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Original poster

Your life 5 years ago?

70 replies

YogaWannabe · 04/03/2019 23:31

I found an old phone from 5 years ago and it has knocked me down how much my life has changed since then.
Ex was cheating at the time but I was unaware, our photos are full of days out and family holidays of me, him and DD.
I’m so much happier and carefree in all the photos, I’ve aged a good 15 years and gained a shit load of weight.
My cv looks as if it has gone totally backwards since then too and have taken massive pay cuts as I now have to work around DD on my own.
My dad is older and I worry about his health.
I have less friends and definitely less laughs than I did then.
Much more stress/depression.

It has really depressed the life out of me tbh!

What was your life like 5 years ago?

OP posts:

LovingTheDerryGirls · 06/03/2019 16:23

There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t wish to turn the clock back.
My ExDH were stuck in a rut & during a brief separation I met someone else my current DP.
He was married & left his wife for me. I wish with all my heart that I’d never met him & caused so much pain to other human being.
I never wanted him to leave & I should have been a much better person & walked away instead of getting caught up in my stupid infatuation.
Now I caught leave my DP because of my guilt as to what I caused.
I don’t want to be with my DP but I have no where else to go.
At nearly 50 I have literally nothing but memories of a life & love I threw away.
I’m lonely, miserable & cannot see a way forward.

Wendywoo1000 · 06/03/2019 16:25

Not much difference apart from a different job and running the kids around much more. A lot more actually.

GregoryPeckingDuck · 06/03/2019 16:26

Literally half my family has died. Two children born. Three house moves. Lots of financial problems. I am so stressed out and exhausted. If I had any idea this would have happened I would have slept more while I had the chance.

PepsiLola · 06/03/2019 16:34

Weirdly I know to the day what I was doing 5 years ago, as I was having some precancerous cells lazered off. I only remember is as the next day my mum died (and I recall thinking bloody hell I was only at this hospital yesterday).

So yeah, 5 years ago my mum died of alcohol abuse. It completely messed me up mentally due to grief/hatred/love/anger too many mixed emotions.

My DS was 5months old, my Dsister who is significantly younger than me, was in the middle of her GCSE's.

5 years later and my mental health has improved but it's not 100%, my sister is doing amazingly at uni, I am using my DM as an example of how never to parent and that seems to be working well for me.

Remember OP, life has ups and downs, but sometimes the only way to appreciate being up is to have had downs xx

BobbinThreadbare123 · 06/03/2019 17:02

I had not long moved house due to losing my home in a divorce. I had applied for a new teaching job, which I did get, to escape a hell hole school. I was very poorly, miserable and had no furniture. I was also overworking to keep my mind busy.
Fast forward to now and I'm happily married to new DH, we live in our dream house in a new place and I stopped teaching a few years ago and went back to industry. Much better! My whole family is doing well; 5 years ago my poor mum was caring for my grandpa and it was taking its toll on her. He passed away and we know he's gone to peace. I am very lucky and I stay vigilantly thankful for it! My health isn't better but it's managed better.

CrispbuttyNo1 · 06/03/2019 17:07

Five years ago I was in an abusive marriage with a violent alcohol and drug addicted husband. Not working as he wouldn't allow me to. Miserable and lonely. I can look back at my Facebook from back then and see my misery.

Five years down the line I'm happily divorced and settled with a loving and kind DP 200 miles away from where we lived. Just put our deposit on a new house, have had a couple of amazing holidays, I'm back working full time as a chef and just started up my own chef company. Life is good.

CocoLoco87 · 06/03/2019 17:08

5 years ago I was pregnant and had awful HG. 2 beautiful children later my life is great. I'm tired all the time and look about 5 years older than I am. But I'm very content
except for still carrying 2 stone extra around my middle

SweetheartNeckline · 06/03/2019 17:15

We'd been married 5 years and had just had DC2 - she'd have been 6 weeks and DC1 was nearly 2.5. I'd just passed my driving test which was a huge achievement for me. We were so happy and had a fantastic spring and summer full of fun.

5 years on I've had DC3 and am heavily pregnant with DC4. We've moved house (a whole 200m across the back fence for a bigger home). DC 1&2 have settled into school; I've returned to work (and left again) but done some intense training for what is currently a voluntary role. We've lost my grandma which was sad but not tragic - she died after a shortish illness in her late 70s.

