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49 Things People Never Took Seriously Until They Experienced Them Themselves
There are moments when you hear a story and think, there’s no way that actually happened. It sounds exaggerated, dramatic, or straight out of a movie. But then life has a funny way of proving you wrong. Sometimes, the most unbelievable stories turn out to be painfully real when they happen to you.
That’s exactly what sparked one online discussion, where a netizen asked people to share experiences they once believed were fake—until they lived through them themselves. The responses were surprising, eye-opening, and sometimes downright wild. Keep scrolling to read the stories that blurred the line between fiction and reality.
Discover more in 53 Things People Never Took Seriously Until They Experienced Them Themselves
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#1
When you're young and full of energy and optimism that you take for granted and disregard all the older people telling you you'll lose a lot of that as you get older if you don't take care of yourself. You think, "It happened to those people, but it won't happen to me." Oh, it'll happen to you too...
Minor injuries you used to be able to spring back from in a day take months to heal. You wake up every day never feeling 100% rested, that tiredness compounding day by day. You fall asleep as soon as you're resting in a chair, just like your dad or grandpa always did. All the fun things you used to be able to eat and drink suddenly don't sit right in your stomach, or will make your entire body feel uncomfortable. And the worst of all, you still feel relatively young in your mind, but then you look in the mirror and see an aging person with wrinkles and grey hairs and realize that's how everyone else sees you and that you'll never get to be the young person you still feel you are in society.
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#2
That cops arrest innocent people, fake evidence, force them to sign confessions, and put them in jail.
#3
The saying “the days are slow but the years are fast” - never believed it until I turned 40 and I wonder where has the time gone?!?!
You learn some things only with time, and some lessons about aging teach you whether you like it or not. Ever had an older cousin who refuses to stay out past midnight or complains about back pain after sitting too long? Maybe you laughed it off, thinking they were being dramatic. When you’re younger, it’s easy to joke about it or brush it aside. But fast forward a few years, and suddenly you’re the one yawning at 10 p.m. Turns out, age really does have a way of humbling everyone.
#5
You know those people who always seem to have some crazy thing happening in their life and it seems absolutely unbelievable? They take a Lyft and the driver gets road rage and stops in the middle of the freeway. Their HVAC breaks and as soon as they pay it off they have to replace all their pipes and as soon as they pay that off they have to replace their roof and as soon as they pay that off… During Covid they quarantined and meticulously cleaned and then got COVID the first time they left the house. They got a new job and their dog gave birth live while they were giving a presentation so they delivered puppies while presenting.
It all sounds like utter ** until you are that person and then it feels like a curse. No one believes you until they are in the audience of the presentation, in the Lyft when the driver wigs out, at your place when the house falls apart comically, etc.
It’s constantly one thing after another. You become nervous when things start to go well because it never seems to last long. The moment the knot in your stomach goes away is when everything falls apart. Everyone assumes you are making it up, you are the problem, or you are the unluckiest person alive, but in the end, no one really wants to be around walking chaos.
#6
Being so depressed you can’t get out of bed.
tl,dr I thought it was weakness of character until it happened to me
I struggled with mental health all through my teens, had a really hard time, but basically always fulfilled my commitments even if that was literally all I did and everything else (eating, hobbies, socializing) completely went out the window. It was wrong of me, but despite spending a lot of time basically being a robot held together by obligation and string, I thought people who claimed to be too depressed to function would be powering through like I did if they had any personal integrity.
Then senior year of college rolled around and I just. Stopped. Stopped going to class. Stopped showing up for my campus job. Ghosted my friends. Stopped turning in my coursework. I knew on some level that I was ruining my life and my behavior would have lasting consequences if I didn’t get my stuff together, but I just…couldn’t care. Couldn’t anything. Miss Reliable who got straight A’s while still making time to take care of everybody else couldn’t get out of bed.
It has nothing to do with integrity or lack thereof. Depression is an illness, and it’s debilitating. It took ending up in the emergency room twice for me to turn it around. I did manage to graduate, thankfully, and that was years ago and I’m doing well now, but it was definitely educational.
