15 People Who Found Peace After Life’s Biggest Setbacks / Bright Side

When life takes everything you thought you couldn’t live without, how do you start over? Today, we’ve collected 15 stories of loss, resilience, and healing that reveal the ways people managed to start over. From heartfelt letters to unexpected second chances, these journeys might just change how you see your own challenges.

• When I lost my job of 20 years, I felt untethered. I couldn’t imagine starting over at my age, and depression sank in. One day, I went for a walk and found a tiny, overgrown community garden near my house. A sign read: “Looking for volunteers—help us grow!” I hesitated but decided to give it a shot. Digging my hands into the soil became therapeutic, and I began to feel a sense of purpose again. The other volunteers became my second family, and soon, I realized that losing my job wasn’t the end—it was a chance to rediscover myself.

• Last year, in September, I was in a car crash. It left me with nerve damage in my right arm and shoulder and a torn rotator cuff, so I couldn’t use my arm much. My job forced me to resign because I couldn’t give them a definite answer on when I could return because I was in physical therapy and doing monthly checkups to see if I needed more physical therapy. I pretty much blew through all my savings in 4 months because my state (at the time) had no short-term disability. I was pretty devastated and down low. I didn’t know what to do and felt like I had nobody to help. The first thing that turned me around was that my landlord contacted me and said I was good on rent until I recovered; that was really encouraging that people were willing to be there. I got my insurance check for my car, got another car, finished physical therapy, and got rehired. Then I actually found another job that was better than my last one. My biggest piece of advice is don’t give up halfway up the hill: no matter what you’re going through, you can and will make it to the summit. Things will fall into place when they are designed to; this is the way of our freaky universe. The whole experience has made me tougher; I worked very hard to have the full function of my arm again and be able to play piano again. Because I went through that, it no longer feels so difficult to clean my room, make my bed, do my laundry, or pick up my place. A good Buddhist principle is that all enjoyment comes from suffering; growth begins with destruction. Hold on to that ideal. @Striking_Zucchini957 / Reddit

• I got pregnant at 19. The father didn’t want any part of it; he said I’d get fat and ugly and no one would want me. People said I would fail because I would be a young, single mother. I stayed fit, found a wonderful husband, and my 13-year-old does great in school, has a stable home life, and is never hungry. My sister has a saying, “You think I can’t? Just watch me.” I love that mentality, and I live by it. @Rainbow-Smite / Reddit

• I lost my leg when I was 24 in a motorcycle accident. Since I was 13, I had been working towards my career goal, which was a very physical job that involved a lot of travel. I lost everything—my relationship, my career, my favorite hobby, my entire identity. I went from being relatively successful and constantly employed since leaving school (difficult in an industry of short-term contracts) to being turned down for every job I went for. I ended up going back to my first job and literally started back at the bottom of the ladder where I started. It took 6 years, but I finally got everything back on track and did everything I wanted to do in my career. I started a company a few years ago, and I’m set to be retiring in about 5 years. I’m now happily married to the most amazing woman who I know will always have my back, and I genuinely don’t think I could be happier. @Bionix_52 / Reddit

• After my wife passed away, I isolated myself from the world. My days were a blur of grief until, one morning, I found a glass bottle washed up on the beach near my home. Inside was a note: “The sun still rises, even after the darkest nights. Don’t let it set on your sorrow.” The note had no name, but it felt like a message from the universe. It spurred me to join a local beach cleanup crew, where I found solace and even made new friends.

• I got fired from my job. I ended up finding out that, with budgeting, we could afford for me to stay at home part-time with my child. I also almost immediately lost a lot of weight because I was no longer stress-eating nearly as much. I’ve lost almost 60 pounds, found several new hobbies, and got to spend the majority of my time with my family. It’s so nice. @opelemmescoochbyya / Reddit

• Many years ago, I was in a relationship with someone from another country. They decided to move back to their home country, and we agreed to start a life together. I quit my job, gave up my flat, sold my belongings, and moved overseas. It cost quite a bit to relocate, and I paid for nearly all our expenses while we looked for work. Within a few weeks, I discovered that the person had lied to me about almost everything, and we broke up. I had to return alone to my own country, feeling humiliated, with only the contents of my suitcase, my savings gone, and no job or home.
  It took a good couple of years to get back on track, both financially and emotionally. Financially, I changed careers, starting at an entry-level position in a new field and working my way up. I moved in with a good group of people and avoided dating for a couple of years, focusing instead on building strong friendships. I saved like crazy to rebuild my finances and became much more cautious about trusting people in romantic relationships.
  Now, I own my own home—nothing fancy, but it’s ours—and I’m in a happy, long-term relationship with a partner I deeply trust. Looking back, I’m grateful it didn’t work out because I wouldn’t have the life I have today. @ronsaveloy / Reddit

• After my father passed, I found a dusty box of his belongings in the attic. Inside was a faded photograph of a woman I didn’t recognize and a note that read, “She saved my life.” Intrigued, I started digging into his past and discovered she was a nurse who cared for him after a near-fatal accident in his youth. I tracked her down and learned about the bond they shared. Talking to her gave me a new perspective on my dad’s life and the challenges he overcame. It helped me grieve and appreciate his resilience.

