Curious about what constituted low points, Reddit user beesechugersports asked:
"What was the worst year of your life?"
Childhood Trauma
"1987. I was 13."
My dad was killed when he was hit by a car. Total accident."
"I think about the driver sometimes. I hope he forgave himself."
"I honestly don't recall ever feeling anything toward that guy. I think I was more upset with the neighbor who came to our door to tell us he thought my dad was in an accident."
"My mom piled us in the car and we drove down the street to the scene. My dad's body was under a sheet.
"That night I was numb until my mom hugged me and I bawled in her arms. After that I pretty much shut down emotionally for a couple decades."
"Took me a long time to get help for my own PTSD."
~ surfingonmars
Losses
"2011 - Lost my job, girlfriend, friends, had to move back in with my folks where I fell into a deep depression."
"That went on on until 2014 when I was able to turn the ship around."
~ max-peck
"People underestimate how horrible those 2-3 yrs of depression feel."
"I was in rock bottom depression for 2 yrs and it felt like a decade passing by."
~ secondhand_bra
Future Derailed
"2012. The year started out great. I met and befriended an adult film actress on my birthday and had an active sex life for the first time ever."
"I was finally off the night shift at my job. I applied for grad school. I was accepted into a program for veterans at the Writer's Guild of America."
"I had finally arrived."
"But by September it was all over. My relationship with 'Nadia' had turned toxic and ended in a huge fight."
"I was rejected from grad school. The WGA program didn't pan out for me."
"Worst of all, I was fired from my good job. I nearly became homeless and had to go back to working the night shift guarding a gated community in Beverly Hills."
"By the year's end, I was alone and broke (I would declare bankruptcy early the next year) with no hope for the future."
~ SgtSharki
Economic Downturn
"2014. My business suffered a 4 million dollar loss."
"Then my fiancée who I was with for 6 years left me for her boss just 3 months before our wedding."
"I wasn't able to find another partner but I did recover from the absolute shambles I was in."
"Just the fact that I'm able to function normally and interact with people again without breaking down is a big win for me."
~ S_MZ
Post College Struggles
"2014—the year I graduated college and was looking for work and had bad acne and unrelenting pressure from my parents and a poor social life and I worked Uber while studying for the Chartered Financial Analyst exam that I ended up failing."
~ Damerman
Friends Lost
"2017. I lost my best friend that year.. we met during our first year of university and immediately hit it off and became close."
"We were inseparable for 7 years. I’ve never been the same since then.. I died with him."
"I wish I could’ve helped him.. I wish I could just take one last drive and smoke one last cigarette with him ,and tell him how much I love him and how much he means to me."
"Please tell your friends that you love them whenever you get the chance.. you never know when will be the last time you hang out together."
~ Syouf
Seeing the Light
"2018. Realized I was part of a cult."
"It was called the Great Commission Churches when I attended though they’ve changed their name multiple times over the years when they’ve been accused of abusive practices."
~ Consistent-Way-2018
Long Road to Recovery
"2019. Last straw at my job, where the management team turned on me, resulting in me putting in my 2 weeks after my complaint against a lying supervisor was dismissed."
"Had no more income, so I couldn't pay rent, and thus had to move out of the shared house I had with a friend and his fiancée (wasn't on lease, had no obligation to stay, and the fiancée even told me "you know, you don't have to live here" during an argument)."
"Said fiancée convinced him to turn on me and drop me as a friend, which resulted in him going off and convincing the only other friend I had to do the same."
"Covid hit."
"My cat developed a genetic illness that paralyzed her and my step-father put her down behind my back. My childhood dog developed cancer and was suffering so she was also put down, but I was able to hold her while she passed."
"Great aunt died of cancer, great uncle (other side of family) died of cancer."
"That was the lowest I've ever been, and I haven't even recovered 20% yet."
~ Whatsa-Throwaway
Pandemic Pandemonium
"2021 was the year when my mental health was worse than ever."
"Looking back I'm proud of myself that I just survived."
~ Master-Mood1816
"Well done on that and also, same."
"2021 can go straight in the bin."
~ sicklything
GiphyAftermath
"On the flip side 2021 was probably one of the best years of mine as an adult."
