r/AskReddit • u/toofarg0ne • 17h ago
For those who have experienced “rock bottom” before, what happens after?
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u/Complete-Bumblebee-5 17h ago
Never think you have hit rock bottom. It can always get worse
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u/TrySubstantia 16h ago
Sometimes rock bottom has a basement , and apparently there’s a basement under the basement.
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u/anonjohnsc 14h ago
There’s a Russian saying “When you think you’ve hit rock bottom, you hear knocking beneath your feet”
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u/UglyTitties 15h ago
The bar for the rock bottom is lowered every time you reach it.
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17h ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/zazzlekdazzle 16h ago edited 15h ago
For me, it all started one day when I was coming home to my disgusting, literally rat-infested apartment, while I was thinking of all the ways the world had done me wrong.
Suddenly, it wasn't just that monologue of misery, there was another voice that said, truly this is what I remember: "You know, you don't have to be this miserable, you can just choose not to feel this shitty."
My response at the time was, yeah, thanks, but I think I keep with the misery here.
But it was a start. It was a tiny crack that let in a little bit of sunshine.
Slowly, over time, that crack became bigger, and then in was a hole big enough that I could actly crawl out of that cave into the sunshine and the world.
But it took quite a while.
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u/Pole-Emploi-Gaming 16h ago edited 13h ago
I guess there is few ways to experience rock bottom. I can happen suddently because of an accident or because of someone and not be exactly boring
Edit : Why have you deleted his comment ? He didn't said anything wrong
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u/what_is_blue 15h ago
Yeah. I’ve had it happen twice.
The first was graduating into the 08/09 financial crisis. That was a boring, boring rock bottom, in the end, but a lot of ridiculous shit happened during.
The second was about ten years ago. That was much more dramatic. It wasn’t boring, nor was getting out of it.
Either way, life goes on. It’s just a lot better when you have some control over the course it takes.
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u/ayosybauneegy 17h ago
Personally i never feel genuinely excited for anything and you get less reactive to anything. Also emotionally am not connected to my family or anyone even if they are good person. And your pride & ego is demolished entirely.
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u/marshruto 17h ago
Rock bottom is a trampoline
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u/DanielCraigsAnus 14h ago
I'd say it's more like a bouncy house. It's colorful and distracting at first. Next thing you know, you're on your knees getting knocked around as you try to find the exit. Just as soon as you get your hands onto the handle to get out, some asshole grabs you from behind and throws you back to the floor.
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u/hilltopper06 14h ago
This is how I feel as well. The "perk" of hitting rock bottom was that it finally gave me that extra push I needed to take control of my life.
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u/EEBBfive 13h ago
That’s exactly how I felt when my mom died when I turned 26. It’s been 4 years and even though I’m doing well my emotions never recovered. How do I get them back?
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u/Improv92 17h ago
In the same week I lost my dream job to covid, I was battling stomach parasites and then my apartment got robbed. All within 4 days. I told myself that would not define how I proceed with life. I now have a job with the government, replenished the items that got stolen, and took my severance package and bought a house. It’s still traumatic, but I’m proud of myself.
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u/SpicyNacho74 15h ago
Same. Lost my job, broke my foot and couldn’t walk, had to drop out of college, and bf of 2 years left me jobless on crutches all in the span of 90 days.
Life can hit you in the blink of an eye but it’s important to remember better days are ahead.
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u/pico_de_gall0h 17h ago
It's like getting your emotions sucked out. I went numb. Then you begin again. Pretty much all you can do and try to be better.
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u/EstreaSagitarri 17h ago
I'm going to quote The Hunger Games (Mockingjay): "It takes ten times as long to put yourself back together as it does to fall apart." And in my case the improvement is S L O W
But at least it's finally noticeable!
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u/Financial-South996 17h ago
Learnt that there’s no such thing as rock bottom when you keep sinking lower.
It only exists when you make the change and start building up from that point
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u/Clear_Tangerine5110 17h ago
I figured out the tools necessary to keep it from happening again. The key to not repetitively bouncing on rock bottom is to learn from the experience.
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u/sniksniksnek 17h ago
What happens after is dissociation due to trauma. I’ve had to start over several times in my life, and after digging yourself out one too many times, you realize that the tank is empty. You feel no joy, sadness, anger, or really much of anything. You’re just a used up empty vessel.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t dig yourself out, just don’t expect any great epiphanies about the experience.
