Pay attention! The signs are there! You just have to follow them. When people show you who they are at hello, just believe it. People are always slightly off guard in the beginning, they're checking out the scene so it's the best chance to catch them as their true self... before they figure out how to dupe you. Just go with the gut feeling.
One Redditor wanted to know what are the biggest signs we might be missing when finding new people by asking...
What's a huge red flag when meeting new people?
Rubbish...
"Leaving their rubbish on restaurant tables or cinemas floors, being mean to their friends, being on their phone the whole time or constantly pushing their opinions onto you."Reddit
"qualities."
Giphy"They are proud calling themselves jerks, two-faced and other very questionable "qualities."AlertWriter
"I was 21 when I started dating my ex husband. He proudly called himself an fool all the time, but he was always sweet with me so I never believed it. Turns out he really was an fool and I realized that if someone defines themselves negatively, you should probably believe them."coffeetish
Hold on, he's a man of culture.
"I once met a girl who told me she'd stabbed her ex partner and didn't believe in human rights; all within about 5 mins."TheMeowMeowMachine
Hold on, he's a man of culture."
"He's just throwing in a little of the good stuff before he unloads on her." weirdgroovynerd
Crap talk.
"They immediately talk crap about a stranger." Tylermcd93
"I went to a meet up recently and got some drinks with the people after. One guy gave me a bad vibe. He seemed like he had a really low tolerance for other people messing up and being a little awkward. He was like, "yeah I was a little bit nervous about going to the meet up but then I realized that there are some really weird people and there's no reason to be nervous." Just sat wrong with me because I'm kind of awkward and just want to meet new people."
"The last straw was when we were playing pool at the bar and this one girl had something wrong with her voice and couldn't talk very loud so he actually asked her if "that's how her voice always was or there's something wrong with it" What an idiot. He invited me to watch football with him the next day lol. I didn't respond." AltrdFate
Selling You Life....
"If they start talking about their MLM (multi level marketing) scheme. They see you as a prospect not a friend." AdamMKEAdamMKE
"I'm not selling something, I'm offering you an opportunity to better yourself."snazzle-bedazzle
So Dirty...
Giphy"If you you meet them and they're ranting and raving about their mess of a girlfriend, their backstabbing friends, and how the whole world is doing them dirty."
"Sure, they might be having a bad day and are venting but in my experience, people who openly and eagerly vent that stuff to strangers in public are usually much more at fault than they care to let on and cause a lot of drama."FancyStegosaurus
Everyone else is just AWFUL.
Giphy"You barely know them but suddenly you are their best friend. Everyone else is just AWFUL. You are so special and awesome. Especially at listening to their (many) problems. Because you are so empathetic and smart and insightful.... Don't run. Sprint." Whaleballoon
Stay Away...
- "When small talk becomes that person following you around. I had a more recent experience with this, but ignored the warnings mostly because of"
- "Excessive guilt tripping. There's absolutely nothing wrong about talking about a rough home life, but when you bring it up every five minutes, it feels like you're fishing for compliments/begging for attention."
- "They pry you away from others. I ran into my gf at a cross country meet and couldn't maintain a conversation for more than five minutes without this person finding a way to get me to leave her"
"I don't care what you have to do, stay away from these people."seirfemdeef
Something's Off....
"Feeling worse after meeting them than you did before. Sometimes the person just seems off, but you can't put a finger on what exactly. Over time, you realize that your gut instinct was correct."DeathSpiral321
"Oh gosh, NO!"
Giphy"Have you ever wanted to be your own boss? Do you want to earn some extra income?" L00katTheAwwL00katTheAww
"Reminds me of a conversation I had on a bus recently."
"Are you interested in being your own boss and running your own business?"
"Oh gosh, NO!"
"The look of confusion on his face was priceless. I don't like being in charge; too much pressure that I'll mess it up for other people."Cometstarlight
Me. Me. ME!
"When everything is about them."contra11
"I have a coworker like this. Will dump all this personal information about herself and then just walk away."BoilEmMashEmBoilEm
Dumped.
"If they make plans with you and the cancel later because they got a better offer."brokendowndryer
"I dumped a friend of 10 years for constantly pulling crap like this. It really crappy to always feel like you aren't good enough. She ended up getting mad at me for not bringing it up sooner.. all the more reason to cut ties."mossattacks
Storyteller.
"Always look out for the two-sheds: those people who can't go for five minutes without one-upping someone else. Not gentlemanly empathizing and sharing their experiences, but taking the whole "that's nothing; listen to my story" route."InkMage94
Nothing to Say.
Giphy"When a guy has absolutely nothing to say other than overly romantic/sexual stuff, or your possible future together, right after meeting. It's creepy and you don't even get to know each other better cause there's no conversation happening."Promptographer
Mistakes happen.
"Gets angry over the smallest thing. The cashier shorted you a dollar when giving change? Mistakes happen. Doesn't mean he/she was trying to scam you."i_am_a_goat_baa
The Guy at Work...
"A guy at work always tells new people how much he hates being married. Apparently loves his wife but hates being married."
"Then goes on to say she doesn't let him drink because he "becomes a nightmare to be with" - pretty sure he drank in excess on a regular basis - and that she will divorce him if she catches him."
"The dude still drinks and drives home to his wife. He keeps a toothbrush and toothpaste in a bag that he hides in a bush near his house so that she can't smell alcohol on his breath."
"Found out all of this after speaking with him for 5 minutes. Apparently it's the same story with everyone."b6109
The Google Way.
"I met a guy in the US earlier this year and, after hello, he literally said "I'm a venture capitalist and I just made $10 million from a company that Google bought out." He then started banging on about Google basically giving them money to go away. To be honest, I sympathized with Google."
"(Caveat: it might have been Facebook or Microsoft. I stopped listening pretty quickly)."the_real_grinningdog
We all Crazy....
"More specific to dating, but if someone always plays the victim in their other relationships e.g. calling all their exes crazy. If they describe 1-2 people, ok maybe they had bad taste or got unlucky. If everyone they dated was "crazy," then they should probably look in the mirror."
"On a related note, I always watch out for people who introduce others badly. If the first thing you say about people is "omg this person looks funny" or "they're a fool" I'm going to wonder how they'll think and talk about me to others."brutusjeeps
Engaging Convo....
Giphy"When they engage more about themselves than contribute to the conversation. I've met a few people who would talk all the problems they've had and would hardly ask any questions back. I've always felt so uncomfortable in these scenarios and usually don't pursue in a relationship with these types of people."
"Some people made very good points about individuals with ADHD. I should be more clear on my point by saying that some people are also very dismissive and sometimes refuse to hear what you have to say by cutting you off. I don't expect an interview from the other person, but it would be nice to have mutual interest in each other." binguchoi
Always keep your head on a swivel when making new friends!
What do you look out for? Let us know in the comments below.
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.