"My girlfriend and I were able to spend so much time together because she was only working maybe 1 day a week and I worked at an empty warehouse from 7 to 3 Monday to Friday."
"When everything went back to normal we both were working so much we ended up splitting up, so I guess 2022 sucked pretty bad."
~ ofTHEbattle
"2023. By far the worst year of my life.
"Got laid off, took forever to find a new job, fiancée got pregnant then lost it then she got cancer, hated my new job, went heavily into debt to survive, fiancée beats cancer, she gets a life insurance payout from her father's passing, she gets pregnant again."
"Then I find out after she up and vanishes suddenly that every single thing was a lie. She faked it all from top to bottom for two years and pulled the rug out from under me, suddenly running off with our dogs."
"Since then I guess she needs some sick gratification that she’s not getting from just all that and continues to stalk me on social media/Reddit as well as spoof her phone number to text me sh*t with purely the intent of trying to hurt me."
"Losing the dogs hurt and still hurts, won’t lie, but being rid of her has been nothing short of a blessing."
~ Ok_Outside_4650
"This year—2023."
"My dog died in June."
"My wife died in July."
"My cat died in August."
"I have 5 kids."
~ MichaelHoncho
Dear whatever doesn't kill me, I'm strong enough now.
"Every year seems to beat the previous."
~ BenChodABQ
Oof, that's a lot to take.
While some are still going through it, many have already come out on the other side.
Here's hoping better days are ahead soon for everyone.
Giphy
"What are you starting to like LESS the older you get?"
Annoying At Any Age
"Waking up at 5 am to pee."- killarnivore2
Time To Unplug...
"Social media."
"I’ve already pared it down to Reddit and Instagram YEARS ago but honestly could do without IG too now."- Reddit
Who Has Free Time Anymore?
"Lack of leisure time."
"When I was younger, it wasn’t a big deal to go from work to gym to home to right back out half an hour later to bar hop or movie or something."
"Now it’s like work…. Aw hell, gym?"
"Not even half an hour to chill? "
"No? Fck."
"After gym I’m not doing sh*t the rest of the night."- Expensive_Rhubarb_87
Tired Donald Duck GIF by Mickey MouseGiphyNothing Is Worth The Wait.
"Anything with a lot of hype that requires me to stand in a long a** line."- sneakynin
What DON'T I like Less...
"Working. Getting Drunk. Politics. People."- Frosty-Custard-5558
Season 2 Ugh GIF by The Lonely IslandSobering Dose Of Reality
"That my parents are getting older."- Ok-Park-4155
Don't Even Get Me Started...
"Dating scene and overall toxicity in it."- Yakima42
So Many Perks To Delivery...
"Going to the damn grocery store."- KendalMay
Hungry The Good Place GIF by Global TVGiphyDarn Newfangled Technology!
"The way the internet is in 2022."
"Ads, subscriptions, pay walls, unhelpful sites with more pictures than words, and streaming service content split up between around 200 platforms, and most of the good content is exclusive to one, and never available elsewhere."
"On browsers, you have to have multiple extensions or the like to tell Cookies, Trackers, and Ads to go away."
"For people in Australia, we're also Geo-Blocked, so we have to use VPN to get around it or turn to other means."
"Commercial radio is unlistenable, with the same 25 songs on repeat at the only five I can remember the channel for, and even that is preferable to the afternoon talk show of cackling, squawking gossip."
"I'm happy to pay a contribution to my group's spotify; I can have that going on my phone, instead of listening to any of that crap."" I can have long playlists, *my* kind of music, and I don't have to pull over to change CDs."
"Changing phone service provider is simple enough on the surface, but then you also have to update your 2-factor authentication, and if it's tied to the old number, which is out of service, you have to go in person to a store or office, or call customer support."
"For each instance."
"Those are the most prevalent grips I have with modern life."
"It's all in regards to what I watch, listen, or read, and the devices I do so on."
"It's this tangled web of inter-dependant, exclusive-pushing, paywall-blocking, subscription-requiring noise that really does distract from more important, more healthy, use of time, energy and money."- Zeus_McCloud
The older we get, the more we find ourselves constantly frustrated by everything.
Up to and including how easily annoyed we get with each passing year.
And It only gets worse...
