and nothing to f-ck around with!"

kitkatquick

Try To Go Every Day

"Chronic constipation. Can permanently damage your intestines, can injure your pelvic floor, lead to cancer, malnutrition, and other severe complications (like bowel obstructions and perforations)."

"You should be having soft, just-holds-together, ropey poops that don't hurt to pass. You shouldn't have little nuggets, giant masses, or liquid poop, and it shouldn't be difficult or uncomfortable to go. There should be no blood, and the diameter of the ropey poops should be pretty consistent from day to day. You should also be going every day to maybe as long as every three days if your poops are still soft, but if your poops become firm or chunky, you're entering non-ideal terratory."

"Constipation hits pretty much everyone at least a few times in their lives, but it shouldn't be like that even half of the time. Chronic constipation goes largely unnoticed and untreated, and it leads to injury ranging from "just" painful (like fissures or hemorrhoids) to very severe (like colon cancer)."

"We don't talk about pooping enough. Talk to your doctor if you don't have good poops! For most people, it can be as simple as adding fiber supplements and extra water. For me, it meant I needed a dose of mirilax every day for the rest of my life (starting when I was 23)."

Ms_Eryn

Nature is all around us.

Never forger that. It's been here long before us, and will be here long after us.

Ay, The Internet...

"Enclosed and non-ventilated spaces. Edit: Known as "confined spaces"."

"There was a post a year or two ago on Reddit where a guy dug a hole in his backyard, put one of those intermodal containers down it, then buried it. He cut a hole in the roof and set up a ladder. The plan was to have the whole thing be a "secret" underground party spot."

"Zero visible ventilation of any kind other than the hole."

"People were going bonkers over how cool this setup was, and were downvoting people that were trying to point out how this could easily get everyone down there killed, stating that the hole was clearly good enough."

"Further note, if you see someone enter an enclosed a confined space and they collapse, DO NOT GO AFTER THEM WITHOUT BREATHING GEAR. You'll just provide a second body for the funeral."

Mazon_Del

Guess Who Else Likes The Ol' Swimmin' Hole?

"Swimming holes. We see this a lot in the South. It's blazing hot, it's summertime, let's swim in whatever body of water we see around in the woods."

"Snakes, other animals, you don't know what the water conditions are beneath the surface, or how deep it is or isn't. You don't know if it is heavily polluted or even a sewage runoff. It's just a big fat no-go for me."

"Edit: WOW as if I wasn't scared enough, the replies to this comment absolutely terrified me. Amoebas, throw away junk, underwater cave systems, drop offs, crocodiles! I think we have all learned a lesson here."

MooseSpringsteeen

Keep Your Wits About Yourself

"Sand bars at the beach."

"It's low tide, suddenly there's a strip of sand that goes out half a mile, you think "let's go for a walk and find some sea shells," you get out there and the view of the beachfront is incredible, then within minutes there's a foot of water rushing across, pushing you around, knocking you off your feet, the sand is turning soft so if you do manage to stay up your feet are sinking past your ankles with every step, you're trying to get back but it's basically sweeping you away, and you've got half a mile to go like this, and the water is getting deeper. Eventually you just get carried out away from the beach."

"People drown every year doing exactly this."

CaBBaGe_isLaND

No Joke.

"A concussion really messes up your brain. We had an accident where we were sitting at a red light, and some dumb bitch wasn’t paying attention and rear ended us. I got a concussion. I had a headache for six months, couldn’t focus my eyes, couldn’t come up with words, couldn’t convey the emotions I was actually feeling.

"Went to a concussion specialist. So, it turns out I had a TBI, and hadn’t ever recovered from it. I had to have therapy to learn to focus my eyes again, and regain my balance, and it was awful. I spent weeks in physical therapy, and would throw up after the session."

"God bless those PTAs, they would just have a cold rag waiting to put on the back of my neck. It’s been three years. I still have issues, headaches, focusing my eyes, and random aphasia. Concussions are no joke."

