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People Admit The 'Wow, I Really Need To Grow Up' Moment That Completely Changed Their Life

People Admit The 'Wow, I Really Need To Grow Up' Moment That Completely Changed Their Life
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Life can be marked by watershed moments––those moments when you realized you needed to grow up and mature and get your life together––for your sake, predominantly. And for the sake of your sanity, too.

Thanks to Redditor network_not_found, we get to experience just how universal these epiphanies are, after they asked the online community: "What was your 'I need to grow up moment' that actually made you grow up?"


"When my mom was dying..."

When my mom was dying, I had to square with a whole lot of 'suck it up and deal' moments with myself so that everything could get done. She'd been sick for a long while, but had always been private about it until the last few months, when she was rapidly getting worse, especially when my grandmother also got horribly ill at the same time.

I got used to the sight/smell of bile real fast and with the fact that I needed to catch my mom's puke in a bowl because she couldn't walk to the toilet. I got used to spending nights & weekends in hospital rooms so that Mom would have someone with her while Dad was checking in on Grandma.

I got used to calmly talking about end-of-life arrangements, because that stuff had to be taken care of. I even got used to not being able to talk about it with anyone, because who was I going to spill to? Everyone else in the family was dealing with a much worse scenario than I was.

It sucked horribly and it was the worst year of my life, but it was definitely a growing experience in terms of just learning how to get shit done, even in the most horrific circumstances.

blueeyesredlipstick

"In my late 20s..."

In my late 20s my Mom needed open heart surgery so I moved home for over a year to look after her. Up until that point I honestly can't think of a single "responsible" thing I had really done.

Clapperoth

"My parents..."

My parents started making dinner only for me and saying they already ate. Me being a dumb kid of 16ish I just believed it. Eventually I put the pieces together. They hadn't eaten. They were prioritizing feeding me, and we were hurting real bad financially.

I went into town and got a job at Carl's Jr. First paycheck I bought groceries as a surprise. Sure enough, they ate dinner with me that night.

My mom later on told me her dad had done the same thing when money was tight. My family is incredibly diehard loyal to their kids.

Duwinayo

"When I was 22-23..."

When I was 22-23 I would always insult my brother as a joke. I never complimented him or anything. One day he kind of exploded on me and before I could say something I realized he was right. All I did was try to bring him down for no reason. I stopped, which ironically enough annoyed him for a while because I would throw in compliments and stopped insulting him.

blade5555

"I started..."

I started teaching right out of college at age 22. I got a job in a Title I school teaching 5th grade science and social studies. Most students were held back at least once, and I had several students who were 12 and 13 years old. On the first day of school, I remember feeling so strange that I could shut my classroom door and be trusted to be responsible for the science and civic education of 90 (3 sections of 30 kids) fifth graders. At age 22. My first few years of teaching taught me a lot about how the world worked. I also grew a thick skin, learned to stand up for myself, and developed a desire to always improve myself.

Ckappel

"Walking into the rehab center..."

Walking into the rehab center I had left 6 months prior. December 2006, I had been a drug addict for 15 years and even the people who desperately loved me were about to cut me off. I knew in my heart that this was my last chance to get my life in order otherwise it would be the end.

Flash-Boreden

"Realizing that I want to..."

Realizing that I want to spend my life with someone, but don't have the means to move in with them, get married, start a life, etc. I started driving (I haven't driven due to fear and mostly got rides everywhere) and got a real job. I'm saving up to get a home with my partner so we can have a happy life together.

Squii123

"When I realized..."

When i realized that i needed to start socializing with people, otherwise i couldn't get anywhere in life. I'm mostly an introvert and i hate to go outside because the grind never stops. At some point though i realized that if i never socialized i wouldn't make any friends and would never feel good about myself whatsoever. Ever since that moment, i started going out with people, chatting with people online, i started expressing myself a little better and might have a girlfriend soon. Honestly a good thing. Idk if this all fits as a "grow up moment" but i hope it does.

GlitchiTim

"Realising..."

