Boo! Are you scared yet?! You should be, the spirits and their ilk are listening.
The paranormal is a thing. Yes, sometimes our minds do play a trick or two on us, but you cannot discount the ghosts and the unrested dead.
Death does probably get a little boring, so you gotta keep it lively and haunt a few of the living.
That was the point of Beetlejuice. Wasn't it?
Redditor u/DrRiffs wanted to discuss the spirits by asking:
What is the craziest paranormal experience you've had?
I can feel the "others" pretty consistently. For some reason they seem to visit at night because of course they would. I can mostly detect any and all noises. And I know its not the house. Who can agree?
The Slam
Scared Boy Meets World GIFGiphy"My dad's gun safe slammed shut and i was the only one home and laying on my bed."
Merry Spooky Christmas!
"We were visiting my in-laws around Christmas and we were chatting in their den, having some drinks and catching up. They had a Christmas tree in the corner of the den. Nobody was sitting near it. My husband and father in law we sitting in lounge chairs and I was sitting with my mother in-law on the couch on the opposite side of the tree. The two dogs were napping between us. We were all at least 6 feet away from the tree."
"All of a sudden their Christmas tress begins to violently shake. Like someone grabbed the trunk and was shaking dust off of it. A few ornaments fell to the ground and then it stopped. It shook for a good 10 seconds. The thing is, we were the only 4 in the house, the dogs were sleeping on the couch with us, the tree had been up for at least a week so no woodland creatures hiding in it and nothing else in the house shook. No glass clinking, no other rumbling sounds, just the tree."
"We checked the news to see if there was an earthquake, we checked online (pre smartphones) and the newspapers and no reports of an earthquake. We also live in an area where earthquakes are rare. So I have no clue what shook the damn tree. We all saw it, the dogs slept through it. They did not give AF."
Resembling Jesus
"High school girlfriend says she saw an old man in her house in the study. I laughed it off because her house was no older than 20 years old and how could it be haunted. I jokingly said she saw a wooden carving her parents had that resembled Jesus because she described the man of having a big white beard. A few weeks later I was walking from the stairs and into the kitchen were she was sitting, out of the corner of my eye I see an older man sitting at the head of the table in the dining room."
"I tell her but have to rule out my claim as the seed of belief may have been planted in my head. Months later her friend from Brazil was visiting. My girlfriend and I are fooling around upstairs and her friend burst through the door crying. In Portuguese my girlfriend asks what's wrong and her friend says she was listen to music with headphones walking around on the main floor when she ran into an old man with a white beard in the study."
"There was absolutely no way my girlfriend told her friend as she wasn't a believer in the paranormal and didn't make a big deal about it when she told me. To this day it is the one case in my life where I have to truly believe we all saw something in that house."
Yak-bak in a box
"I've typed it up several times on this sub so I'll make it quick. Home alone, hear my brothers voice in the attic calling my name, go check it out, find the source, it's a malfunctioning Yak-bak in a box (he obviously recorded years ago, claims not to remember), the light in the attic pops and goes out, almost break my leg getting out of there. Sat in the driveway til my parents got home. I don't consider it paranormal — and all rational explanations, but I felt a deep sense of dread up there, like I was about to be harmed."
What my Buddy Saw...
Season 1 Omg GIF by America's Got TalentGiphy"A buddy and I saw, as clear as possibly could be, a white orb appear out of the air, slowly float up through the trees, and disappear. I can explain the entire thing in detail if anyone is interested. I'm not a superstitious or religious person, but I've never heard a good scientific explanation. Ball lighting might be the best possible explanation."
- OSUfan88
Now these are the situations that require vodka. And thank God those type of spirits were created. How can anyone get through these type of situations sober?
Tap Tap Tap
Happy Los Angeles GIF by MLBGiphy"I fell asleep in a hospital waiting room and I was waking up with my eyes closed, when I felt someone tapping on my head, like fingers playing a piano. I opened my eyes and nobody was there."