Madame_Kitsune98

Prairie Safety

"Farming w/ heavy machinery."

jdward01

"Can confirm. Friend of my wife lost her brother when he fell into a corn silo and drowned. Yes, sunk like quick sand so more like suffocated."

tomgbombt

Road Enemies

"Driving next to 18 wheelers... "

"A: They can't see you."

"B: That's just a lot of heavy metal that will unapologetically rearrange your corpse several times before your heart even stops pumping ."

"C: All the truck tires you see on the side of the road."'

"Those things go off like bombs when they go... but people drive right tf next to them like it's cool."

Front_Penalty_4952

Feet Down

"Putting your legs on the car dash. As an ER nurse I see this way tpo often. People put their legs on the car dash, they get into an accident and suddenly you have a legs sticking out the side like a barbie doll. Also driving with a full bladder not fun as well."

soggytoilet_paper

Idiots Teaching

"How the hell am I allowed to operate a motor vehicle? It's a 1.5 ton block of metal and glass that moves at 100 mph, and I'm allowed to operate it while eating McNuggets because I cheated on a test sophomore year."

HonorInDefeat

"Bruh my entire road test was taking 4 right turns back to the DMV. I thought I failed because I was done so quick but the tester was just lazy af."

Prudent_Hawk_7476

Too Much Tylenol

"Acetaminophen, the difference between max daily and you are going to the hospital as an OD is smaller than almost any other drug."

Triple30

"Indeed... acetaminophen for healthy individuals have a max daily dose of around 4g. The problem is the Tylenol brand that many persons take like one extra for the headache, one sinus for the nose and 30ml of sleeping aid Tylenol. All of this three times a day. Well maybe you will not OD and need a hospital but probably you will need a new liver."

MauricioCMC

Hardcore Problems

"Alcohol."

Fizzabl

"The first person from my high school graduating class to die was a few months after graduation, went to a party and his friends kept pouring liquor down his throat after he had already passed out. Plus if you're a hardcore alcoholic, going cold turkey is a bad idea since the withdrawals can literally kill you."

Mataraiki

On the Sea

"Commercial fishing. It’s actually one of the most dangerous professions. Heard of a case recently where the crew woke up and the captain (who had been awake alone) just… wasn’t there. People get caught in the gear or a storm and they’re gone. May not even have a body to bury."'

Jayn_Newell

Kickback...

"Using table saws without knowledge about kickback. Even professionals are having horrendous accidents with table saws when they are getting too comfortable to care about safety. You can easy cut off your fingers and hands, but many do not know that the saw can throw a piece of wood through a wall or... your stomach. Search up kickback on table saw and your will have respect if you find the right videos."

Bjoer9

Be safe out there.

Last thing you need is a watering hole to come and get you.

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dangerous

People Reveal Whether They Let Their Dog Sleep On Their Bed Or Not

Reddit user Piggythelavasurfer asked: 'Do you let your pet sleep in your bed? Why/why not?'

Dog lying down on a bed
Photo by Conner Baker on Unsplash

Not all pet owners have the same relationship with their pets.

While anyone who decides to become a pet owner, or pet parent as some say, love their pets equally, some never ever let them leave their side.

Taking their pet with them to work, running errands, even on vacations.

Many pet parents even allow their pets to share their bed with them when going to sleep.

For others though, this is where a line is finally drawn.

Redditor Piggythelavasurfer was curious to hear whether pet owners allowed their pets to share their bed with them, as well as the reasons why they do/don't, leading them to ask:

"Do you let your pet sleep in your bed? Why/why not?"

The Tiny Issue Of Water...

"Absolutely not."

"I have fish."- Senior-Meal3649

Everyone Gets Lonely Eventually...

"I adopted an eleven year old cat the day before Halloween."

"She has mostly lived in my closet since I got her, and she hasn’t been too interested in coming out."

"Last night, she came out of my closet and jumped up on my bed, and crawled under my covers and curled up by my feet to sleep."

"I was so happy!"- YellowBeastJeep

The Comforting Reminder That You're Not Alone...

