‘Before And After’: 30 Stories Of Life-Changing Events That Shaped People’s Lives

We got in touch with MisterBigDude and he was kind enough to tell us more about the roots of his now-viral post.

"At home one day, I was planning a trip and thinking about how it would be difficult (as all travel is) because of a physical issue I developed in my 20s," the Redditor told Bored Panda.

"That made me ponder how different my life was before and after that issue. I suddenly thought it would be interesting to hear from other people about events that had substantially changed their lives. So I wrote a quick post."

MisterBigDude said, "Since r/AskReddit gets a ton of posts, I figured few people would see mine. I was shocked that thousands of responses poured in, and I continued receiving them more than a week after my post!"

"Of course, many of the posters wrote about deaths of loved ones. It was heartbreaking to read those entries. (I am in that category too, as my life changed a lot when my father passed away.) Health problems and relationship breakups were also among the most common topics of responses to my post."

It can be tough to deal with the curve balls life throws at you. So, the global polling organization Gallup Inc. has been asking people how they are feeling for the past 18 years with its Global Emotions poll—and the good thing is that in 2024, the answer is a little less bleak than before.

The researchers surveyed more than 146,000 individuals aged 15 years and older in 142 countries about their positive and negative experiences over the previous 24 hours, and then gave each country four scores on a scale of zero to 100: two scores for how present or lacking their positive experiences were, and two more corresponding to the prevalence of their negative experiences.

Overall, the results point to a world that, despite its many worries, is more content than fretful. Global stress levels were recorded at 37%—the lowest since 2019.

40% of adults reported feeling a lot of worry; 30% reported physical pain; 26% said they were sad, and 22% were angry. But the positive metrics were higher. The overall negative experience index fell from 33 last year to 31—the same level it was before the pandemic. Over the day prior to the survey, 85% of respondents said they had been treated with respect; 71% said they were well-rested; 73% said they had felt a lot of enjoyment or had smiled and laughed; and 54% said they had done something interesting.

"It is hard to say what helps people navigate such transformations," the author of the Reddit post said about the replies. "Many of the respondents were obviously still struggling to handle the effects of those big life events. I wish I did have magic advice that could bring them peace, but anything I could say would sound like an empty platitude. Everyone grieves and heals in their own way, on their own time."

"I feel that my post did give many people a chance to work through some of their grief by writing about it and sharing it, even for an audience of internet strangers—some of whom wrote very supportive replies to those posts. That's one example of the positive potential of social media," he added.

When it comes to practical advice, Stephanie Moulton Sarkis, Ph.D., N.C.C., D.C.M.H.S., L.M.H.C., the author of Gaslighting: Recognize Manipulative and Emotionally Abusive People—and Break Free, suggests these ten ways to cope with big changes:

1. Acknowledge that things are changing;
2. Realize that even good change can cause stress;
3. Keep up your regular schedule as much as possible;
4. Try to eat as healthily as possible;
5. Exercise;
6. Seek support;
7. Write down the positives that have come from this change;
8. Get proactive and work preventatively;
9. Vent, but to a point;
10. Back away from social media.