Just Me
"I jolted awake one night when someone forcefully grabbed my arm. Turns out it was myself. My heart was racing and I was so shaken that I didn't get back to bed that night. No hissing though and I was definitely asleep."
When at the Depot
"Couple months ago I was exiting a Home Depot parking lot and saw a big truck coming in, I immediately knew what was going to happen and said out loud "driver has a blue hat and will honk the trucks horn twice while turning" as a way to actually believe myself if it did happened. Well guess what? "
"I couldn't see the driver until the truck cleared the entrance but when he did, I saw that he had a blue hat and did honk the horn twice as he was turning right beside me. Felt like an idiot for the whole day for saying out loud what I thought it was gonna happen, but felt weirder when it did really happen."
Super creepy...
"Horses are weird. I grew up on a horse farm with a large indoor riding arena. If there was an accident, like a horse breaking its leg, we would lay a tarp in the arena, bring the horse in if ambulatory, and wait for the vet to give their shot, "off to the glue factory" my dad would say."
"Roughly 500 meters past multiple walls are where the rest of the horses stay indoors. Anytime there's a horse who's sick or dying they often whine and kick stalls. One time a border's horse got the shot, and out of nowhere the entire barn just started screaming. Multiple horses bellowing and scrapping the stall doors with their hooves. It sounded like an equine massacre."
"Some were so upset they broke into sweats and were just huffing away. It was cold so when I opened the barn door to go back to the house, all the steam and condensation from the horse breath and sweat left the barn at once. Again, these horses had zero chance to see and could likely barely hear what was happening, and the neighing went off like an explosion. Super creepy."
Old Lady Ghost
whoopi goldberg ghost GIFGiphy"When I was in patrol, responded to a disturbance call at an apartment building with my then partner, walk in to see an elderly woman with her back to us, leans her head back and screams, than proceeds to walk into a wall and disappear! Looked as real as anything, looked at my partner and he was white as a ghost lol, never spoke of it with him or anybody till now."
- hm41
I'm calling an exorcist. There is only so much fun and games to be had. Sometimes the dead need to learn to rest. Get me some holy water.
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Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.
Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?
But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.
It would be so great to be sure there is something else.
But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.
Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:
"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"
Sensations
Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."
PeachesnPain
Recovery
"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."
"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."
"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."
good_golly99
Take Me Back
"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."
"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."
rayrayrayray
Free
The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."
TooReDTooHigh
This is why I hate surgery.
You just never know.
Shocked
Giphy"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."
Admirable_Buyer6528
The SOB
"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."
"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”
1-cupcake-at-a-time
Colors
"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"
Hannah_LL7
"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"
huntokarrr
The Fog
"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."
"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."
Fluffy-Hotel-5184
Through the Walls
"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."
"She's quite alive and well today."
Hot-Refrigerator6583
Well let's all be happy to be alive.
It seems to be all we have.
Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.
The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.
Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.
Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:
"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"
Redditors didn't see these coming.
Shiver Me Timbers
"I’m always cold now!"
– Telrom_1
"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."
– r7ndom
"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."
– mr_remy
Drawing Concern
"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."
– dee-fondy
"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"
"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."
– LizardofDeath
Unleashing Insults
"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”
"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."
– alanamablamaspama
Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight
"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."
– KeltarCentauri
"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."
– KatMagic1977
"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."
– Jaew96
These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.
Shopping
"I can buy clothes in any store I want."
– WaySavvyD
"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."
– ganache98012
No More Symptoms
"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."
– colleennicole93
Expanding Capabilities
"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."
– Ramblonius
People Change Their Tune
"How much nicer people are to you."
"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"
– LiZZygsu
"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"
"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"
– awholedamngarden
It's gonna take some getting used to.
Bones Everywhere
"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."
– Princess-Pancake-97
"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."
– bekastrange
Knee Pillow
"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."
– snic2030
"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."
– Strongbad23
More Mobility
"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."
"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."
– dma1965
People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.
But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.
That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.