As we get older, our bodies quietly start changing behind the scenes. After 30, many people begin to lose lean tissue, which includes muscles and important organs. Your muscles may not bounce back as fast after workouts, and everyday tasks can feel a bit more tiring. This gradual muscle loss, known as atrophy, is completely normal. It’s one reason staying active becomes more important as the years go by. No wonder stretching suddenly feels like a necessity instead of a choice.
#7
How much your environment affects not only your mood, but physical and mental health.
Thought I was above that. But through years in grey and dark winter days in UK I genuinely couldn’t figure out why I felt so flat. Tried to live in a warmer country, with bigger windows, closer to water and suddenly everything was easier. We’re just plants with anxiety really lol.
Body fat also tends to creep up after 30, even if your habits haven’t changed much. Many people notice weight settling more around the middle, especially near internal organs. Compared to your younger years, you could end up carrying significantly more fat. It’s not always about eating more, your metabolism simply isn’t as speedy anymore. This is usually when people start saying things like, “I just look at food and gain weight.”
#10
Racism. I grew up in the suburbs and never encountered unprovoked harassment until I was 18 back in 2008. I was driving in my new car (thanks mom and dad), listening to pop/edm/dance music on the radio, at a red light, with my windows down and sunroof open on a nice day. Not loud at all but I was definitely jamming and singing along. A police officer pulled up next to me at the red light in his squad car. He put down his window, yelled a couple racial slurs and curse words at me, and then peeled out and drove right through the red light. I was shocked. I sat at that light for about 3 cycles until I finally moved. This extreme has never happened to me since. But my eyes were opened that day to how fortunate I’ve been to have grow up surrounded by kind hearted people of different races my whole life.
#12
SIDS, losing my healthy baby boy for no explainable reason at 3 months. I miss my child so much. Life feels utterly meaningless without him.
Another surprise aging brings is getting shorter—yes, really. Over time, changes in bones, muscles, and joints can affect posture and spine health. Conditions like osteoporosis can cause tiny fractures in the spine, making the vertebrae compress slightly. This happens to everyone, regardless of gender or background. It’s subtle at first, but one day you realize you’re not quite as tall as you used to be.
#14
Migraines. I knew they weren't fake, I guess, but I didnt think they were as debilitating as people claimed.
Yeah then I had my first one. My god.
#15
I had no idea a cervix could regenerate until I lost mine to cancer at 23. My cervix grew back & was perfect. Got pregnant & delivered babies. Now I know.
Most people lose about half an inch in height every decade after 40, and it speeds up after 70. Over a lifetime, that can add up to one to three inches. The good news is that a healthy diet, regular exercise, and caring for bone health can slow it down. Strength training and calcium suddenly sound a lot more appealing. Turns out posture really does matter.
#18
I always thought it was so unbelievable and overdramatic in movies when people got bad news and proceeded to lean against a wall, and slide down to sit on the floor (while crying). My dad called when I was at work to tell me that my nana passed. I was so overwhelmed that I leaned against the wall, started sobbing and just slid to the floor. Looking back, it was so surreal and kind of silly, but my brain just shut off for a minute.
Feet also change with age, which explains why shoes you once loved suddenly feel uncomfortable. Over time, arches can flatten and feet may spread out. That’s why many adults find themselves buying bigger shoe sizes than they wore in their 20s. Comfort slowly starts winning over style. One day, you wake up and realize supportive footwear is non-negotiable.
#19
I remember sitting down with my father and his siblings when they were 80. I thought they all looked so old. Now it is me and my siblings. At least we are all still alive.
#20
Burnout.
I thought it was just being tired. Then one day motivation disappeared, focus dropped, and rest did not fix it. That is when I realized it was real.
Health priorities tend to shift once you hit your 30s, often in ways that feel subtle at first and then suddenly very real. Avoiding serious illnesses like cancer becomes less of a distant concern and more of an active focus, which is why regular screenings and checkups start to matter a lot more. For women especially, things like breast exams, Pap smears, and paying attention to hormonal or cycle changes can be crucial for early detection. You also become more aware of family medical history and how it might affect your own risks. Small symptoms you might have brushed off in your 20s now get a second look.