Realising that going to I.T school to become a programmer when I wasn't even interested in that line of work was why I had depression, was alone, and always angry. I now am going for Art and Design, have incredibly calmed down, and found myself the love of my life.

KurtGG

"I got pulled over..."

I got pulled over doing 90 mph in a 55. I was 17, and in my state is when you are legally an adult. Was still high school and on my way back from my military drill that weekend. The officer had me stop the engine get out, and then proceeds to handcuff me on the side of the road, in my uniform, and has me sit on the grass. Then we proceeded to have a nice long talk about making choices and the consequences of my actions if I had crashed or lost control and what would happen if he booked me for this: reckless endangerment, operating a motor vehicle 35 mph in excess of the speed limit, reckless driving. I was going to be one messed up teenager. He then took off the handcuffs, handed me my keys, and told me that he had never see my name come up anywhere for anything ever again, before letting me go. I was shaking so bad I could barely drive off the highway. Suffice to say: I've never had another traffic violation.

sxjamg

"I was 15..."

I was 15. I had a step father who hated kids, and my mom had four, me being the youngest. The eldest two bailed as soon as they had the chance, because our family was terribly dysfunctional. Stepdad would get drunk and abuse my mom. We tried many times to stop him or get the cops involved, but she always backed him up, so fuck it, her dog, her fleas. There came a day when stepdad decided that he didn't want to abuse mom, he's come upstairs after me.

Being a malnourished 15 year old facing a drunken ex-boxer with a history of violence was enough to make a boy freeze up. I couldn't freeze up, though, or my life would basically be over, I couldn't let the next 5 minutes go his way. So by the time he got to the top of the steps, I was waiting for him with a baseball bat. Not as much of an equalizer as Sam Colt would recommend, but it did the trick. I beat the monster, I grew up!

My mom and stepdad moved out almost immediately, her choosing him over us. She said when we graduated high school, she'd sell the house so be ready, but my next oldest brother (it was just him and me at that point) was into drinking and threw me out.

Good times.

BallisticMarsupial

"My husband has depression..."

My husband has depression and lost his job a few months back so he's not in a good place right now. We're late 20s and have always muddled through together but this is the lowest he's ever been. Stepping up to keep us going through this has definitely made me grow up.

The positive side is that we're coping well and he's getting help. I'm quite proud of us.

Pabs23

"The look..."

The look of disappointment on my wife's face when we received our third eviction notice while on vacation with my family. I spent the money on everything else rather than paying bills first.

spookydooky

"I went to a party..."

I went to a party where I knew my ex was going to be with his girlfriend. We dated for about 4 years and had been broken up for 2 years at that point.

He started dating his girlfriend within a few months of us breaking up, and I guess I hadn't gotten over how much that hurt me.

So I brought a date to the party, told everybody he was my boyfriend, and got absolutely trashed.

I woke up the next day and hated myself. I realized I needed to let it go, so I did. That was a huge growing up moment for me.

avocadontfckntalk2me

"I was in my mid-20s..."

I was in my mid-20s, at a job interview for a job I really wanted. I'd already been in the field for awhile and thought I was hot shit. This would have been a huge step up in my career.

I thought the interview was going well. At one point the hiring manager asked me if I had experience with a certain subject. I said "Yes" and bullshitted my way through the questions successfully. Or so I thought.

After the formal interview they asked me if I wanted to go to lunch with them. We proceeded to go to the nicest, fanciest place I had ever been to up to that point. They treated me very well. On the way back to their office, the hiring manager said, "Let me give you a piece of advice: if you don't know something, it's okay to say you don't know it. It looks a lot worse if you try to BS your way through it."

I knew right then that I lost the job opportunity. The combo of how well they treated me, and how matter-of-fact the advice was at the end, really stuck with me.

sinusesnotanuses

"I'd always..."

My wife dying and leaving me with our three kids... I'd always been very immature up until then.

qwerty-mo-fu

"After I dropped out..."

After I dropped out of college, I worked at a Home Depot as a cashier for a while. Then I got fired for never showing up on time.

