"Divorce When You Don't Want It": People Are Sharing Heartbreaking Pains You Don't Fully Understand Until You Experience Them Yourself (2025)

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Pain. It's something we all go through at some point, whether physical or emotional. Reddit user Unfair_Shower_3256 recently asked, "What is a pain you can't truly explain until you've endured it?" Here are the most heartbreaking responses: 1. "Heartbreak — the kind where it physically hurts your heart." 2. "One word: Endometriosis. I had enough of this freaking disease." 3. "Losing my dog. I know it seems so minor compared to bigger life problems, but nothing has broken my heart more than losing him." 4. "Chronic illness. Not just the pain that comes with it but having a serious chronic illness. It's almost like trying to describe the taste of food without mentioning any flavor. Impossible." 5. "Finding out you've been truly betrayed by a lover or friend." 6. "Losing my partner. I didn't just lose my partner. He was also my best friend, too." 7. "A migraine. It's not just a really bad headache." 8. "Memory problems. It's like being reset mid-thought. Having a conversation where you feel yourself growing, and then it ends. The lights stay on, but you’re gone. No memory. No continuity. Just the ghost of a spark. It's like waking from a dream you loved, only to find out you never existed. And worse, the person you loved is still awake, remembering you. But you can't remember them back." 9. "Divorce when you don't want it." 10. "Losing a child." 11. "Abusive relationship. You always think you won't get caught in the cycle, but you don't realize it until you're in so deep. They don't reveal themselves until you're completely entangled." 12. "I couldn't understand how people are so afraid of talking to other people until I developed social anxiety after COVID. Sweating while thinking about talking to someone is such a pain..." 13. "Infertility when you planned your entire life to become a parent one day." 14. "Mental illness. Any mental illness." 15. "Back pain. It's all fun and games until you mess your back up." 16. "Kidney stones. Never felt anything like it and wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy." 17. "Childbirth." 18. "Losing someone to dementia." 19. "Tooth pain." 20. "Going through a miscarriage." 21. "A spouse's infidelity." 22. "Losing a parent." 23. "Depression. It's leagues different from just being sad. You can never really explain the feeling to someone who's never experienced it." 24. "Ovarian cyst bursting." 25. "Anesthesia wearing off during surgery." 26. "Shingles. How I describe it to my friends: it's like having hundreds of spiders under your skin made of pure electricity and fire, gnawing on your nerve endings. I had it on my eye and forehead. It started with a random hair tickle kind of feeling. It was the worst pain I have endured without pain medication." 27. "Losing a good, comfortable, well-paying job." 28. "A dry socket on the gum. That hurt badly." 29. "Putting a pet to sleep is sometimes the last act of love we can show them, especially if they're in pain. It hurts so much, but saying goodbye is the tax we pay for all the love they show us." 30. "Panic attack." 31. "Going no-contact or bare minimum contact with one or both of your parents. I think that many people don't understand that it's never easy, and it's not something that you decide after one disagreement. The pain and guilt of going no-contact is tough to endure, especially at the beginning. Even if your parent(s) did some awful things to you, you still have that little bit of hope that they'll change someday and that everything will be better. Going almost no-contact or no-contact at all is the absolute last resort, and saying that 'you shouldn't do it, they're your parents after all' is even more painful." 32. "Losing a sibling. You don't realize how important they are to you until they're gone. The fights and the bickering seem annoying, but cherish them while you can." 33. "Laying in bed next to someone and realizing they don't love you anymore, but neither of you are talking about it." What else would you add to this list? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Posted 15 hours ago

"Depression. It's leagues different from just being sad. You can never really explain the feeling to someone who's never experienced it."

by Michele BirdBuzzFeed Contributor

Pain. It's something we all go through at some point, whether physical or emotional. Reddit user Unfair_Shower_3256 recently asked, "What is a pain you can't truly explain until you've endured it?" Here are the most heartbreaking responses:

"Divorce When You Don't Want It": People Are Sharing Heartbreaking Pains You Don't Fully Understand Until You Experience Them Yourself (2)

Warning: This post contains mentions of abuse, mental illness, miscarriage, and death.

1. "Heartbreak — the kind where it physically hurts your heart."

"Divorce When You Don't Want It": People Are Sharing Heartbreaking Pains You Don't Fully Understand Until You Experience Them Yourself (3)

2. "One word: Endometriosis. I had enough of this freaking disease."

—u/ichibanx3

3. "Losing my dog. I know it seems so minor compared to bigger life problems, but nothing has broken my heart more than losing him."

"Divorce When You Don't Want It": People Are Sharing Heartbreaking Pains You Don't Fully Understand Until You Experience Them Yourself (4)

4. "Chronic illness. Not just the pain that comes with it but having a serious chronic illness. It's almost like trying to describe the taste of food without mentioning any flavor. Impossible."

—u/Deep_Ad6301

"I didn’t understand the mental toll of it until I got it myself."

—u/GooseKiller64

5. "Finding out you've been truly betrayed by a lover or friend."

"Divorce When You Don't Want It": People Are Sharing Heartbreaking Pains You Don't Fully Understand Until You Experience Them Yourself (5)

6. "Losing my partner. I didn't just lose my partner. He was also my best friend, too."