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u/hostilekraut 17h ago
I understand this all too well.
My first round, I didn’t have the foresight to add any post recovery targets to validate my progress, leaving a only sense of movement, but no measurable progress points I could reflect on to build confidence.
The second, meticulously constructed accountability and goals were the key to self discipline, confidence, and mindfulness. 2+ years later with no desire to repeat the mistakes and the eventual spiral was the only thing I lost, or simply discovered I am solely responsible for my good and bad decisions; I was my own worst enemy and nobody could ever damage me worse than myself.
Being honest with yourself isn’t taught as much as it should be.
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u/Difficult-Gas6196 17h ago
He got back and up and took his elbow pad off and did some bullshit but I lost my shot at the Intercontinental title that day.
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u/SM_83 17h ago
That you Ken?
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u/Difficult-Gas6196 17h ago
lol nah he won but then got DQd for beating up all the refs in the company
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u/Barbarossa1155a 17h ago
I had a mental and emotional breakdown. Out of work, low on money, spent nearly a year trying to find a job. Spent a month regrouping, came up with a plan I felt positive about, and moved forward in a different direction. I got a job, but it took me about a year to feel safe and to stop having nightmares. The change was definitely needed, and ten years later I can look back with gratitude.
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u/WrappedInLinen 17h ago
The universe brings in the rock drill to prove that there really is nothing that can’t get worse.
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u/hawaiian-mamba 17h ago
You come up from the ashes reborn. A new version of yourself ready to take on life with the main goal of becoming the best version of yourself.
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u/JJCookieMonster 17h ago
Keeps going down from there lmao. Just when you thought it couldn't get worse. It doesn't always go upward, especially when it's outside your control. Sometimes stagnant for years as well. Everyone says rejection is redirection. Sometimes that rejection takes years or decades. Have to mentally and emotionally be prepared for that. I haven't been able to get any job in 3 years and it is an exhausting process growing a business with no stability.
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u/throneofthornes 17h ago
You just do the next little thing to keep yourself going. Sometimes you have to stop looking at the big picture, swallow all the emotion, and stay in the moment to do whatever it takes to get the next little step up. And sometimes it's all you can do just to not slide back a step. Count the little wins. Think small. It will take time but those little steps can add up.
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u/Acrobatic_Debt_4659 17h ago
well, you look in the mirror and you just don’t recognize yourself and then you look at your current surroundings and its a very surreal moment where you’re smack dab in crystal clear reality and think “what am i doing.” then from there you clean yourself up and start working at whatever job, hitting it everyday, no matter what, just thugging it out through the pains and the sweats sleeping at the park showering at the gym and then you get a car, then your life gets a little more meaningful sleeping in a comfy enclosed space of yours, and it gets easier to drive between work, gym, deli than on the transit, and you’re looking better because you’re sleeping better after working out better so you start feeling better and people start treating you better. you work and save and get your studio with a bed and cook yourself a meal and smoke a bowl and take a shower and lay down in bed and think man “i can’t believe i was geeked out in that bathroom a year ago”
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u/HockeyDockey1234 17h ago
Remember life is like a Bow
You get pulled back with tension, only to be pushed forward tremendously.
Humans have an amazing way about them of figuring it out especially in the tough situations
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u/JFK360noscope 17h ago
Silence. Deafening silence. Externally and internally.
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u/Dear-Judgment7656 17h ago
Shiiit! That sounds like peace in my opinion… when it’s externally silent my head is the loudest and most uncomfortable space to stay stuck in unwillingly! So fn loud!
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u/JFK360noscope 17h ago
Hah. Well you can get that silent peace via other methods instead of life changing rock bottoms
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u/LumpkinsPotatoCat 17h ago
I became much more fiercely protective of my own peace and safety. Became more independent and less reliant on others but also I trusted people less to look out for me or with my own well being.
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u/zazzlekdazzle 16h ago
I was so depressed I could barely function. I couldn't really work, and I was so insufferable and low-functioning that I barely had any friends. Yet, I wanted to have a good job, friends, romantic love, and eventually a family of my own. It all seemed 100% impossible. My self-care declined so abysmally that my organs started to fail. I was giving up, I was a shell of a human.
It wasn't a quick turnaround, and it took A LOT of therapy, but I basically came to this realization:
Life is a like a game and there are rules, they are not very subtle or hard to know. You don't need to play by all these rules, but then you cannot expect to get the prizes, or at least not as easily as those who do play.
