Top 10 Saddest Things that Can Happen in Life

Some experiences just rip through you. No warning, no chance to brace yourself, and suddenly everything you thought you knew about life feels shaky.

These are the moments that don't just make you cry, they make the world look different afterward. It's not about being overly dramatic. It's about those gut-punch situations that remind you just how heavy life can get.

The Top Ten

  1. The Death of a Parent

    I found out after seeing an Instagram post from a friend from school that she lost her mom to a disease in January 2020 when that friend was only 15 years old. I bet it was unimaginable, the torture that she must have gone through to lose her mom at such a young age. To make matters worse, her dad isn't with her.

    If you have seen my other comment on this item, you can see that I'm sensitive to hearing stories of children losing a parent because I cannot begin to comprehend how excruciatingly painful it would be for your mom or dad to die when you're just a child. I've mentioned many times on this website that I lost a loved one in 2018. It was unbearable to deal with and it caused me to develop the fear of losing another loved one.

  2. The Death of Your Child

    This is by far the worst! If my parents died, I'd be sad but could handle it. If I died, my wife would be devastated but would eventually get over it. Even if I was slowly and painfully killed, it does not compare. The death of a child is absolutely soul-destroying and lives with both parents forever, even affecting their long-term health. If I lost my son, it would end me.

    I haven't experienced this one personally, but I did lose a brother when I was young. I can tell you that I've never seen anyone as hopelessly crushed as my parents were for the next 4 or 5 months. If it had been an only child... well, I'm not very religious, but I still pray for anyone who has to go through that pain.

  3. Suffering a Painful Death

    Knowing that this is the end, and that this is the last time you'll ever get to see your family or friends again. And as the pain stops, you know that you're already gone.

    It's the worst pain in your life, even though most people don't experience it.

  4. Getting Diagnosed with a Disease

    This is actually my biggest fear. I eat a lot of unhealthy foods and don't work out much. I have a fast metabolism, so I'm still very skinny, but that hasn't subsided my intense fear of diabetes.

    It would be even worse to be diagnosed with cancer. Could a tumor rapidly growing in your body and losing your hair be any better? No!

    All diseases are bad, and most are painful.

  5. Getting Raped

    I think this is worse than getting murdered. Rapists should get a much worse sentence than murderers. Their victims still have to live every day with all the trauma while the murderers' victims were set free of it and are now resting in heaven.

    That would be extremely horrifying. That would traumatize you for the rest of your life. There have been many, many people who have been suffering from PTSD due to that.

  6. Receiving a Death Sentence

    You would have to do something mercilessly terrible to get a death sentence.

  7. The Death of a Pet

    I had 7 guinea pigs, a bunny, 3 birds, and a dog. I bonded with them so much that they literally felt like family. I thought it was all going to last forever until my 3 guinea pigs passed away, then my bunny passed away, my 3 birds passed away, my other 3 guinea pigs passed away, and my dog - who was there all my life and felt like a big sister - passed away. Then my last guinea pig passed away in January of last year.

    I felt so sad, I just kept thinking about them and crying. It was hard to get over my guinea pigs Snowflake and Marshmallow, my bird Jimmy, and my dog Princess.

    Your pet is your best friend, a member of the family, and when it dies, it's one of the most devastating experiences in life. Your pet is with you for 10-20 years, and they become a part of your life. A pet gives you so many happy, good times, and knowing that you will never see something you loved and treasured for many years again is depressing.

  8. Breaking Up with Your Loved One

    My ex, my Holy Ghost. We were getting married. I was so excited. I was a fool. Kevin smiled and laughed, telling me I was the love of his life. He proposed to me, and I said yes. At the wedding, he kissed my sister in front of me.

    I exiled my family, and now I live alone. My parents beg me to apologize to Kevin, but hell no. I have suicidal thoughts all the time.

    - Morgan Stellla.

    Betrayal of the heart. I had been in love for over a decade, and I thought that I was the love of their life. The pain is unbearable, to believe that wasn't necessarily true. I feel empty, as if a great hole had been dug through my chest, an empty pit. She was my best friend.

  9. The Death of a Sibling

    I lost my sister a couple of years ago when I was about 9. It made me really sad, and my parents cried almost every day for about a year. The worst part is she died not even a day after she was born, and I only saw her once before she died. When I think of her, I will always remember she is in a better place.

    I've lost two brothers over the years. I miss them both immensely. I wish I could still hug them and say I love them one more time. I would trade everything if that meant I had five more minutes to hear or see them one last time.

  10. Having Suicidal Thoughts

    I sometimes feel like the world would be a better place without me in it. I pretend to be a normal person, but no one can see through the fake smiles and laughter. It hurts so much just thinking about how no one cares about you, and when you commit suicide, it will all be over. You won't have to deal with the problems anymore.

    At home, my sibling is favored, and I get blamed for everything they do. I cry myself to sleep almost every night. It feels suffocating knowing that no one understands how you're feeling, and you just want to die. I once had this thought: "I bet no one's going to come to my funeral." Most people don't notice how much others care for them until they're already gone or dead.

