I’ve Hit Rock Bottom, Now What?

“I’ve hit rock bottom, now what?” The all-too-common question we ask ourselves when in the thick of an enormous life-altering situation. Whether it was going through a divorce or breakup, losing your home, getting fired from your job, dropping out of school, or facing severe financial debt, we’ve all been there. Whatever the situation may be, it is by far one of the hardest moments of our lives. A common challenge for people during those moments is struggling to take care of themselves, which only adds to the stress of managing the current situation.  

How can you navigate this difficult period? The following are different ways to manage your well-being during a difficult period:

1. Validate Your Feelings: How do you feel about the situation? What do you notice going on both externally and internally? It can be easy to stuff down our feelings and want to move forward as quickly as possible, but not validating how we feel can lead to other issues down the road. 

2. Seek Help and Support When Needed: We don’t have to navigate difficult periods alone. Research shows that having a support system helps us to bounce back more quickly from challenges and increases resilience. Seeking out a friend, family member, therapist, or whomever can be a life-changer.

3. Create and Maintain a Self-Care Routine: This can include a variety of activities that leave you feeling grounded and renewed. Self-care activities can include journaling, drinking plenty of water, exercising, meditating, exploring creative outlets, spending time with loved ones, and so forth. Managing our basic needs can make a world of difference during difficult times.  

4. Self-Compassion is Paramount: We can often be too hard on ourselves when we make a mistake and are our own worst critics. If you wouldn’t say it to a friend, then why would you say it to yourself? Give yourself some love and compassion during this time, and remind yourself that you’re human.

5. Reframe What ‘Rock Bottom’ Means to You: It is often said that hitting rock bottom is an opportunity to rebuild your life, do things differently, and end up the person you’ve desired to be all along. What if, instead of viewing it as an ending, you see it as a new beginning?

No matter what you are going through at this moment, know that you are strong, brave, and resilient. It may seem like this current chapter will last forever, but one thing that life teaches us is that there is one constant in life, change. You’ve got this!

Join Charlie’s Toolbox global community and access resources and a community of women centering themselves.

Click Me

Time to Reflect: What’s one thing you can do today to take care of yourself? How will you redefine your rock bottom?