For me to function as person, I needed to make some choices about the rules I was willing to follow and those I wasn't but could accept the consequences.
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u/jordan31483 16h ago
Life starts to get better.
In my case, I was miserable in my job, and was drinking to cope. I'd been in a bad pattern for about 4 years, and one day I'd just had enough. I crashed and burned (fortunately not literally), and spent the next five months simply not showing up. Eventually got a notice in the mail that I would be terminated on such date, and when that time came, I sent my written resignation by certified mail to my boss, making it effective the day before I was to be terminated.
That was, as they say, the first day of the rest of my life. I'd become dependent on alcohol, so it took a while to wean myself off of it, but I did it. I had accumulated enough savings to live on for 2 years, so I did that, and then went back to work at a new job. I'm still there 6 years later with no more job misery, and no more abusing alcohol.
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u/usps_made_me_insane 17h ago
You realize perception helps shape reality and you fight hard to get back on that horse.
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u/Intrepid_Top_2300 17h ago
You either give up and things progress from there, or you realize your mistakes and just start over. Then it’s a lot of hard work, saving, and smarter choices.
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u/Aggravating-Fly-6668 17h ago
I like the saying I heard "Rock bottom is when you decide to quit digging"
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u/rictay44 17h ago
Happened to me twice. Both times I kept convincing myself that things are going to get better. Took on any work I could find that paid some money and gradually pulled myself back up again. Despair and self pity will keep you down, just gotta keep up the hope and determination to get out of the hole.
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u/Kurorosu 17h ago
I found a way to climb back up as efficiently and speedily as possible. Didn't want to be there in first place.
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u/trackowner 17h ago
For me it got better in embarrassingly boring increments: I spent an entire afternoon sitting outside B&Q because going in felt like admitting I had a life to fix. Eventually I bought a £3 paint scraper, went home, and started with one kitchen cupboard.
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u/Toobatheviking 16h ago
I had dropped out of school, run away from home at 17 and was living with roommates and working at a McDonalds.
I had a falling out with my dad because he was angry that I had dropped out of school.
The four of us roommates were kicked out of our place because the main guy on the lease got tired of his GF hooking up with the other roommates. (Don’t ask. It’s as stupid as it sounds)
I ended up sleeping in my car in my parking lot at work and I’d shower at the YMCA downtown like once a week.
When I wasn’t at work I’d go to the local mall and walk around and try to get the courage up to talk to girls that worked at some of the stores, or I’d find other stupid things to do.
I only had about 3-4 outfits with me and a work uniform.
I was lucky that I gave my dad money for insurance because he paid it for me while I was gone.
Some of the swing managers knew what was going on with me and we had a deal that I could eat old food they were going to toss because it had sat in the warmer too long. (Back in the day McDonalds didn’t cook to order, they cooked to anticipate demand, and if the food didn’t sell after a specific time they’d throw it away. They had little metal stands that went under and behind the food with times on them)
After about three months this my manager Mel at McDonalds pulled me into his office to have a talk with me.
A lot of thus is going to be paraphrased because it’s been nearly 40 years now. He knew I was under 18.
“Whenever I’m here I see you in your car if you’re not working. Even the full time people I have go home to someplace at night. You can’t sustain this type of life. You need to figure things out with your parents and go graduate. You’re way too smart to make this your life”
And that was it. I just needed a person to give me direction because I was a stupid, scared 17 year old kid
I went home and talked to my mom and dad, who were just sobbing and thankful I’d come home.
I went to a community college to get my high school diploma and shipped off to the military after.
I’ve been retired from the military for a while now.
I’m sure that’s not as low or painful as some others have experienced, but that was rock bottom for me at the time. (Well, until i started drinking that is)
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u/Bobbi_D123 16h ago
Every time I think I've hit rock bottom, the floor opens up underneath me. So who knows at this point.
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u/Brilliant-Bed-6229 16h ago
Accept things for what they are…. Go ghost. Move in silence, get yourself back together. It’s not going to happen overnight. Keep your mouth closed, The best thing you can do is not tell nobody how, what, when, and why you’re doing anything you’re doing to get yourself back together. Your life is your life and it’s what you make it. Remember that someone somewhere is doing wayyyyy worse. Just stay positive. Even when it’s hard.