    I had these toxic friends who kept ignoring me, so I left them and found some new friends. Now these friends are ignoring me as well, which makes me want to commit suicide so I can never see them again. I want to end it all, and once, I thought it would be quite amusing to see how my toxic friends would react when they found out I had committed suicide because of them.

    For everyone out there who wants to commit suicide, I feel the same way. I wanted to a long time ago. But I didn't, and you can find that life brings good things as well.

    11. The Newcomers
  11. ?

    The Death of a Creator of a TV Show

  12. ?

    The Death of a Voice Actor of Your Favorite Character

    13. The Contenders

  13. The Death of a Grandparent

    My grandpa passed away in June of last year from cancer. Just seeing him suffer was so hard. I have to say, that was the hardest thing I ever went through in my life.

    I am scared to lose my grandma. She is getting old and losing her memory. It really scares me that she is going to die one day. She is always there for me when I need it.

    When my grandma died, I couldn't believe I could go on without her.

  14. Going to Prison

    It's like being caged. I hate prison.

  15. The Death of a Best Friend

    My best friend passed away three years ago from brain cancer. Honestly, this is a whole other level of sadness. Even now, as I write this, I feel that aching, heart-throbbing pain.

    Oh my God, I would never have a new best friend forever. I will forever love my best friend that died.

    Death doesn't stop him from still being my best friend and soulmate.

  16. Having Abusive Parents

    My dad was a very abusive dad and an alcoholic. He had favorites, and his favorite was my little brother. He would make me try to beat him up almost every night, but my brother would win. One night, he destroyed every Lego set in my room that I had worked really hard on. He hurt me so badly that I couldn't go into stores, or else he would have been arrested.

    He even once got so drunk that he hurt my mom. All I heard was just her crying. Then he smoked his tires and drove away. We had to go to our friends' house that night, and our friends spent all night trying to find him. Then one night, he got a DUI and went to prison for a night. My parents got a divorce later on.

    Then, a couple of days after the incident, he got drunk and threw a beer can at the cops. Later, he was sent to Texas for like 3 months. Now, I have to see him every other week on Saturday from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

  17. Getting Bullied

    I think that this is one of the biggest obstacles people have to go through at school. I was bullied in the eighth grade. People would call me stupid, tell me I'm ugly, mock me, and treat me differently than the other people.

    Getting bullied in school. Getting bullied by other strangers. Getting yelled at. Never getting attention. And never having a friend.

    I wish I didn't have to experience this.

    I wish I didn't feel this pain. People yell and steal from you. I remember this time I thought someone was my friend, but three weeks after, he yelled at me, calling me names and acting like I never did anything to him.

  18. Loving Somebody Who Doesn't Love You Back

    This happens to many women out in the world. We just need to be strong and know there is no one more beautiful than you.

    This usually happens all the time with people loving famous role models.

    My best friend and multiple other people...

  19. Missing Your Childhood

    Sometimes I miss being a kid because it was fun, and I was always happy. I just feel like whenever you go into junior high, that's when all the drama starts. And especially being a teenager, that's something that I have to put up with.

    I miss it all the time, but it's always so fuzzy when I try to picture it.

    I miss my early days so badly. I just wish time travel could come out soon! I miss it too much.

  20. Abuse of Animals

    I have to be honest, it really hurts to see an animal getting abused. One of my biggest regrets is abusing my first guinea pig. It ended up dying because of me.

    Animals are lovely and soft. Why would anyone out of 7 billion+ want to kill them? Are they out of their minds?

  21. Your Crush Hating You

  22. Seeing Your Father Cry for the First Time

    My father recently made a huge mistake and is now under investigation. He can't see me and my two sisters without supervision. When I got tired after being at the mall as a visitation for about an hour with him, I wanted to go home. I saw my dad bawling his eyes out and sobbing to where his shoulders were shaking violently when he got into his truck.

    The worst part is it really was my fault, and my little sister also blamed it on me, which made the guilt build up more. Seeing my dad cry like that - the image and guilt for wanting to go home - will probably live with me for the rest of my life.

    I just feel like he is a tough man and for him to cry, something bad must have happened.

  23. Being a Disappointment

    I have suicidal thoughts for this reason. I can never do anything right. My mom says she wishes she could hate me for being a disappointment.

    I've felt like this so many times, and it feels horrible when your parents think you're not good enough.

    Do you ever think the world would be a better place without you?

  24. Getting Separated from Your Best Friend

    I have a lot of best friends. I love all of them equally. But one thing for sure is that one of the only reasons I'm on this planet is because of them. You might not know how many lives friends save. They are my emotional support.

    I will always find a way to find my best friend.

  25. A Mother Abandoning Her Child

    Always making me cry. I have a friend of mine whose mother abandoned him while he was very young, and now he lives with his abusive father. He sometimes asks his grandma about his mom. She doesn't know a thing.

    A mother should love her child, no matter the cost. If you're going to abandon your child, it should be for a good reason.

  26. Being Depressed

    I get really depressed sometimes. I also have suicidal thoughts. My grades plummet when I'm in depression. Sometimes I just want to end it all.

    This is one of the worst feelings ever. Please everyone, if you are depressed (like me), don't give up! You are worth it! It will get better. It just sucks right now.

    This will ruin your life, drive away your friends, and end your life.

  27. The Death of a Spouse

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