turn (one's) life upside down

To drastically or fundamentally alter one's outlook, circumstances, or way of life. I always dreamed of being a lawyer, so flunking out of law school turned my whole life upside down. Lena's whole life was turned upside down when her mom died, and it took a long time for her to feel any semblance of normality. Such sudden wealth turned his life upside down, as he traded in his shoebox apartment for a luxury mansion in a matter of months.