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u/wtf_amirite 16h ago
In my case at least….
Surrender.
Fear.
Regret.
Shame.
Acceptance.
Resolve.
(It was alcohol, and it happened 106 days ago.)
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u/DementedSoulGod 15h ago
The floor cracked and I continued falling, fortunately I haven't hit the bottom that leads to me doing drugs
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u/ThanosSnapsSlimJims 15h ago
I did some introspection, rose to the challenge, and am doing really well now.
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u/Thumbload 15h ago
Sometimes rock bottom doesn’t come with a dramatic turnaround. You just start taking things one day at a time. You slowly rebuild your confidence, learn what truly matters, and realize you’re capable of surviving things you once thought would break you. It gets better, but usually little by little.
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u/Charming_Party_2052 11h ago
common thing between good and bad times? they dont last. Things always get worse before they get better. Just when it becomes unbearable, thats when its about to become easier.
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u/Charming_Party_2052 11h ago
and most importantly! be thankful even when you have nothing. be it a piece of bread
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u/Solpig 17h ago
You meet God.
If you are absolutely at rock bottom and have finally figured out that you , yourself and your thoughts and idea's ARE the problem? That means you don't have to listen to that head noise anymore.
I was homeless, strung out, had a trial coming up and was in failing health. When I finally realized that all of those came out of my planning and my idea's and my best efforts??? I gave up. Completely. I was also an Atheist, so I never thought of praying. I had lost all interest in anything I had to offer myself.
But God came and screamed in my ear anyways. Ever since then, I have always known God was there. Once he screams in your ear, no further problems seem insurmountable...and he loves to scream in the ear of his Problem children. We are his special pets.
You don't need religion, you don't need a church, but once you find God, you won't need anything else....it's all just gravy. It's just 'what happens' ....but it's all OK, and so will you be. I am not special. After i met him I read a lot of books and found out what happened to me is really common.....
It's available for everyone. Just ask. It'll happen
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u/Capable_Fig 17h ago
And a great and mighty wind tore into the mountains and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a still, small voice.
Can def feel like screaming sometimes "Pull yourself together. Pull yourself together, man"
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u/Prestigious-Load-388 17h ago
I mean one thing i learned is there’s always more “rock bottom”. After you get better, and actually are headed in a right direction in my experience it makes you grow mentally and how you view things. At first you might say “why did I do that or so” after time of being well you still regret it but notice you also say that actually made me realize a lot of things and made me grow as a person. You also learn what makes you vulnerable and what road lead to rock bottom.
This I may experience there are better explanations.
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u/KURT_WILLER 17h ago
After that, I started flying high once I began putting everything I had learned into real life. I still felt lonely at times, but everything I learned from hitting rock bottom slowly shaped me into the person I am today.
And honestly, it really works.
Remember, life is always, always, always better on the other side, so never let your rock bottom define you or affect you too deeply. Just be patient.
I know this might sound very normal, like something everyone says, but I genuinely mean it when I say there’s something beautiful waiting for you on the other side. You just have to keep going, trust the process, and have a little faith.
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u/Able_Chemist4250 17h ago
You finally get off your ass and do what’s necessary… for some reason I couldn’t change until I was forced to by reality
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u/Lostboyfromsouth 17h ago
I found that once I’d burnt all my bridges and set everything around me on fire, the fire itself became a strange sort of comfort. When you have nothing left to lose, losing becomes far less frightening. It was from these points (and, to cut a long story short, there have been many) that I found it weirdly easiest to begin again. To rebuild, to try again, and to become a better person. Each chapter of ‘rebuilds’ has been different, but each one has taught me something.
In regards to what happens after, from my personal experience, you’re never quite free of the ‘rock bottom’, you just do everything you can to not be as deep down next time
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u/NeninKemper 17h ago
you just end up standing in the pasta sauce aisle for twenty minutes trying to decide which brand is the most morally upright 🍝
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u/Acceptable-Cost107 17h ago
Depends on how you got there and how many bridges you burned on the way. Rock bottom looks like a lot of things to a lot of different people. For some people, it’s alcoholism. Some, it’s problem gambling. For me, it was going all-in on a business that went bust during the pandemic.
This is where the burned bridges matter. What happens next is you ask for help. The quality of that help is what compounds afterward. It got better for me, but it’d be irresponsible to say that it gets better for everyone just because it happened to me.
