Ever had what you consider to be a life changing experience?

darthed1981

Crikey, this thread has really struck a chord.

I'd just like to say to everyone that I'm glad you are all here in this community amongst friends.

Guitars and music, can be such a force for good

Sassafras

Finding out the Earth was flat totally rocked my world, or at least tilted it slightly.

jellyroll

I'm blown away by this thread. As has been said, it's humbling.

I have nothing to contribute on the scale of what's been said. Divorce 20 years ago was a biggie - it felt like that was when I became an adult. Otherwise, I'm blessed to be a stable plodder with a healthy family.... 

munckee

Yeah the can of worms was truly opened!  Some serious shit people have been through.

Lets all go to the pub!

Tone71

Lots of wows to lots of humbling stories.

Lestratcaster

Going to a Music Institute back in 2007 to 2011 and coming out with a degree. Was very inexperienced, unsociable and naive back then. I learnt a lot (obviously to improve my playing) but people skills as well, knowing how to strike up a conversation, networking. Organisation skills, working to deadlines and prioritising workloads. Knowing the music industry and treating it like a business as well. I'm now more confident in my ability and run my own privation tuition business. Next year is my 10th year.

bodhi

In this order:

Saw a great white shark attack and the aftermath.
Successfully completed officer training in the South African Defence Force, especially the "Vasbyt" part of it.
Rescued from drowning by my childhood best friend, at great risk to himself.
Murder/suicide committed by a very close family friend.
Requalifying myself and finding my current job.
Our firstborn picked up an infection soon after birth and died aged 33 days.
Our second son is autistic (but he's happy and quirky and funny, so we're good...I think...at least most of the time).

It's sometimes hard to believe some of those actually happened.

Life is tough, for sure.  So I try to be one of the good guys and often fail, but then try harder.

LuttiS

Coming out of a viscous cycle of depression, self harm, attempted suicide. When I think about it I have no idea of any real reasons for the majority of it.

I used to come across(still do ) as an incredibly calm, level and together person. I was the one people always came to with their problems and I always gave beat advice I could. But because everyone came to me, i never really had anyone to talk about my problems with, and even if I did, I probably wouldn't have. 
But all better now. Sorted myself out.

That and meeting Mrs.L and the birth of our little girl 17 months ago. 


What does amaze me about this place though, is that many people here have alluded to mh issues..
Sure I've read stuff about musicians being sufferers..

Interesting stuff. 
This thread is very humbling.. 

Paul_C

I forgot to add that weirdly, having a gun pointed at me during a petrol station robbery didn't bother me at all . . .

monofin

October 1988. The day I met my wife at uni. Fell I love with the mad girl straight away and have been head over heels since.
Still as mad as a box of frogs too

Flink_Poyd

Taking LSD
Working nights at the Post Office for 2 years which affected me so much that I sold my house to go travelling. 

tone1

I’m a lightweight in comparison to some here....I’ve done 46 years of escaping lightly..Couple of friends died when I was young, couple of friends and a relative committed suicide, lost Grandparents due to old age... But I feel all my grief is to come.. My Parents are in their 70’s...I almost feel something is gonna bite me soon and in a big way but can’t put my finger on it... must be my age and relative non dramatic lifestyle.
Having 2 kids is pretty big in life changing though..

Sassafras

To anyone on here who's experienced mental health problems I can heartily recommend Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. It certainly helped me look at things differently and just better. It can do a lot for your self-esteem and confidence.

richardhomer

Ex-wife being sectioned under the mental health act for the first time in 2003 when our son was 18 months old. Life was never the same for any of us from that point on....

Placidcasual79

Some humbling and empowering experiences, bravely shared. 

This forum is pretty incredible isn't it?

thermionic

Placidcasual79 said:

Some humbling and empowering experiences, bravely shared. 

This forum is pretty incredible isn't it?

Indeed. All Wows awarded are well deserved. Massive respect to you all.

Philly_Q

I was going to answer no, in the sense that it was very long ago and I don't really know how my life might have turned out... but my mum died when I was 12 and my dad remarried less than a year later. 

My stepmother - also no longer with us, as of last year - was a very difficult person and made our teenage years pretty tough.  No financial hardship or significant physical violence, but lots of emotional abuse, especially for my youngest brother who had to live with her the longest.  My relationship with my parents has been very distant throughout my adult life, so reconnecting with my dad over the last 18 months, as he's now elderly and on his own, is good in some ways but hasn't been easy.

I'm a bit of a weird twat, lacking in confidence and pretty incapable of forming relationships.  Physically and intellectually I'm in my 50s, emotionally I'm about 15.  But who knows, I might have been exactly the same, or worse, if my mum had lived.

speshul91

My dad dying when I was 4, and my "mum" not getting any help for me, I don't exactly do feelings. 

Beating alcohol with the help of this place.

Finally getting a proper diagnosis about my mental health a couple of weeks ago. 

I'd say they are my top 3.

mart

Getting counselling about 5 years back. Took me out of a depression that had gripped me for about 10 years. It felt like somebody had just switched the power back on and all of a sudden I could do things instead of being paralysed by some vague sense of fear or of not being allowed.

I’d actually done some cbt a few years before and that had made things worse - I just felt it was convincing me that everything that I thought was wrong, and that just crippled me completely. Obviously ymmv as shown by @Sassafras‘s comment above,

BRISTOL86

thomasross20 said:

Lots more than my years would suggest but obviously Sheena passing away is the worst. Although out doing things with the girls and friends, I'm the opposite of "live life to the full" after being left without her. I want to crawl into a corner and die.

Don’t give up mate, things will get better. I know it’s scant consolation but take small comfort in the fact that she’s at total peace.