All in all not a lot has changed for us but we are all very content in our little boring bubble.

tomhazard · 06/03/2019 17:20

I had a 1 year old and swore blind I'd never have another because she was super hard work. She's 6 now and I have a 3 and half year old. I'm married to DH, we weren't then. And we have gone overseas for a year and come back in that time as well as renovated a house here in the UK.
All good really, I'm happy

troppibambini · 06/03/2019 17:28

I was pregnant with dc4, I had a five month old a 3 year old and an 8 year old.
The shit was about to hit the fan and I was in for a tough few years!
They are 14,8,5 and 4 now and things are easier we have managed to hold onto our house and dh's business by the skin of our teeth. I'm also off the antidepressants and losing the weight I put on.

Daisychainsandglitter · 06/03/2019 17:29

I was pregnant with DD1 and blissfully unaware of all of the difficulties that were to come in relation to all of her special needs.

Valdy · 06/03/2019 17:35

I was in an abusive relationship, mentally and occasionally physically, but thought he was the best even though he'd leave me every few months then come running back and I'd have him back in the click of a finger. Now I'm a loving relationship with my partner of 2 years, 1 DS and another on the way. Life is at its best ❤️

DisgraceToTheYChromosome · 06/03/2019 18:56

DD had finally grown into a loveable adult, her weight was coming down, DW had changed jobs and was destressing, I was finally coming to terms with my childhood. We were living in the Fens, with its filthy water, inbred racists and horrible weather. The house was
Five years later we're in Northumberland, DD and DSIL have had DGS (he has his own thread in Classics), our village is a community rather than a gang feud, and if I want cheering up I walk to the top of the road and look at the sea.

theothermum · 06/03/2019 19:05

Five years ago... I was in a boring job with a horrid boss, hated where I lived, my partner had just decided to return to the country of origin and I was job hunting in that country. I had zero friends and was very, very lonely.
I still am lonely but now we have a DD, I changed jobs (twice, actually), I still don't like where I live but I like my house, I have the best job / boss I have ever had and I love what I do. I didn't age that much, I think. I stayed fat though ;)

AlessandroVasectomi · 06/03/2019 19:07

Ooooh - happy memories. 5 years ago I was working the last month of my notice period before retiring, having discovered that I could afford to retire 2 years earlier than planned. I had 3 years of me time before DW retired and since then we’ve been having a great retirement. 3 sons have got married in overseas locations (no grandchildren yet, but all in good time).

5 years ago I was worn out and had truly had enough of commuting, long days, performance reviews, targets and exhortations to do ever more in my job. The contrast between how I felt then and how I feel now could not be greater.

SleepDeprivedCabbageBrain · 06/03/2019 19:27

I was a few months off giving birth to DS and so excited about the future. I didn’t know I was about to get a fantastic job offer a continent away but that moving there the following year would take my marriage to the brink and change it forever.

I didn’t know then that DH health problems would drastically worsen, nor how hard care work is. I didn’t know that my Dad was walking around with massive heart issues and that my Mum was totally co-dependent. I didn’t know that taking care of everyone else would so totally trash my career.

That I would go on to have 2 more miscarriages but would get another beautiful baby in the end. My expectations of life have been cut down massively and like you, OP I feel like I’ve lost some capacity for joy.

I don’t know what will happen in the next five but I hope it’s something good.

Myboy07 · 07/03/2019 05:04

I was with my abusive ex I finally had the courage to leave but had to get the police involved for him stalking me. He eventually left me alone. Awful time.

Now I'm currently in a lovely home with a wonderful DP and our 7 months DS. feeling very happy and safe. Only thing negative now is the weight iv put on but I can change that when I'm ready.

Boohooyouho · 07/03/2019 05:11

5 years ago my then 2 year old and three year old adopted children had been home for two weeks. So I was in a fog of exhaustion and almost ready to give up. Since then they’ve turned into the most amazing little people and their younger sibling has joined us. I’m still doing the same job and in the same house (although it’s much bigger now)

Equimum · 07/03/2019 07:58

Five years ago I had a fourteen month old who never slept. DH was struggling to juggle family life and career, and I was trying to work full-time, but failing miserably. We were living in a tiny house and all quite miserable.

Five years on, DH’s career has flourished and I am a SAHM starting training for a new career. We have a second child who is three and live in a much more family friendly home.

In many ways little has changed, but I think we are happier and more fulfilled. But who k ow where we be in five time years time. I am not being complacent.

FrozenMargarita17 · 07/03/2019 08:09

I was skinny. Beautiful. Being paid to draw. Had a new lovely boyfriend and was on holiday.

Now I am fat, ugly, have a husband and a dd though. We also moved 2 hours away.

I'm tangry today because dd woke up at the crack of dawn and h is still asleep.

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