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u/nusaince 17h ago
If you truly hit rock bottom you, thats when your neurons become malleable its your body giving you one more chance.
You can either choose nihillism at this point or growth.
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u/Firethesky 17h ago
Ive seen others hit rock bottom and usually they start looking for a mining pick.
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u/Musicferret 17h ago
I was unemployed, and chain smoking pot. Like, literally smoking every hour that I was awake. I quit cold turkey.
6 months later, I have a job, I haven’t touched pot, and I feel much better both physically and mentally. Was it easy? Nope. But I did it with determination. You can do so much more than you believe just through grit, something who’s supply is infinite and is there for the taking.
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u/lifeishorrible1426 17h ago
Three options:
1: Stay there and be miserable
2: Find a new hole to go into
3: climb out of the hole.
None of them are particularly pleasant
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u/OptimalCar7958 17h ago
I just kept my head down and did what the pros told me to do. I was kept extremely busy which is good because I really didn't need time to think about the mess I made until I was strong enough to handle it and not use that as an excuse to give up. I am grateful for those people that held my hand when I really needed it.
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u/RobertosLuigi 17h ago
I started talking again to friends that i for some reason stopped talking to and that helped a lot, i love them so much
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u/WordAdministrative34 17h ago
It was so bad that I lose about 50 pounds, I didn't belive deoresion even exist until it hit me hard, lose my job, girl, even my dog die, when you think it can't be worse, it gets worst but well here I am better than ever, still my my dog though
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u/samuraiseoul 17h ago
Well, I've experienced a few, and some I climbed out a bit from, then I fell and kept digging. Rock bottom ends when ya quit digging. I admitted I needed help and got better at not digging holes.
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u/AVBforPrez 17h ago
You either become dead, or muster up a way for shit to get better. There really isn't any in-between.
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u/gobipls 17h ago
Nothing really, nobody cares but a lot of people act like they do. For me i fixed up myself and im internally at peace with me which would never happen if shit didnt go down that hard. People also tend to catch on and actually like me for it, women especially. Im still broke but the guy i am now is way more attractive to women somehow. I was wrong about that topic for so long. I also got hope back which felt i will never have at this level.
Just as a tip for you reading, take care of yourself and be someone you like. It really goes a long way and hardens you for stuff you are not prepared for
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u/Ecstatic-Current8078 17h ago
You realize that self harm (like binge drinking) isn’t good in the long run (if you’re alive, why deal with the consequences?) and that there’s no magic number of escapist nights that’ll solve your problems. Unfortunately, you have to “pick yourself up by your bootstraps” (hate that quote and don’t agree with the indicated politics) and make a change. Nobody else can do it for you.
Ex: I was in a super toxic relationship. I had to pull myself out. It took months of “don’t go back” videos to convince myself that I must stay out. It wasn’t fun, but I felt heard.
I also gained weight during covid and I finally lost half because I started being strict with myself and went on a diet. Again, not fun, but I feel a lot better.
Basically, it doesn’t get much better on its own. You still have to get it together. But you can always turn to therapy (or use chat gpt), better habits (hate being on a diet but kind of love vegetables now..), self care (I have a whole new lengthy routine that makes me appreciate my body and my skin), and just a slower paced life (what’s the rush? Take your time). Don’t underestimate the power of spending time with people. For me, it’s the fastest way to snap out of rumination.
In the lowest times, when you’re alone and feeling depressed, splash cold water on your hands and/or face. It resets your system.
That’s all I got for now.
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u/CivilizationAce 17h ago
I think the idea that people have a 'rock bottom' is a conceit. It’s always possible to mess up your life more, and failing to recognize that leads directly to reckless gambles.
Using the term to mark where someone has simply 'stopped digging' makes more sense, but even that requires caution. When you are deep in a crisis, your baseline for rational decision-making is already compromised—what feels like a pragmatic fix can easily be another illusion. Extreme survival choices, like returning to an abusive partner for financial stability, surrendering your passport for a sweatshop job, or chasing an overseas offer that seems too good to be true, aren't escape hatches; they are just deeper levels of the hole."
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u/Sarahlorien 17h ago
Things only got better. If more bad things happened it wouldn't have mattered because that was rock bottom. It's wild to experience, and I think people need to experience it honestly.
I hit rock bottom, moved into a trailer in my parents' backyard, struggled to find a job. Piece by piece I found a job, got hobbies, started dating again, and slowly found my spark.
