You only live once - does that statement hurt or comfort you?

[noname223]

I think primarily this statement makes me sad. There is some comfort in it but the pain is bigger.

When I had my first psychosis I was heartbroken that my only chance to live a happy life is over. I don't know I think I have arranged myself with that fact. I cannot change my past but I can try as good as I can to make the best out of my situation.

There are different approaches to life. Some prefer a fast and exciting life. Some prefer a normal and secure life. Personally I prefer a slow life without much uncertainty. However with my illness that is barely possible. Bipolar can be a pretty evil and crazy bitch.

The comforting thing about this statement is the nothingness. The time keeps passing and there is no way around that. We all will die one days. If you believe in nothingness there will come a time when all the pain is over. In some sense our pain is limited when we look at a timeline.

The notion that after life comes another life is scary for me. What if the thing about karma is true and the suffering cycle continues. When we consider this framing you only live once is comforting for me.

However with the different emphasis on the potential of a happy and fulfilling life I might prefer that. I am not sure. One could argue maybe in a different dimension/universe or timeline I lived a happy life but I cannot remember it. However when I consider how cynical my life is I could also imagine a higher being bullies me.

But on a rational level it helps to consider these thoughts as superstition.

What is your first reaction to that statement? Sadness or a relief?

 

[Forever Sleep]

Relief. I can't wait for it to be over. I hate the thought of reincarnation!

 

[Eternal Pessimist]

Mostly relief, but also a bit of sadness. It does depress me when I think about what a mess I've made of my only chance at life and that even if things were to improve, there is no way to get back all of that wasted time and undo all of my terrible decisions. At the same time it's still a huge relief to know that eventually it will all be over.

 

[foreverfalling]

I feel stuck in a paradox. Like you I prefer the slow life with less uncertainty. But this is also what makes me not want to live. My life is full of worrying about the future and making sure I don't make mistakes, and it stops me from 'living' and makes me miserable. However if I've resigned to killing myself, then why not 'live' a bit and take some risks? What have I got to lose if I'm going to die anyway? So I can neither live life to the fullest, nor do I have the motivations to want to live it for as long as possible.

 

[hellispink]

For me it is an stupidity. It creates useless anxiety. No human knows for exact if there is other lives or not. We simply will never know until we die. Pressuring people to live their best live or whatever for me its pretry pathetic not everyone can survive maybe they need another life or maybe they dont want it who knows but there's no way to know

 

[Dead Ghost]

I usually say that you only die once, but to live..., I have to do it every day with a lot of effort.
//
Jo acostumo a dir que només es mort una sola vegada, però viure..., ho he de fer cada día amb molt d'esforç.

 

[FuneralCry]

In my case I don't really think that I live, instead I just exist. But yes, in fact it's the only relief the thought of this life ending and permanently being gone from this world, so it can be seen as comforting the thought of all this being temporary where all that we are destined for is to return to nothingness.

 

[KuriGohan&Kamehameha]

It makes me sad that this is my one shot at life, but it had to be spent like this rather than actually living.

 

[Dead Horse]

It makes me depressed to think about it. I feel that if I had a second chance in life, I may have been able to be happy. But in this life, no. I'm too fucked up. There is no hope for me now.

 

[PleaseTakeMeAway]

I just wanted a normal life. Not this shitty hand I got. So I don't really give a damn if I "only live once", I don't want to live a miserable life and watch everyone else be normal and happy.

 

[Wannagonow]

I'm okay with living once and then you're done. I fluctuate with what I believe may or may not happen next.

 

[Hirokami]

I only have one life to live and it has to be as a severely mentally ill person. Fml

 

[Green Destiny]

Being brutally honest I just find the term Cringe as hell. But I do take comfort in there only being one me for one lifetime. There doesn't need to be more of that over multiple generations.

 

[EternalOblivion]

It's a comfort for me I suppose. What's uncomfortable is the growing pains associated with getting older. Every time I believe I have something about life figured out, it puts me right back in my place—and I feel even more confused than before. There's too much pressure to make the most out of the time available. Not everyone has the luxury of doing more; so many of us are just trying to survive. I don't really believe anything happens after death, nor do I like the idea of there being more. Even though it hasn't been that great, this one life is enough.

 

[Source Energy]

Neither. I am not convinced that we only live once. I tend to lean toward reincarnation. But if we really only live once, then both sadness and relief applies. Sadness - for all that I missed out on, by being the broken me; relief - that it will be over eventually, and never again.

 

[picapica]

I wish I could do it all over again. Make better choices, go in the right direction this time. The fact that I messed up my only chance at life deeply saddens me. Makes me want to go even more to avoid existing with my failures looming over me at all times.

 

[blanket]

hurts a lot

 

[littlelungs]

For me, it's both.

Comforting, because I can't do this suffering anymore, and I don't want to come back and potentially suffer all over again. It hurts... no, it's fucking excruciating to exist and I just want it to stop.

At the same time, it really hurts because, if I only had one chance to live and this was it, then that's a real shame.

I take responsibility for myself and the decisions I made as an adult, but when it all comes down to it, a do-over of this same life wouldn't do anything. It still doesn't change my genetics or the environment that fucked me up this badly to begin with before I even had the chance to form any sense of self whatsoever. That's what really gets to me.

 

[Sparr0w]

the fact that you only live once gives me a boost to do the things i want. ill only live once, i might as well come out as nb and wear strange clothing and try that hobby that im no good at. its not like im gonna get another shot to do it, and living my life as a lie or refusing to do something cause of what other people think is a waste.

it also makes me cautious. if i mess a major thing up (like falling off a building) well, you only live once. i dont want to waste my life because i did something stupid and broke my spine. (not that living with a disability is a waste, just that id be pissed if i couldnt dance or smth because i did something i couldve Just Not)

 

[ilovecats]

Makes me feel more insignificant

 

[vultureilse]

sometimes i wish i could get reincarnated and get a better life than the one i have now but then i remember all of my problems with society and tbh i think id rather just not exist at all. even if i didnt have a traumatic upbringing and wasnt mentally ill i dont think i could ever really enjoy life, i hate certain unavoidable elements of life life school, work etc and besides that theres just too much awful shit going on on this world