#23
What tv shows used to refer to “flashers”.
Then my high school band went to a different school for a football game. As we filed off the bus a man stepped out from behind part of the bleachers. Full trench coat. Then opened it wide. I burst out laughing, which started a couple of other girls in line laughing.
He quickly closed the coat and disappeared.
#25
Super heating.
A few years ago I heated a cup of water in the microwave for a few minutes. I opened the door and instinctively started to reach in (with an oven mitt) when my brain said “hmmmm, that looks really still, and it seems like it should have splattered a little for as long as it was in there. I wonder…”
I grabbed a chopstick and poked the cup and it boiled. Instantaneously and extremely violently. I’d have been badly burned if I hadn’t thought about it.
#26
"long covid". I thought covid was just a cold. It is not.....It disables millions and millions of people permanently. Just look it up. The "long covid" clinics throughout the country are swamped with patients.
And it’s not just health, there are so many parts of life we brush off simply because we haven’t lived them yet. Advice sounds dramatic, warnings feel exaggerated, and certain “truths” seem like overreactions…until one day, they’re suddenly your reality. Experience has a funny way of turning disbelief into understanding. Just like these posts show, some things don’t fully make sense until you’ve been there yourself. Which one of these did you find most intriguing or maybe you were already aware of it?
#27
The green flash at sunset. I thought it was a made up thing from pirates of the carribbean, but then I was on the beach in Puerto Vallarta and joking about seeing it. I pulled out my phone to take a joke video of the last direct rays of sun dipping below the horizon, and a second before I hit record, I looked up, and it actually happened right then and there. Like a green laser, so fast, as if the sun had just been washed away with that green light. I'll never forget it. A couple people on the shoreline cheered.
#28
How bad hangovers are past the 20s. Phew. I don't drink anymore specifically cause I don't want the hangover.
#30
Actually winning something in a random draw. It always sounds fake until your name pops up and it’s real.
#31
Hitting a deer. I used to think how dumb you had to be to hit something so large then I did. It was like it was dropped from the sky.
#34
Falling for someone u weren’t even attracted to at first personality really be cheating the system.
#35
Doctors being *that* wrong. like something could be soo bad in your body and doctors could just straight up fail you.
i thought people who didn't trust doctors were hypochondriacs because if it were that bad it must be unignorable, right? Then I finally got a diagnosis after 7 years in severe chronic pain. Turns out the whole time it could have been caught with a CT scan but all the doctors i'd seen prior didn't want to "over test".
#37
People who have been your friends (family even), for 15+ years, stealing from you like it's absolutely nothing.
#38
My one brain cell convincing me i could totally be a morning person if i just tried harder. the betrayal was real.
#40
Not me, but my friend: found out her husband and father of her children had another, secret, family across town. He worked for the airlines and would explain his absences to each family as “being out of town.” His kid in the other “marriage” was seven when she found out.
#42
Happy tears. It was completely foreign to me, but when I met my late fiancee it happened to me and it was the most foreign feeling. I genuinely could not believe it actually happened to people.
#43
Presbyopia.
I was 40/41 when on a totally random day I looked at my phone screen and couldn't read a thing.
Now I'm 43 and it's gotten so bad that I have to take off my glasses to check my phone (prescription glasses for myopia).
#44
A sober, functioning adult who doesn’t have the ability to love their own child as they love themselves.
#47
Winning €1k on a single slot machine spin while on a seaside vacation and it was the very first time my friends and I had ever tried slots.
#48
Complex regional pain syndrome. After shattering knee cap and repair surgery my brain still thinks there’s an injury so extreme pain , swelling, blood flows reduced to limb. I couldn’t understand it at first. Dr told me your sympathetic nervous system is like electrical system. You flip light switch to turn on, flip switch again to turn it off. When injured, your sympathetic nervous system flips switch signaling to brain to react to injured area. When injury is fixed, sends signal saying all good, brain stops it. They can’t get my sympathetic nervous system to shut off signal.
#49
Had a baby.
Then another.
Then another.
Surprise! It's triplets!
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