After not being able to cut it as a cashier in retail, I thought, "It's probably time to get my act together, huh?"

I did. Currently write code that organizes financial data.

Rathmec

"I had a child."

I had a child. It wasn't just me and my adult, fully capable wife who could take up the slack if I screwed up - I now had this helpless little person relying on me.

Until she was born, I hadn't held a job for over a year. I then had that job for 8 years, and when I did switch jobs there was a significant pay increase and now I've been there 4 years.

vault13rev

"I found out..."

I found out I was pregnant. I had a part time travel only position and the previous year made money from stripping and digital consulting. I was just fooling around with my life and didn't really have any goals except to eventually get a full time digital position.

Within four months I acquired a vehicle, my own place to live and full time position.

I was in no way ready to have a child. Now I'm in a better position than ever even though my costs have gone up significantly.

bitchperfect2

"Right when..."

Right when I graduated college and moved out on my own, I received around a $100k inheritance and started spending money like it was nothing, to the point where I finally checked my financials and realized I had spent $30k in nine months. It was only when I ran through the numbers that I realized I was being a total, complete idiot.

I think this really helped later on in life, though, it caused me to save and invest as much money as possible, even when I had a really well-paying job. While people at my level were buying either a Lexus or a Mercedes, I was clinging onto my Honda civic then later bought a Prius.

dougiebgood

People Reveal The Weirdest Thing About Themselves

Reddit user Isitjustmedownhere asked: 'Give an example; how weird are you really?'

Let's get one thing straight: no one is normal. We're all weird in our own ways, and that is actually normal.

Of course, that doesn't mean we don't all have that one strange trait or quirk that outweighs all the other weirdness we possess.

For me, it's the fact that I'm almost 30 years old, and I still have an imaginary friend. Her name is Sarah, she has red hair and green eyes, and I strongly believe that, since I lived in India when I created her and there were no actual people with red hair around, she was based on Daphne Blake from Scooby-Doo.

I also didn't know the name Sarah when I created her, so that came later. I know she's not really there, hence the term 'imaginary friend,' but she's kind of always been around. We all have conversations in our heads; mine are with Sarah. She keeps me on task and efficient.

My mom thinks I'm crazy that I still have an imaginary friend, and writing about her like this makes me think I may actually be crazy, but I don't mind. As I said, we're all weird, and we all have that one trait that outweighs all the other weirdness.

Redditors know this all too well and are eager to share their weird traits.

It all started when Redditor Isitjustmedownhere asked:

"Give an example; how weird are you really?"

Monsters Under My Bed

"My bed doesn't touch any wall."

"Edit: I guess i should clarify im not rich."

– Practical_Eye_3600

"Gosh the monsters can get you from any angle then."

– bikergirlr7

"At first I thought this was a flex on how big your bedroom is, but then I realized you're just a psycho 😁"

– zenOFiniquity8

Can You See Why?

"I bought one of those super-powerful fans to dry a basement carpet. Afterwards, I realized that it can point straight up and that it would be amazing to use on myself post-shower. Now I squeegee my body with my hands, step out of the shower and get blasted by a wide jet of room-temp air. I barely use my towel at all. Wife thinks I'm weird."

– KingBooRadley

Remember

"In 1990 when I was 8 years old and bored on a field trip, I saw a black Oldsmobile Cutlass driving down the street on a hot day to where you could see that mirage like distortion from the heat on the road. I took a “snapshot” by blinking my eyes and told myself “I wonder how long I can remember this image” ….well."

– AquamarineCheetah

"Even before smartphones, I always take "snapshots" by blinking my eyes hoping I'll remember every detail so I can draw it when I get home. Unfortunately, I may have taken so much snapshots that I can no longer remember every detail I want to draw."

"Makes me think my "memory is full.""

– Reasonable-Pirate902

Same, Same

"I have eaten the same lunch every day for the past 4 years and I'm not bored yet."

– OhhGoood

"How f**king big was this lunch when you started?"