—u/XxmspixenxX

7. "A migraine. It's not just a really bad headache."

"Divorce When You Don't Want It": People Are Sharing Heartbreaking Pains You Don't Fully Understand Until You Experience Them Yourself (6)

8. "Memory problems. It's like being reset mid-thought. Having a conversation where you feel yourself growing, and then it ends. The lights stay on, but you’re gone. No memory. No continuity. Just the ghost of a spark. It's like waking from a dream you loved, only to find out you never existed. And worse, the person you loved is still awake, remembering you. But you can't remember them back."

—u/ZenomorphZing

9. "Divorce when you don't want it."

"Divorce When You Don't Want It": People Are Sharing Heartbreaking Pains You Don't Fully Understand Until You Experience Them Yourself (7)

10. "Losing a child."

—u/Teach-me-to-human

11. "Abusive relationship. You always think you won't get caught in the cycle, but you don't realize it until you're in so deep. They don't reveal themselves until you're completely entangled."

"Divorce When You Don't Want It": People Are Sharing Heartbreaking Pains You Don't Fully Understand Until You Experience Them Yourself (8)

12. "I couldn't understand how people are so afraid of talking to other people until I developed social anxiety after COVID. Sweating while thinking about talking to someone is such a pain..."

—u/Fun-Conclusion-9302

13. "Infertility when you planned your entire life to become a parent one day."

"Divorce When You Don't Want It": People Are Sharing Heartbreaking Pains You Don't Fully Understand Until You Experience Them Yourself (9)

14. "Mental illness. Any mental illness."

—u/I_Need_Alot_Of_Love

15. "Back pain. It's all fun and games until you mess your back up."

"Divorce When You Don't Want It": People Are Sharing Heartbreaking Pains You Don't Fully Understand Until You Experience Them Yourself (10)

16. "Kidney stones. Never felt anything like it and wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy."

—u/psyliboy

17. "Childbirth."

"Divorce When You Don't Want It": People Are Sharing Heartbreaking Pains You Don't Fully Understand Until You Experience Them Yourself (11)

18. "Losing someone to dementia."

—u/No_Brick_6579

19. "Tooth pain."

"Divorce When You Don't Want It": People Are Sharing Heartbreaking Pains You Don't Fully Understand Until You Experience Them Yourself (12)

20. "Going through a miscarriage."

—u/TiffLuLu_96

21. "A spouse's infidelity."

"Divorce When You Don't Want It": People Are Sharing Heartbreaking Pains You Don't Fully Understand Until You Experience Them Yourself (13)

22. "Losing a parent."

—u/Green-Rosess

23. "Depression. It's leagues different from just being sad. You can never really explain the feeling to someone who's never experienced it."

"Divorce When You Don't Want It": People Are Sharing Heartbreaking Pains You Don't Fully Understand Until You Experience Them Yourself (14)

24. "Ovarian cyst bursting."

—u/Hot_Lifeguard6297

25. "Anesthesia wearing off during surgery."

"Divorce When You Don't Want It": People Are Sharing Heartbreaking Pains You Don't Fully Understand Until You Experience Them Yourself (15)

26. "Shingles. How I describe it to my friends: it's like having hundreds of spiders under your skin made of pure electricity and fire, gnawing on your nerve endings. I had it on my eye and forehead. It started with a random hair tickle kind of feeling. It was the worst pain I have endured without pain medication."

—u/tooter76

27. "Losing a good, comfortable, well-paying job."

"Divorce When You Don't Want It": People Are Sharing Heartbreaking Pains You Don't Fully Understand Until You Experience Them Yourself (16)

28. "A dry socket on the gum. That hurt badly."

—u/Waste-Conclusion8898

29. "Putting a pet to sleep is sometimes the last act of love we can show them, especially if they're in pain. It hurts so much, but saying goodbye is the tax we pay for all the love they show us."

"Divorce When You Don't Want It": People Are Sharing Heartbreaking Pains You Don't Fully Understand Until You Experience Them Yourself (17)

30. "Panic attack."

—u/Purple_Rooster3738

31. "Going no-contact or bare minimum contact with one or both of your parents. I think that many people don't understand that it's never easy, and it's not something that you decide after one disagreement. The pain and guilt of going no-contact is tough to endure, especially at the beginning. Even if your parent(s) did some awful things to you, you still have that little bit of hope that they'll change someday and that everything will be better. Going almost no-contact or no-contact at all is the absolute last resort, and saying that 'you shouldn't do it, they're your parents after all' is even more painful."

"Divorce When You Don't Want It": People Are Sharing Heartbreaking Pains You Don't Fully Understand Until You Experience Them Yourself (18)

32. "Losing a sibling. You don't realize how important they are to you until they're gone. The fights and the bickering seem annoying, but cherish them while you can."

—u/AmAwkwardTurtle

33. "Laying in bed next to someone and realizing they don't love you anymore, but neither of you are talking about it."

"Divorce When You Don't Want It": People Are Sharing Heartbreaking Pains You Don't Fully Understand Until You Experience Them Yourself (19)

What else would you add to this list? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.