Sometimes you just have to take a chance. We are often warned off by life that certain experiences may be too much, so we shy away and decide to just go with the status quo. But we're missing out and never seem to know it. Half of the time when we take a dive into the unknown we find ourselves pleasantly surprised. It's like tasting a new exotic fish. Just get past the scales.
Redditor u/Hedwigisbae wanted to know what we've all tried trepidatiously at first and learned.... this isn't too shabby... by asking.... What's something that sounds horrible, but is actually pleasurable once you try it?
sound proof and pitch black.....
GiphySensory deprivation tanks. You strip down and get in a tank of body-temperature salt water. The room is sound proof and pitch black. You just lie there for a bit and hallucinate. It sounds terrifying, especially for people with claustrophobia, but it's an incredible experience unlike anything I'd ever done before.
I highly suggest everyone try it. TechnicalDrift
Cold Comfort.
Sacrificing comfort in exchange for change.
Its like getting out of the lukewarm bath before it gets cold. Sure you're comfortable now but if you give it up as a choice before it gets cold then you'll feel much better.
Edit - The city we live in has a lot of pollution and while its been nice , its just been getting worse so we will go to another place soon. Here's a video of us training to cycle from Hanoi to Europe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vthw8jcmE34Mixedstereotype
10/10 recommend.
This sounds disgusting... but definitely delivering your placenta after giving birth.
You'd think it would hurt just as bad, or that you'd feel relief from popping an 8lb human out of your now-very sore-genitals, but nope. No relief until the placenta just... slides out. And then it feels like someone's been standing on your chest for 9 months and you can finally breathe again. I felt light as a feather. Insta-satisfying.
10/10 recommend. The kid's alright too, I guess. _aworldaway
Pump!
Going to the gym several times a week. meta_uprising
There are plenty of times I don't want to go to the gym, but I do it anyway. Because after I'm done, I've never regretted having gone. Outrageous_Claims
Dive.
GiphySkydiving. You do feel nervous the first time right before you jump out of the plane, but after that the rush is amazing and lasts for a couple hours. DeathSpiral321
"sounding horrible"
Public bathhouse in Japan (or Onsen). I don't think it qualifies as "sounding horrible" but I think a lot of people feel uncomfortable getting naked and bathing alongside strangers.
However, once you get over the initial jitters it's absolutely amazing. No one cares, no one is judging, everyone is just enjoying the amazing hot spring. Our most recent visit was the Heiwajima bathhouse and we spent almost the entire day there. It was like a glorious spa day. Yakarue
Yum!
Eating vegetables.
I'm working on eating healthier and I'm still not eating salads but I'll eat veggies in a stir fry at least. ddave0822
Pretty much every vegetable does well roasted in an oven. You can season it to your preferences, or just use salt and let the vegetable shine, but either way a nice roast does them well.
I'm a big fan of roasted beets, broccoli, butternut squash, brussel sprouts, and sweet potatoes. Yum! -the_one-
With a Spoon...
I have a tub of "Grim Reaper Affliction" I have eaten a bit the size of a match head. Wow. 9 million scovels. Until then I don't think that any thing could be that hot. It seem to have reset my heat tolerance. Sauces in the 1-2 million range I can now eat by the spoonful.
It comes with a tiny spoon. We washed it under a hot water jet. The steam burnt our lungs. If those nuts are coated with something like that they could be interesting. AlienGiblet
Through the Schnoz...
GiphyNasal Irrigation. I thought it would sting, turns out the right salinity levels make it extremely comfortable to drain your shnoz. I've seen some gnarly things come out my nose during a sinus infection. Woobowiz
No Wifi?!
A vacation where you basically have no Wifi or data access. After an initial withdrawal period, it's really amazing to feel present in the moment. bossyhosen
When my friends and I go camping we drive to an island on a river that is in the middle of nowhere. There is no wifi, no electricity, no running water and no other people. It's the most relaxing thing in the world. We try to do it a few weekends a year if not for a full week at a time. 02silverado53
Go Fast.
GiphyGoing in a capsule-type waterslide. It's really tense in the line, when you know How It Works, and the noises are frightening. But once you go, you see it's a really cool feeling of going very fast in a tube. Red-helmet-soldier
I almost cried.
Having an abscess tooth extracted. Before the procedure, it was the most painful thing I've ever experienced. I went in to have it pulled and the dentist tried to explain to me that they could save the tooth blah blah blah, I was in so much pain I just said take it out please. They "numbed" me up but it didn't touch the pain I was in.
After a few minutes of them playing around in my mouth with a pick and pliers, I started to feel pressure on my jaw and the tooth popped out. The dentist was surprised and said, "yeah, I bet that feels better." He said a bunch of infection came out which is what he was vacuuming out. IMMEDIATE RELEIF. Like no pain at all. Relief to the point that I was in ecstasy. I almost cried. Tea-acH-Cee
"I want you to remember this moment."
My daughter accidentally scratched my eye pretty badly a few years ago, leaving a crescent-shaped cut in my cornea.
The ER doctor told me to "put some Visine on it", and it'd go away by morning. I spent the night in escalating/excruciating pain, and went to a proper eye guy first thing.
I was already freaking out about the pain, and definitely didn't want someone mucking about in there, but he convinced me to let him put in a bandage lens (like a contact lens, but thicker - and it holds the "flap" made by the cut down).
Right before he put it in, he stopped and said "I want you to remember this moment."
...And I will - because it was like a light switch turning off. First, blinding pain so bad I wanted to vomit, followed by absolutely nothing. No hurt. I had to wear an eye patch for a couple of days. That's it. bad_merkin
In the Tummy....
Throwing up when you have an upset stomach. It sucks before and during but after you feel so much better. Obviously sometimes that's not the case but I remember times when I ate something bad and was in bad stomach pain until I vomited and felt instant relief. destinoid
So Touchy.
GiphyThose scalp massager things that kind of look like alien torture devices. whiskey_mike186
Stabby...
My tens unit. Sending small electrical shocks through your muscles sounds like torture. But when you set it up right there is a twinge of pain and then it subsides, it's great. thesunscreen
Even better is acupressure mat. Aka a bed of nails. Ive fallen asleep on mine more than once due to how relaxing it is (fyi, try to avoid this, as being woken by little stabby pains when you roll over in you sleep is unfun).
But I also fall asleep in MRI machines so take that how you will. meggatronia
Ear Worx...
Having your ears cleaned out by someone else. yetanotherweebgirl
Yeah baby. When i was in high school i was waterskiing and took a hard fall that dislodged a giant earwax ball that clogged my ear. A nurse squirted some warm water in both my ears until all the wax came out. It seemed like i could hear leaves rustling from a mile away after that. Billsrealaccount
At the Cinema.
Going to the movie theater alone. ohhfasho
I've done this a few times and it's seriously the best. You don't have to share your popcorn and I'll usually go on my day off in the morning or early after and no one is there. You have the whole theater to yourself most of the time. cassie_cakes77
Be in the north......
GiphyWaking up early to have a coffee as the sun rises. Racing_in_the_street
Be in the north, sun rises at 10am in the winter. Profit. _PM_ME_ASIAN_CUTIES_
Ride On....
GiphyRiding your bike long distances. It won't be pleasurable until your condition your butt and build your baseline, but once you do a ride through the countryside at a leisurely pace is one of life's great pleasures, and will inevitably make you feel like a kid again. BornAgainCyclist
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.