– notmyrealnam3

Not Sure Who Was Weirder

"Had a line cook that worked for us for 6 months never said much. My sous chef once told him with no context, "Baw wit da baw daw bang daw bang diggy diggy." The guy smiled, left, and never came back."

– Frostygrunt

Imagination

"I pace around my house for hours listening to music imagining that I have done all the things I simply lack the brain capacity to do, or in some really bizarre scenarios, I can really get immersed in these imaginations sometimes I don't know if this is some form of schizophrenia or what."

– RandomSharinganUser

"I do the same exact thing, sometimes for hours. When I was young it would be a ridiculous amount of time and many years later it’s sort of trickled off into almost nothing (almost). It’s weird but I just thought it’s how my brain processes sh*t."

– Kolkeia

If Only

"Even as an adult I still think that if you are in a car that goes over a cliff; and right as you are about to hit the ground if you jump up you can avoid the damage and will land safely. I know I'm wrong. You shut up. I'm not crying."

– ShotCompetition2593

Pet Food

"As a kid I would snack on my dog's Milkbones."

– drummerskillit

"Haha, I have a clear memory of myself doing this as well. I was around 3 y/o. Needless to say no one was supervising me."

– Isitjustmedownhere

"When I was younger, one of my responsibilities was to feed the pet fish every day. Instead, I would hide under the futon in the spare bedroom and eat the fish food."

– -GateKeep-

My Favorite Subject

"I'm autistic and have always had a thing for insects. My neurotypical best friend and I used to hang out at this local bar to talk to girls, back in the late 90s. One time he claimed that my tendency to circle conversations back to insects was hurting my game. The next time we went to that bar (with a few other friends), he turned and said sternly "No talking about bugs. Or space, or statistics or other bullsh*t but mainly no bugs." I felt like he was losing his mind over nothing."

"It was summer, the bar had its windows open. Our group hit it off with a group of young ladies, We were all chatting and having a good time. I was talking to one of these girls, my buddy was behind her facing away from me talking to a few other people."

"A cloudless sulphur flies in and lands on little thing that holds coasters."

"Cue Jordan Peele sweating gif."

"The girl notices my tension, and asks if I am looking at the leaf. "Actually, that's a lepidoptera called..." I looked at the back of my friend's head, he wasn't looking, "I mean a butterfly..." I poked it and it spread its wings the girl says "oh that's a BUG?!" and I still remember my friend turning around slowly to look at me with chastisement. The ONE thing he told me not to do."

"I was 21, and was completely not aware that I already had a rep for being an oddball. It got worse from there."

– Phormicidae

*Teeth Chatter*

"I bite ice cream sometimes."

RedditbOiiiiiiiiii

"That's how I am with popsicles. My wife shudders every single time."

monobarreller

Never Speak Of This

"I put ice in my milk."

– GTFOakaFOD

"You should keep that kind of thing to yourself. Even when asked."

– We-R-Doomed

"There's some disturbing sh*t in this thread, but this one takes the cake."

– RatonaMuffin

More Than Super Hearing

"I can hear the television while it's on mute."

– Tira13e

"What does it say to you, child?"

– Mama_Skip

Yikes!

"I put mustard on my omelettes."

– Deleted User

"Oh."

– NotCrustOr-filling

Evened Up

"Whenever I say a word and feel like I used a half of my mouth more than the other half, I have to even it out by saying the word again using the other half of my mouth more. If I don't do it correctly, that can go on forever until I feel it's ok."

"I do it silently so I don't creep people out."

– LesPaltaX

"That sounds like a symptom of OCD (I have it myself). Some people with OCD feel like certain actions have to be balanced (like counting or making sure physical movements are even). You should find a therapist who specializes in OCD, because they can help you."

– MoonlightKayla

I totally have the same need for things to be balanced! Guess I'm weird and a little OCD!

Close up face of a woman in bed, staring into the camera
Photo by Jen Theodore

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.

Man's waist line
Santhosh Vaithiyanathan/Unsplash

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.