"I recently lost my Greyhound but I used to let him sleep on my bed with me."

"The company was nice and he was no trouble to have on my bed."- HoodedMenace3

Hungry Cookie GIF by De Graafschap DierenartsenGiphy

What Do You Mean Allow?

"I have no choice."

"She is a cat, cats do whatever they want."- Small_cat1412

"He lets me sleep in my bed."- Poorly-Drawn-Beagle

Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way

"I carry my old boy upstairs to bed every night."- worst_in_show

Hug GIF by The BarkPostGiphy

Who Needs An Alarm Clock?

"I let my two cats sleep with me."

"They're so full of love and just want cuddles all the time."

"And so do I."

"We've all developed a lil routine."

"Get to bed, oldest sleeps on my feet to keep them warm, youngest lies in my arm while I lie on my side (she the little spoon), then when I snooze my alarm for work in the morning the youngest paws at my face and meeps loudly to wake me up."- GhostofaFlea_

Whose Bed Is It Anyway?

"Yes."

"They're also kind enough to let me squeeze into whatever space they've left for me."

"Although I do get a few dirty looks off them."- Therealkaylor

"I found this tiny kitten screaming her head off under a car."

"Would not come out."

"Got some food and some water in dishes."

"I stood by the tire so she couldn't see my feet."

"She got curious about the food and water and started gobbling it down."

"I thought she would bolt when I squatted down."

"She was too busy eating."

"I grabbed her by the nape of the neck and all four legs went straight out and she tried to scratch me to death."

"I got her in the door and tossed her toward the couch."

"She ricocheted off the couch as if she was a ping pong off a table and I lost sight of her."

"I put out food and water and a sandbox and did not see that kitten for three days."

"On the third day, I came home and she was on my bed pillow."

"I thought she would bolt when I came near, but she didn't."

"I wanted to sleep so I tried to scoot her little butt off my pillow."

"She would not go."

"I put my head down to sleep and that is the way it was from then on."

"She ran the roost."- Logical_Cherry_7588

sleepy kitten GIFGiphy

Sleeping Is A Prerequisite...

"No, he's a cat and he cannot keep still during the night."

"He walks across the headboard, opens the closet doors, jumps into the windows and rustles the blinds, etc."

"If he would sleep he could stay, but alas, he's a ramblin' man."- Spong_Durnflungle

Saying No Just Isn't An Option...

"'Let'."

"Lol."

"It's a cat's world and I'm happy to be on her good side."- milaren

Felines Only!

"The cat does, the dog doesn't and the horse certainly does not either."- Xcrowzz

Angry Tom And Jerry GIF by Boomerang OfficialGiphy

Is That My Hair On That Pillow?

"My dog is perfect."

"She comes up, cuddles til we start to fall asleep, then gets down to sleep on her bed so she doesn't get too hot."

"Jumps back up in the early morning for wake up cuddles."

"The hair everywhere is the only downside but she is so cozy, what can you do."- HoodieWinchester

It is easy to understand how some people are able to fall asleep more easily knowing their friend and protector is there, in bed, with them.

Though we can't blame others who don't want to run the risk of being scratched or bitten in the middle of the night either...


pets

Old Wives' Tales People Still Believe For Some Reason

Close up of an owl tilting their head to side, looking bewildered
Photo by Josh Mills

The old wives' tales.

They are the stories of legend.

I think we all need a big DEEP Google dive though.

Where did they originate?

WHO ARE THE OLD WIVES!

You don't hear about them as much anymore.

It's like science and logic are suddenly a thing.

But they sure are a good way to keep your kids and their behavior in line.

Redditor the_spring_goddess wanted to discuss the tall tales we've all been fed through life, so they asked:

"What is an old wives tale that people still believe?"

"Wait an hour to swim after eating."

What a crock!

So many summer hours wasted.

I want revenge for that one.

Say Nothing

Giphy

"An undercover cop has to tell you he's a cop if you ask him."