• I failed with a 2% in my college entrance exams. 2%. Just to put that into context, the subjects I wanted to study required about 62–95%, so I failed hard.
  I moved out of home, got my own place, got a job, and got a library card. I took what the real world had and let experience harden me. I worked on myself and my mind for about 5 years. Then, I went for my third attempt at the exams. I am now studying science at one of the top universities in the country.
  If I get decent grades, I can move straight to my PhD. If it all had gone well, I’d be out by now working and making money, but it didn’t. Yet, I’ve had experiences and hobbies and skills I’d never have if it had gone well. My failure didn’t define me, but my response to it did. @crogi / Reddit

• Nearly died in pregnancy, was left temporarily disabled, and my then-husband cheated on me just after I’d given birth during a global pandemic. Baby and I then had to flee and sofa surf as we were homeless.
  I’ve now given my kids the best life I possibly can, and they’re settled and happy and thriving. We have a house, friends, a car, and a school in our new town, and after a LOT of therapy and work on settling and healing, I found love again.
  It took a lot of resilience and swallowing of pride to seek help in the form of therapy, food banks, telling my work what was happening, and generally allowing people to help us. I’m so glad I did. @RadicalTherapy / Reddit

• After moving out at 18, my son cut all contact with me. I didn’t understand why. For the first few years, I called, emailed, and sent letters, but he never responded. This morning, I heard a knock at the door. When I opened it, a beautiful young woman stood there, looking nervous. “Hi, are you Mrs. Carter?” she asked. “I’m your granddaughter.”
  My breath caught—I didn’t even know my son had children. She explained that my son had raised her on his own, but he’d never spoken about his past. She’d found my address in an old letter, tucked into one of his photo albums.
  We talked for hours, and I told her about the love I still had for her father. A few days later, I got a message from my son. “Mom, can we talk? I think it’s time.” He wanted to rebuild our relationship and invited me to meet his wife and daughter. I sobbed for hours.

• My husband was going through his third tour of cancer. He was given the “get your affairs in order” advice for the second time. I started watching our youngest daughter’s first child when she was 2. Most of his days were spent lying on a couch. Treatment was killing him as much as the cancer. But this baby would come in every day & climb up on that couch with him & barely leave his side. She had no idea what was going on. She would stroke his face, snuggle him, talk to him, hug & kiss him. The only time she wanted me was when she didn’t feel good. She had an intuition that this was what he needed. If I hadn’t witnessed this, I wouldn’t have believed what I was seeing. The love from a toddler lifted this man from the brink of such weakness. We were all waiting for the worst. That was 12 years ago. She is 14 now. And today he is on his Harley with the guys, enjoying life. He never shut the business down, being sick. He was too worried about employees who counted on him. That is a special girl. He is a lucky guy. I’m in tears. So grateful & thankful. @AssumptionAdvanced58 / Reddit

• I had a severe medical issue that resulted in 7 surgeries in a little over a year. During this time I was bedridden; I lost my job and got divorced; my mom, my stepdad, and my best friend all three died; and I was left homeless and broke while barely able to stand. At one point I even had maggots in my sores. It was a hard couple of years. A small inheritance bought me enough breathing room to get back on my feet. I opened a small store in a tourist trap town that really took off, met the love of my life, and much later, sold the store, and we retired. Life is fantastic now, better than it has ever been. Never give up. @nomadnomo / Reddit

• 1976. On February 1, I started a new job that had me working out of town. Wife 8 months pregnant and a 4-year-old at home. On February 8th, the wife’s dad, who was in perfect health, died unexpectedly. We buried him on February 12th. My wife went into labor on the 14th, a month early. Baby born healthy. But the pressures of all that had happened in a 2-week period hit her hard.
  We worked hard, and we survived the remainder of 1976… but things were still fragile. On January 17, 1977, I went off a building, landing on frozen ground on my feet. The left tibia blew up in the knee joint. Surgery screwed the pieces back together, but I spent 31 days in the hospital.
  Home with a crotch-to-ankle cast. Baby and 4-year-old at home. Normal pay went to work comp pay, which was less than we needed. We struggled, and I went back to work in June. She just could not recover from the 18-month struggle and had a complete mental breakdown.
  It took years for her to finally heal. But we supported each other and made it through the speed bumps and detours to a fairly smooth highway.
  On the 17th of this month, we celebrated our 58th wedding anniversary. She’s the rock!! Over the years, she birthed our 3 kids, and we opened our homes to 104 fosters. Today, she is the rock for about 5 ladies in their 80s who are either widowed or divorced, and none in really good health. She cooks for them when they need it. She shops for them when they need it. She drags me to their homes/apartments to fix a vacuum, fix a screen door, etc. Life is good.
  @Mashed-Potato1407 / Reddit

• Last year, I lost my husband to a heart attack. He was only 62, and it felt like my entire world crumbled. My kids encouraged me to go to therapy, but nothing seemed to ease the ache in my heart. One morning, I found an envelope in my mailbox with no name or return address. It began, “My dear, I hope this brings you comfort.” The handwriting was eerily similar to my husband’s, and my heart skipped a beat.
  The letter talked about how proud “he” was of me for staying strong and urged me to find joy in life again. He mentioned a storage box in our attic, where I’d find more letters. Reading them was like having him back, and they gave me the strength to start living again.

Small steps do matter. Uncover the surprising power of split-second decisions that have changed lives forever. These real stories may help you see your own choices in a whole new light.