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Original poster

Things in life you never thought you would recover and move on from, but you did…

227 replies

Ggll · 06/04/2025 12:34

Mine… a termination in my early thirties at five weeks. Absolutely devastated me. It genuinely felt like the world had switched its lights off and nothing would feel ok again. And to some extent it didn’t feel the same again, I was different, but I was still ok. I laughed again and was happy.

Later in life my child’s father left me while o was pregnant due to a breakdown. It was truly a horrendous time. He now sees our DD and things are very different again but at the time I did not see how I could put one foot in front of the other.

I think these things are really powerful to remember when hard times arrive.

OP posts:
soggybathmat · 06/04/2025 21:05

Being orally r*ped in a field at a party when I was 15 and paralytic. Has gone over to be sick and was followed. Remember say no repeatedly and crying. It was witnessed by other people and I got relentlessly bullied for years after, mainly by girls at school who called me a sl#g. I console myself now with the fact that my life appears far better and more successful than the man who did this, and the people that bullied me.

My ex leaving me when I was pregnant. Then coming back a short time later and saying sorry/blaming MH. What I didn’t know what that he’d been sleeping unprotected with another woman. I caught an STD, it’s how I found out. I cried for 5 hours straight in the hospital. The pain was unreal. Luckily now I have a lovely child who turned out just fine and wasn’t affected, and thankfully my ex is out of both of our lives.

ForLoftyRaven · 06/04/2025 21:20

My partner changing his mind about having children. Not over it yet but I hope one day I will be.

MsGoodenough · 06/04/2025 21:22

Right now I'm at risk of losing my teaching career. Not sure I will ever get over it if that happens.

Orangeandgold · 06/04/2025 21:23

Being a teen mum. I honestly thought I had completely ruined my life. I felt sorry for the child I www brining into this world and my family constantly reminded me of the shame. I managed to give us a home, have a career and a life I love - but at the time I felt terrible, isolated myself from the world and had bad PND.

HereintheloveofChristIstand · 06/04/2025 21:24

Being turned on in my church by the one person who supported me through a horrendous bereavement, being accused of something totally out of the blue and being subjected to a humiliating procedure. I have developed mild PTSD and am heartbroken 5 months on. It was my one refuge and this was my one safe place.

LunaTheCat · 06/04/2025 21:27

Astrak · 06/04/2025 13:11

My father having a heart attack when I was ten years old. He was fifty-two years old. I'm now seventy nine years old.

I had just started at a grammar school, which was twenty miles away from my home. I was called out of an art class and told to go to the Head Teacher's office. She was propping up the mantelpiece in her office and had a large glass of sherry in her hand. She said, " You'd better go home. Your father's dropped dead, and your mother wants you at home."

I walked two miles to the bus stop, waited an hour for the bus, and then sat on it for another hour. I got home. Mother told me to go and change and to go out on my pony. Whilst I was doing that, I heard the undertakers bumping my father's coffin downstairs. I went for a long ride and came back. He was never spoken about ever again.
I have inherited his clever mind, a degree of courage (he was a Tail-end Charlie in Lancaster bombers in WW2) and a determination to carry on when things get difficult.
I think of him whenever I see aircraft contrails in the sky.

Oh my goodness, much love to you .. that is horrific.

GreatTheCat · 06/04/2025 21:35

Some in these really touch my heart.

Kirbert2 · 06/04/2025 21:36

My then 8 year old son almost dying and then just a week later, his cancer diagnosis and 4 months later, a relapse. Complications also meaning a 308 hospital stay in a city away from home.

He's only been home since January and finished treatment 6 months ago so we definitely haven't fully moved on yet but considering where we started, how he had less than a 50% chance of survival, I never thought we'd be where we are today and I'm so grateful. I also know that we will be able to move on completely with more time, time that we now have.

FlamboyantlyIncognito · 06/04/2025 21:43

I'm lost for words, deep in thought reading these posts. Utterly heartbreaking.

4pmwinetimebebeh · 06/04/2025 21:51

I’m so sorry to everyone who’s struggled- lost children, parents etc. my worst stories are nothing compared to these so I won’t share but I’m thinking of you all and your families and sending peace and love.

Doitrightnow · 06/04/2025 21:57

Breaking up with my fiancé. It did get (much) better but it took a decade and I was never the same person I was before.

sandrapinchedmysandwich · 06/04/2025 22:11

Still experiencing Cassandra Syndrome and it breaks you. Being invalidated, being ignored, being told you are hysterical when you finally explode.

Also parental alienation. Years ago and my DD and I are now very close. But this and the above nearly led to me taking my own life as I genuinely felt I mattered to no-one

GreenCandleWax · 06/04/2025 22:46

HereintheloveofChristIstand · 06/04/2025 21:24

Being turned on in my church by the one person who supported me through a horrendous bereavement, being accused of something totally out of the blue and being subjected to a humiliating procedure. I have developed mild PTSD and am heartbroken 5 months on. It was my one refuge and this was my one safe place.