LonelyMail5115

"Pretty much most advice when it comes to cops are old wives tales. I’m not even a cop but most of the advice you hear is pretty off."

I_AM_AN_A**HOLE_AMA

Say Something

"That you have to wait 24 hours to report someone missing."

Severe_Airport1426

"I really think this one is important and should be the top regardless. As it’s a piece of advice that needs to be relearned and the only way to do that is through awareness."

crappycurtains

"This used to be true. I think they changed it after some guy named Brandon went missing back in the '80s or '70s. You used to have to wait 24 hours if the missing person was an adult because they had 'a right to be missing' and then everyone realized that was stupid and stopped doing it."

AlbinoShavedGorilla

Body Temps

"That drinking ice cold water after eating oily foods will solidify the oil and permanently remain in your body. I informed my coworker that if your body temperature ever reached that point, you’d have bigger problems than weight gain."

chriseo22

"Oh, I have a cousin who 100% believed this. One of those guys who believed every early 2000s internet rumor and old wives tale. One night I chugged a big glass of ice water after dinner and he started freaking out and saying my guts were gonna harden."

"I sarcastically told him to drive me to the hospital if that happened. Obviously, nothing happened and the next morning I said something like 'Thanks for being on standby in case my guts filled with hardened oil.' He just walked off muttering under his breath."

apocalypticradish

Arms Down

"When I was pregnant, I was told by young and old alike that I should NOT raise my arms above my head or exert myself in such a manner because it could cause cord strangulation to my unborn sons and daughters."

Fatmouse84

10 Years Actually

Unimpressed Uh Huh GIF by Brooklyn Nine-NineGiphy

"Chewing gum stays in your stomach for 7 years."

REDDIT

"I remember accidentally swallowing a piece of gum when I was a kid in like 1995 and just accepting my fate like welp, gonna have this in my stomach til high school I guess."

Gecko-911

I was so afraid to sallow my gum when I was young.

This tale is haunting.

High/Low

Hungry Debra Messing GIF by Will & GraceGiphy

"You can tell the sex of the baby by how you carry."

LeastFormal9366

"Pregnancy certainly wins awards for the most old wives tales. So much absolute BS was repeated to us by everyone we talked to."

IllIIIlIllIlIIlIllI

The Cursed

"If you’re a woman and you wear opal jewelry but opal is not your birthstone (October), you’ll never be able to have children, or will be widowed, or just generally have bad luck or something. You can counteract this by having a diamond in the same piece of jewelry as the opal, though."

"I have a nice opal ring that my parents gave me years ago, and I’ve had other women give me this 'advice' unprompted more than once when I’ve worn it. I have absolutely no idea where it started, but I’m pretty sure this little chunk of silicate rock has no concept of what month I was born in, let alone of how my reproductive organs work."

SmoreOfBabylon

Stay In

"Going outside with wet hair will make you get pneumonia. Or an earache. Or maybe arthritis. Depends on which old wife you listen to."

"Jokes on them - I haven't blow-dried my hair in decades and usually leave the house with wet hair in the morning. On winter mornings, the tips of my hair get frozen. No ear infections or pneumonia or arthritis yet."

worldbound0514

Dreams and Facts

"You never make anyone up in your dreams you've seen everyone in your dreams somewhere else before and never make anyone up entirely."

"How would you possibly prove that to be true? My partner adamantly believes this and tells me this 'fact' whenever I have a dream about someone I've never met before."

mattshonestreddit

"My late wife used to tell me that before she met me she would have dreams of standing at an alter on her wedding day but could never see the guy's face, no matter how hard she tried. After meeting me the face was filled in with mine. Don't know if it's true but one of those things I like thinking of every now and then when I miss her."

Darthdemented

Cracked

Getting Ready Episode 2 GIF by The OfficeGiphy

"Some people still believe cracking knuckles causes arthritis."

Choice-Grapefruit-44

"There's a doctor (Donald Unger) that cracked his knuckles a couple of times a day for 60 years, but only on one hand, just to prove it. Both hands remained exactly the same."