It wasn't like one day everything was amazing, it was just like finishing a major area of a puzzle so I can start to see the picture. Once you see the picture, you can start finding other pieces easier, and things start ramping up. Before you know it you don't even realize you're not rock bottom anymore, you just realize your life is where you want to be.
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u/dumbname0192837465 17h ago
Asked my family for help and it got better. Took a while to get happy again but I got there.
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u/SubwaySurfers1234 17h ago
I lost the only person I could call my mom, and then I lost the next person I again felt like I could call mom. That really scared me deeply. It still haunts me, but there's only one way, and that's up.
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u/Probablyawerewolf 17h ago
A long and arduous damage control and recovery process that you’ll never feel finished with. Lol
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u/peacefulsnapper 17h ago
After spending time in a psych ward I went to a treatment facility where I got on the right meds and learned skills to help me cope with trauma and with life. I’m doing much better now. Not perfect, but better.
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u/1dayaway 17h ago
It’s kind of liberating once nothing matters anymore. One day I realized the heroin wasn’t doing anything for me anymore, all my relationships were shot, no one is counting on me, and I have zero prospects ahead. So I said, fuck it I guess I’ll go for a run. Beating the shit out of myself at the gym got me through withdrawal. I didn’t socialize or talk to anyone for 6 months. Just gym, work, cook. Eventually, I applied to go back to school to changed careers. I’ve been busy ever since. I don’t think I’d have done any of that had I not reached rock bottom.
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u/Both-Cover-7265 16h ago
one comforting thing about hitting rock bottom is knowing that the only way is up.
that gives me reasons to continue
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u/Duggie1330 16h ago
I got fired, dumped, and then stabbed myself in the hand with a serrated blade all within like a week.
The crazy thing is the week before that, I was having amazing sex, getting paid more than I ever had before, and a tight ass body from like 4 months of consistent strength training.
No more sex, no more money, can't work out.
I didn't hit rock bottom, I hit rock top 😭 I hit the firmament 😭
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u/rorisshe 16h ago
You only get responses from those who made it back from the bottom. A ton of ppl did not.
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u/TierOne_Wraps 16h ago
Only way to go from there is up. Your star moment comes after the crashing and burning of the tower.
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u/Sir_Richard_Dangler 16h ago
The best part of my life, where I finally feel like a functional adult, and am surrounded by good, kind, responsible people
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u/Easy-Permission8889 16h ago
I don't believe in rock bottom personally. What comes after is picking yourself up and dusting yourself off and realizing most of it you have to so yourself.
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u/pussycatkittycat 16h ago
Death genuinely seems like a comfort. You’re so numb to everything that you don’t care if you live or die, almost like you’re an automaton. You’re on autopilot. Once you get somewhat better, you feel like you would do anything to never go back to that feeling. It took me a while to even consider what I wanted out of my life because the concept of making choices felt novel at the time. And it doesn’t go away, it just becomes this constant white noise that you forget about sometimes.
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u/Armascribe 16h ago
At a certain point you realize that the only way you can go is back up, because the alternative is living with your misery, and basically just punishing yourself for your own failures and shortcomings. It's an easy pit to fall into, and hard to climb out of. You just beat yourself up over and over again, every day, reminding yourself of your own mistakes and how you reached this point, or you tell yourself that it was other people who did it. Either way you look at it, eventually it just becomes suffocating enough that you reach a point where you realize that you can either choose to remain within that pit, or you don't.
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u/Teraornn 16h ago
Repeated experiences of "rock bottom" have told me that when you think you can't go any lower, you're wrong
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u/hanging_around292 16h ago
I’ll let you know when I find my way out.
BUT so far, since I’ve hit my lowest (I’m sure it could always be worse, but it’s my worst right now), I’ve decided to take my daughters deadbeat dad to court for child support and sole custody. I’ve decided to file bankruptcy since doing that would help my credit quicker than trying to dig myself out of debt. I’ve gotten a new job that’s work from home that’s allowing me to stay home with my baby instead of putting her in daycare. I’ve swallowed my pride and filed for government assistance (my daughter has medical issues that have limited how much I could work outside of the home, hence the WFH job) to help while I rebuild. I’ve also started investing in myself some. I go to church, read my bible, limit my screen time, go to bed at a decent time to get enough sleep, keep my house clean, shower and get ready every day, go to the gym, eat healthy, and make sure to do something every day that makes me feel human.
