Life is full of twists and turns, and few are more upsetting than the ones that have the potential to ruin your life in one fell swoop.
There's nowhere to go but up—or so we're told.
No, some people go down. All the way down.
It can happen fast, and it's scary on top of it.
What happened? What did they do?
It turns out there could be a bunch of reasons, because life is messy that way.
People shared their thoughts with us after Redditor krhw asked the online community:
"What is the one thing that has ruined most peoples' lives?"
"Unresolved and unprocessed..."
"Unresolved and unprocessed trauma and grief…I guess that’s two but they go together."
mlperiwinkle
To which this person replied:
"And then choosing a partner/relationship that reflects these unresolved/unprocessed issues. Then having children with them. Heal yourself."
Umm_is_this_thing_on
"The fear..."
"The fear of failure."
herecomesthekicker
To which this person replied:
"This currently runs my life. I'll be planning how to live in the least risky and fail safe way instead of aiming for something higher just because I can't deal with risk properly."
shahhabali
"The inability..."
"The inability to delay gratification."
gtb821
To which this person replied:
"Yup… I have just spent an hour on Reddit rather than getting up and having a shower… and I do this every day…"
LochNessMother
"Few things can ruin your life..."
"Few things can ruin your life more than bad parents."
macaronsforeveryone
To which this person replied:
"And one of the worst things is that you're going to use all these behavior patterns that you've got from your parents in your OWN relationships. You're gonna do that UNCONSCIOUSLY when it's hard to control your emotions. That's really sad and confusing."
tobehonest7
"Seriously!"
"Positive vibes only. Seriously! People expect only one boring emotion from others. A lot of people burnt bridges because the vibes were 'off.' No, it’s called being freakin human!"
somethingfuplikethis
To which this person replied:
"I gotta say bro, I'm not digging your aura right now."
cosA_2sin_A
"Rejecting reality..."
"Rejecting reality in favor of the fantasy in your head."
wickedblight
To which this person replied:
"Sometimes I just have to daydream so I don't collapse."
eclipse113
"The global financial elite..."
"The global financial elite who profit off the backs of hard working individuals And condemn us to ever increasing wealth divides whilst hoarding enough money to solve all the worlds problems."
Daza87
To which this person replied:
"You could have just said capitalism."
vellyrs
"Given the choice..."
"Modern living. Our little cave brains are not equipped for this much choice, this much noise, this much stuff happening all the time. Given the choice most of us would prefer to live simple lives with basic necessities and adequate healthcare, living off the land rather than the endless rat race to accumulate things endlessly and then die."
stuckwitharmor
To which this person replied:
"It's a deep fantasy of mine to have fewer obligations and a much more simple life of working 8hrs, spending time with my family, and pursuing hobbies."
"Everyone's situation is different but here, its work all the time, scramble to take care of adult responsibilities, and not sleeping enough to wake up and do it all over again."
NerdyDadGuy1981
"...which makes people..."
"Society, which makes people aspire to things that are virtually impossible to achieve."
LegendaryPlayboy1
To which this person replied:
"My aspirations are world domination with as many martinis as I want. If only."
AffectionateWalk
"It's an addictive drug..."
"It's an addictive drug with long term side effects. People get the complete wrong idea about sex, people get less satisfied with their sex lives, it takes too much of their time, it causes erectile dysfunction, etc."
RandomHuman2354
To which this person replied:
"The fact that it’s so normalized is the most destructive part. Scared to see where we’re going to be in 10 years when AR and AI become a total replacement for human interaction."
No_Philosophy69
While the answers here vary, one thing is clear: There is no shortage of options or ways for you to deal some irreparable damage to your life. Take note and take caution.
Have some observations of your own? Feel free to tell us more in the comments below!
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