MacyTmcterry

I love my knuckles.

Do you have any tall tales to add to the list? Let us know in the comments below.

old wives tales

People Who Wouldn't Quit Their Job If They Won The Lottery Explain What They Do

lottery tickets
Erik Mclean on Unsplash

A lot of workers daydream about some day winning the lottery and being able to say goodbye to their job.

Far too many workers are unhappy with their job duties, workplace dynamics or company culture.

But with a taste for luxuries like housing and food, they keep plugging away, year after year.

However not everyone feels that way about their job.

So what are these compelling careers?

Keep reading...Show less
work

People Break Down The Biggest Bombshells Their Therapist Ever Dropped On Them

Therapist talking during session
Photo by Mark Williams on Unsplash

Some people stand firmly stand behind their beliefs that everyone would benefit from therapy and that therapy is life-changing.

It's because of the totally life-changing truth bombs their therapist had dropped during their sessions.

Curious, Redditor anonymiss0018 asked:

"What is a little bombshell your therapist dropped in one of your sessions that completely changed your outlook?"

Communication Issues

"'If you don’t have these problems with any other person in your life, why do you think you’re the problematic person in this one?'"

- maggiebear

"I love this. I have a 'friend' who I always seem to run into misunderstandings with. Every time we had a conversation, it somehow turned into a debate even if it was me talking about my day. The conversations were never easy."

"I always evaluate myself first and take into consideration his critiques. He was very good at convincing me that I was contradicting myself or wasn't good at communicating my thoughts."

"I NEVER had this issue with ANYONE else in my life. I kept trying to figure out where the miscommunication was coming from. In the end, I just minimized contact and now I don't run into this issue."

- chobani_yo

"I read this quote somewhere once (and probably have it a bit wrong): 'It's a waste of time arguing with someone who is determined to misunderstand you.'"

- Reddit

Emotional Regulation

"'You can’t control your emotions, but you can control what you do with them.'"

"At the time, I was a young adult who had learned zero healthy emotional regulation skills (only suppression and shaming) growing up, so this blew my mind."

- lil_mermaid

Tough Relationships

"'It sounds to me like you are trying to convince yourself to stay with your girlfriend. I'm not so sure it should be so difficult.'"

"At the time he said this, I remember it was like he said, 'The earth is flat.' I thought he was crazy when he suggested relationships don't need to be difficult. But eventually, I started to realize I was trying to change myself to stay with this person rather than just being who I am."

"It took me three more months to finally break up with her but from that day on, I vowed to never again abandon myself just to be with someone I had convinced myself was better than me."

- metric88

High-Stress Situation

"I was at a high-stress time, and I asked her how people live like this."

"She replied, 'Oftentimes they have cardiac events.' She said it as an urging to care for myself as much as possible."

- KittenGr8r

The End of Alcohol

"I was struggling with my alcoholism, and we were discussing how I had been cutting back."

"She asked what I would consider success, with regard to my drinking."

"I said I wanted to get to a point where it wasn't interfering with my daily life. I wanted to just be able to have a glass of wine at holiday dinners or family gatherings."

"She simply asked me why. Why was it important for me to drink at those times?"

"It was as if she'd turned on a light. Alcohol had always been a key ingredient in every family function, for my entire life. When I smell bourbon, I think of my uncle. When I smell vermouth, I think of my dad. Alcohol ran through almost every happy childhood memory."

"But, even more than that, I was very afraid of the explanation I'd have to give when family and friends asked why I wasn't having a drink. I had tried to quit before but failed. What if I admitted my problem, only to fall off the wagon?"

"When she asked why I didn't want to completely quit, it was the first time I saw that last part of the big picture. I'd be willing to drink myself to death in order to avoid being scrutinized, or judged for possible future failures."

"That was the day I quit. I've been sober since May 6th, 2017. 2,407 days."

- sophies_wish

Acceptance vs. Enjoyment

"'Accepting something doesn’t mean you have to like it.'"

