Folks Share 25 Pics Of Before And After “Life Happened” To Them

TikTok is constantly experiencing different trends, interesting and ridiculous, funny and sad, and this one is no exception. It’s not always possible to find out where, from which video, exactly this or that trend began to gain popularity, but sometimes this isn’t necessary. After all, many of us have come across the words "high school wasn't that draining" more than once or twice in our lives.

So, what do you need to get into the trend? Just find two photos of yourself - one where you are literally bursting with health and happiness (this will be the "before" one) and the second - where you look as sad and exhausted as possible (this will be, accordingly, the "after" image).

After that, write: "Ur being dramatic, school (or any other kind of school in case you're quite an adult person to be a schooler) didn't drain the life out of you," add a soundtrack - an original TikTok sound from the creator Cxara_edix, publish the video... voila, you are in trend!

Why do such videos exist - except, of course, for entertainment and the desire to get more views? For example, to show that high school (and life in general) is not such a negative experience, no matter how difficult it may seem to you. In the grand scheme of things, this is a self-deprecating attempt to give the world a life-affirming message, to laugh at life's hardships together.

Many years ago, the great French playwright Pierre-Augustin Beaumarchais wrote: "I hasten to laugh at everything; otherwise I would have to cry." Today, theater plays are not popular with modern audiences, so we have to express ourselves through TikTok videos—and they actually carry the same meaning that the French writer wanted to tell us several centuries ago.

At the same time, no matter how ironic and ridiculous these videos may look, school today really drains students mentally. So, according to this study made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2021, overall, 37% of students at public and private high schools reported that their mental health wasn’t good.

Of course, the pandemic had a significant impact on this, but there are certainly other factors.

For example, school teachers regularly complain that the students sometimes have a dramatic lack of even basic skills like counting, reading, writing, and lack knowledge as well. It’s not surprising that, entering adulthood, high school graduates face serious stress - after all, the world around them is not always this loyal to them.

However, life is quite merciless to adults, too, constantly throwing us more and more new reasons for anxiety and stress. For example, this 2024 study published on Psychiatry.org claims that modern Americans name the economy (77%) and violence (69%) among their main reasons for anxiety.

“Living in a world of constant news of global and local turmoil, some anxiety is natural and expected,” Psychiatry.org quotes American Psychiatric Association President Petros Levounis, M.D., M.A.

“But what stands out here is that Americans are reporting more anxious feelings than in past years. This increase may be due to the unprecedented exposure that we have to everything that happens in the world around us, or to an increased awareness and reporting of anxiety.”

Be that as it may, humor and self-irony have always been our reliable protective shield from any of life’s adversities - and the heroes of our selection today clearly demonstrate this. So why not scroll through this list, watch the images, and maybe add your own “before/after” pics in the comments below? After all, good laughter is definitely stronger than any stress.