❤

Captcha4903 · 06/04/2025 22:57

Long-term unemployment after graduating into the aftermath of the ‘Great Recession’. Although my CV and finances have recovered I still have a fear of the rug being pulled from under me at any moment.

itbemay1 · 06/04/2025 23:20

Astrak · 06/04/2025 13:11

My father having a heart attack when I was ten years old. He was fifty-two years old. I'm now seventy nine years old.

I had just started at a grammar school, which was twenty miles away from my home. I was called out of an art class and told to go to the Head Teacher's office. She was propping up the mantelpiece in her office and had a large glass of sherry in her hand. She said, " You'd better go home. Your father's dropped dead, and your mother wants you at home."

I walked two miles to the bus stop, waited an hour for the bus, and then sat on it for another hour. I got home. Mother told me to go and change and to go out on my pony. Whilst I was doing that, I heard the undertakers bumping my father's coffin downstairs. I went for a long ride and came back. He was never spoken about ever again.
I have inherited his clever mind, a degree of courage (he was a Tail-end Charlie in Lancaster bombers in WW2) and a determination to carry on when things get difficult.
I think of him whenever I see aircraft contrails in the sky.

Your dad sounded amazing. I’m sorry you weren’t shown any empathy x

avignon1234 · 06/04/2025 23:36

Ella31 · 06/04/2025 14:57

The death of my baby twin sons 17 months ago at Christmas. My beautiful first little boy was born sleeping and twin brother survived the birth but died in my arms 4 days later in the NICU. Its only been 17 months but my DH and I have overcome so much since that awful week. We only have their grave now and the few memories of their little lives. We are expecting again and the grief and fear alongside this is horrific but we put one foot ahead of the other each day so we will get through this.

Edited

Not two @Ella31 , just one, but good god knows I know how this feels. Holding a stillborn having gone through the labour. Wished I had gone up there with him for a while. xx

Mrsbloggz · 06/04/2025 23:40

Nothing stands out but generally I think I have learned from the various difficulties even though they took a toll.

Ecocool · 06/04/2025 23:46

Astrak · 06/04/2025 13:11

My father having a heart attack when I was ten years old. He was fifty-two years old. I'm now seventy nine years old.

I had just started at a grammar school, which was twenty miles away from my home. I was called out of an art class and told to go to the Head Teacher's office. She was propping up the mantelpiece in her office and had a large glass of sherry in her hand. She said, " You'd better go home. Your father's dropped dead, and your mother wants you at home."

I walked two miles to the bus stop, waited an hour for the bus, and then sat on it for another hour. I got home. Mother told me to go and change and to go out on my pony. Whilst I was doing that, I heard the undertakers bumping my father's coffin downstairs. I went for a long ride and came back. He was never spoken about ever again.
I have inherited his clever mind, a degree of courage (he was a Tail-end Charlie in Lancaster bombers in WW2) and a determination to carry on when things get difficult.
I think of him whenever I see aircraft contrails in the sky.

I don't know what to say but this has touched me in so many ways.

Queenanne20 · 06/04/2025 23:48

My dh, completely out of the blue, having a major psychotic breakdown. He was unrecognisable and I didn't know if he'd ever recover. We had a large mortgage, two sons, one about to go to uni and I only worked part time. Dh was the main earner and had just started a new job and they immediately terminated his contract. Five years later we live in a different (smaller) house in a different area. Dh is a bit better but still a shadow of his former self and I'm now the breadwinner and basically run everything by myself. However, we are still here, have a roof over our heads, food on the table etc and I know there are people a lot worse off than us. It's surprising what inner strength you can find when you really have to.

Tbrh · 07/04/2025 00:00

Finding my friend who had decided to end her life. Can't say I've moved on as such, but I have learnt to accept it

Runningoutofpatiencefucksandmoney · 07/04/2025 00:10

Losing DH when I was 42 with 3 DC under 11, and knowing that I would never be able to take their pain away from them.

These posts are utterly heartbreaking 💔

IBelieveinSomething · 07/04/2025 00:49

trauma then trauma. CPTSD. Very much alone now apart from amazing cat. I find life is joyful. That’s that then.

EmeraldDreams73 · 07/04/2025 01:08

These are heartbreaking. 💐

For me, severe PND and PTSD after dd1. I was incredibly unwell and was married to my narcissistic now-exH which didn't help.

Very lucky to still be here and having dd2 four years later was the bravest thing I ever did.

Many years of emotional abuse from exh. I eventually left when my daughters called me out on it and I realised I wasn't doing such a good job protecting them from it as I thought.

I am stronger than I ever thought but I do feel scarred by all of it and wonder how different I'd be if they hadn't happened. But I'm lucky in many ways.

JohnKettleyIsAWeathermanAndSoIsMichaelFish · 07/04/2025 01:10

So much. So so much. Multiple abusive relationships, infertility, bereavements, infidelity. A lifetime of people treating me like shit. Until I was rock bottom and then I found my courage. I binned them all off, all of them. Went NC, ditched them all and started over. I've never looked back.

Olivealone · 07/04/2025 01:12

My Dad, and one set of Grandparents dying within 10 months of each other whilst I was still a young teen. I still have trauma from it now.