"That took away a lot of my inner conflicts about situations because I could accept a situation without expending energy internally fighting against the injustice of it."

- alibelloc

Emotionally Immature Parents

"You are not responsible for your parents' emotional wellbeing. They are independent adults who have been on this earth for many more years than you."

- SmokedPears

Not So Lazy

"'Why do you think you're lazy?' Then she listed off all the things she knows I'm doing for my family, my job, and my life."

"It kind of blew my mind when I struggled to come up with an example."

"She also described family dysfunction as water. Some families are messed up in a way that everyone can see the huge waves across the surface. Others are better at hiding it, but there's still a riptide that you can't see unless you're also in the water."

"It made me realize that trying to keep the surface from ever rippling doesn't erase what is happening underneath."

- flybyknight665

The Harm in People-Pleasing

"'Why do you make people more comfortable when you are uncomfortable?' when talking about people pleasing and fawning."

- ERsandwich

Agree to Disagree

"'Stop trying to get everyone to agree. When you need everyone to agree, the least agreeable person has all the power.'"

This really changed my outlook on planning family events."

- freef

Grieve and Start Anew

"For context, I had a major TBI (traumatic brain injury), seizures, strokes, and all around not a fun brain time when I was 28."

"They said, 'You have to grieve the loss of yourself.'"

"Most people wanted me to go back to how I was. The f**ked up truth is that part of my brain is dead. The person everyone (including myself) knew died. I needed to grieve the loss of myself."

- squeaktoy_la

Multifaceted Identity

"They told me that my job and career is just a way to make money; it's not my life or identity. That took a lot of pressure off me."

- unfairpegasus

Breaking the Cycle

"They validated me."

"'You always talk about not wanting to do to your daughters what your mom did to you. You worry about it so much in every interaction you have ever had with them."

"But your children are 19 and 21 now. They are happy and healthy and they trust you because you’ve never abused them in any way. So I just want to validate for you that you really have broken that cycle of violence."

"You did that. And you should be proud of it. I’m proud of you for it.'"

- puppsmcgee74

The Grieving Process

"I was constantly bringing up how I felt like a completely different person after my mom died... like there was a marked difference between before and after her death."

"But once, she was asking about my hobbies, I got really into describing all the things I loved to do or at least used to do before I got into a deep depression."

"She was like, 'Wow, you seem very passionate.'"

"And I just sat there like, 'Well, I mean, I can't change what I like to do, they're still fun to do.'"

"And it's like she knew when to take a step back, because it was like, wow, I may be super depressed about my mom passing, but I'm still me. I'm still my passions and those don't go away."

"I don't know, maybe it only makes sense to be, but it really started getting me back on track."

- Hannibal680

Sharing the Load

"I've never really had friends. I've had colleagues and classmates and housemates and people who have hung out with me, but I never really felt close to any of them."

"And I did that thing you see on here sometimes; I stopped reaching out to see if I would be reached out to, and I wasn't, which I took as confirmation that they didn't really want me around, or at the very least, that they wouldn't mind my absence."

"I was talking to my therapist about people I'd been close to in college, and she told me to pick one and talk about him. So I did. After I shared some basic stuff like his name and his major etc., and a couple of anecdotes, she asked me what else I knew about him."

"And I couldn't answer. It wasn't really a broadly applicable bombshell, but she said, 'What else?' and I started crying because I realized that for as simple as the question was, my inability to answer spoke volumes."

"I've never had good friends because I've never been a good friend. I'm withdrawn and reserved and I always made others do the work to drag me out, without ever extending my own friendship in a meaningful way in return. If I wanted to have meaningful relationships with other people, I would have to build them."

"I'm still working on this, but I'm trying to make more offers and extend more friendliness to others in my daily life."

- Backupusername

The discoveries in this thread were incredibly touching and profound; it's no wonder these were lasting concepts for these Redditors.

It's important to keep ourselves open to inspiration and insights from others, as we have no idea how their experiences could help us, or how we could help them.

therapy