Hitting Rock Bottom

Bad days come and go, difficult things happen in our lives, but we work through them.

Hitting rock bottom is entirely different.

I can pinpoint events in my life that served as catalysts for change. In reflecting on those times, I notice that it was not the great and wonderful events in life that changed me, but rather the situations that brought out the very worst in my life.  It was rock bottom that brought me to my knees, the lowest I ever felt, the furthest down I could ever go.

Rock bottom is different because it’s do or die. When you hit rock bottom, that is the Universe telling you “something’s gotta give, it’s time for a change”.

You’re on the precipice of complete and utter destruction. At this time in your life, the world holds up a mirror, and you are challenged to face who you really are. Are you a fighter or not? Because in that moment, you are running out of options. So what do you do?

If you don’t fight, you die. And I don’t even mean in the physical sense. If you don’t fight, you are spiritually dead. Because you let that event beat you down. You didn’t listen to the Universe when it encouraged you to change. You got stuck. at the bottom. And that’s where you’ll stay until you find the courage to move on from where you are.

Change can mean many things, but as the saying goes it is not easy. Change is hard. Worse than that, it’s uncomfortable. The way things are, miserable as they may be, can be comforting when it is familiar. You’re going to have to be brave. You might have to do things a way you have never done them before. You might have to reinvent yourself. You are going to change your life.

Getting out of rock bottom is up to you. It is no one else’s job to bail you out. No one else can be responsible for changing your life! Other people can offer support, your friends and family can share their wisdom, but at the end of the day change is about action, and it’s up to you to take that action.

The reality of the situation is that everybody goes through this. Multiple times. We want to believe that once we’ve been to the bottom we can never go back there again. But it can and likely will happen. That’s just life. At 27 years old I have hit rock bottom more than once. I know when the time comes I will visit it again.

What gets you through is an intense regimen of self-care. What gets you through is a support system of family, friends, and/or faith. What gets you through is that inner voice that tells you not to ever give up.

It sounds cliche, but you’ll get through it, and you’ll come out stronger than you were before. Smarter than you were before. And damn proud of yourself.