Redditor stofugluggi wanted to discuss the inevitable... the process of ageing.
So they asked:
"What are you starting to like less and less the older you get?"
Not being able to dance as fast. I miss going at 100 miles an hour on the dance floor.
Shopping Mecca
Stranger Things Indiana GIF by netflixlatGiphy"Malls. Used to love hanging out at the local mall with friends as a teen but as an adult, I fully just beeline straight to what I need to get and then it’s just survival mode until I get back to my car."
bbqwingdings
The Old Place
"The typical bar scene. I get off work and want to unwind. I don’t enjoy the loud, nearly shouting level of noise at the typical bars. I want medium volume bars that are fun and lively, but not noisy. I miss my old, favorite bar. COVID economy killed it. Craft beers and good appetizers is what I want after a long day. Not shots and drunken fools."
xrayboarderguy
Good Days
"Being sick. It was an excuse to stay home and play video games when I was a child, and my body could usually fight it off pretty well. Sick days weren’t even that bad. Now my body hurts a lot more with much lesser illnesses, symptoms linger around much longer, and many times it’s not serious enough to justify staying home so I just have to go about my day anyways."
"If I do get sick enough to stay home from work I am nowhere close to being in good spirits. I am not playing video games all day long. I am laying in bed contemplating where it all went wrong."
Jailbreaker_Jr
Highs/Lows
"Enjoyment and happiness doesn’t hit like it used to. I am still generally happy and enjoy doing things, but it doesn’t get me as excited as it has in the past."
Hihihi93
"I had an older friend who said getting older was like the roller coaster ride evening out. Highs not so high but lows not so low."
woodstock923
I’m 25 and I feel this, imagine in the future. God…"
numerionegidio
I'm Tired
The Simpsons Winter GIFGiphy"Getting up in the morning. I mean, I love the fact that I’m alive, but sh*t getting up and out of bed suuuuucks."
redditor_5678
"Bed is soft and warm. The world is cold and hard. I choose bed."
sourdoughbreadlover
Affairs with our beds. The life goal.
Me
Twin Peaks Mirror GIF by Twin Peaks on ShowtimeGiphy"My life and choices."
Spazzycattt
"For real. Dealing with the consequences of those choices made in the past is not fun."
InflatableRaft
Stay In
"Leaving the house lol."
droopyheadliner
"I can relate to this. I was highly extroverted prior to the pandemic. I loved socializing and enjoyed meeting new people. Now? I’m too anxious and depressed to even leave my house sometimes. I’ve turned down most invitations for social hangouts because I can’t bring myself to meet anyone in person."
titaniumorbit
"This. People in public are so crazy and obnoxious now. Rather stay home and chat with friends through xbox."
patricio87
Remember the Fun
"Social media. It's vapid, boring, and a continuous stream of advertisements now. I remember when it used to be fun. Now I've deleted pretty much all forms of it except Reddit."
squeakycheetah
"Dude literally everything is advertisements now. It’s getting exhausting. Even iMessage games are littered with advertisements. I remember when instagram had just one advertisements you had to skip in between stories, now there’s two. If you wanna go to the next story on Snapchat, there’s an advertisement you have to look at before you can. I hate it."
Ac997
"All the major social media sites are basically melding into TikTok."
jordy_muhnordy
Leg Joints
"My knees."
monkeypickass1
"Right there with you. I even got rid of one of mine and have an aftermarket model now."
htownlifer
"I've had knee issues for practically my entire life because of my poor diet. God was it painful seeing everyone in school on recess do squat (?) exercises then I'm just here with my knees shivering and hurting and barely able to do a few of them. Luckily I've managed to fix them a bit over the years but when I get older that sh*ts coming back."
Wyvernator1
Cash Cow
Donald Duck Money GIFGiphy"Spending money. When I was younger, I’d save up cash and buy clothes and shoes and food and all kinds of useless sh*t."
"Now I’m in my 30s and it feels like I’m bleeding money just to survive. I’m currently looking for a new apartment with in-unit laundry and you’d think having laundry in your apartment was a luxury for kings and queens. How does anybody afford anything?!"
Burrito_Loyalist
Wow, when you put it all together, you see the scope of change.
Do you have anything to add? Let us know in the comment section below.