Rock bottom is hard, but I’ve heard this quote that said “If everyone in the world put their biggest problems into a hat, and you had the option of drawing someone else’s problem or keeping your own, which are you choosing?” And that makes it a little easier to move forward each day.
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u/MusicManic8607 16h ago
I have hit "rock bottom" a couple of times. Each time worse than the last. All I can say is that it does get better and you will find happiness again. Keep holding on and push through it.
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u/Basic_Bottom6972 15h ago
Got admitted to a psych ward, worked on myself an my depression, stopped using drugs, broke up with my toxic boyfriend, and finally started college.
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u/Interesting_Sun_6993 15h ago
You can either get lost in the pain and regret or pull yourself out of the mud.
No more half measures, Walter
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u/Ill-Let5892 15h ago
there is no universal "rock bottom", it's only your own idea of it: but, what happens when YOU FEEl that YOU ARE ABLE AND DESERVE TO DO AND RECEIVE BETTER FOR YOURSELF IN LIFE
is, that you do. itś a situation centered and grounded in kindness and love, and not the hostile type of gui,lt that perhaps tv and hersay might let you believe.
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u/doctorbipolar 15h ago
You rise up and most likely fall again only to rise up again. An endless loop called life
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u/kpeterson159 15h ago
I had a bad hemorrhagic stroke when I was 23. I know that’s probably not what you were expecting, but ohh well
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u/netphemera 15h ago
I see here that I'm not the only one. These are all horrible stories. Mine is way too long. Wait for the movie. It's always a struggle
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u/CountCrapula88 15h ago
After rock bottom, there comes a time of deep self-reflection, and after that comes reorganization.
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u/7sengoku 15h ago
Was in training for my dream job, made a mistake. Now i’ve enlisted in the military because the job market for my profession is pretty saturated. Funnily enough if I would have stayed at my old job I would have been fine, but taking a risk for my dream job caused a huge downfall that I have not mentally recovered from.
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u/Life-Flow-7231 15h ago
I had depression for about seven months after a series of bad events, and there was a point where I started getting suicidal thoughts and found absolutely nothing good in life. What comes after? Slow, slow, slow healing process. Maybe you’ll go down again, but I don’t think you’ll reach the same low. I ended up having to get medicated for it and that helped a lot. But yeah. It can only get better.
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u/uncivilizedrelic 14h ago
You move on. You look at yourself in the mirror you either learn or you don’t. If you really look into yourself and learn you move forward. If you do not learn you move on but wind up finding rock bottom again. It’s almost refreshing when it happens. After all the dust settles and you have a few moments of dichotomy where it’s both the worst you’ve ever felt and the best you’ve felt in a long time because all the shit has been distributed after hitting the fan and it’s all out in the open.
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u/Inevitable-Weight-54 14h ago
There is no such thing. It can ALWAYS get worse.
“Rock Bottom” from my perspective is when you realize your life is unmanageable.
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u/SupremeDro 14h ago
I live everyday knowing I’ll do anything to not go back. Been back a few times, but it gets easier when you realize you only control your decisions. What the world does with those decisions is out of your control, but you can be happy knowing you tried.
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u/Hemorrhoid_Eater 14h ago
Missing several buses trying to get back home, all of which seem to be avoiding me specifically
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u/Bucktown_Riot 13h ago
What happens after is entirely your choice. That was my experience at least, and it’s a humbling one.
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u/mysticrealmz 13h ago
I've been struggling with addiction and self hatred for a while.
Rock bottom is subjective but for me it was when my partner of almost 10 years decided to leave me due to addiction, lack of self progress and self care.
At least for me, it made me come to terms with accepting change. It made me open my eyes to a lot of things in regards to coping, trauma and a bunch of other things. It made me realize how much delusion addiction is intertwined with.
I'm in the process of grieving everything and getting better, but until that point I thought I had hit 'rock bottom' multiple times, yet it was nothing compared to this experience.
Take care of who and what matters to you. You never know when the last time is.
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u/Legitimate-Pride3038 13h ago
My rock bottom has been to live from the social net, in depression, alcoholic, drug head, obese, alone and asking myself constantly what day will I kill myself, while slowly planing my death.
I decided to give an other chance at life one last time and if it doesn't work then...
Suffered through detox an other time, started to check my calories, got back to the gym, went back to school with a bunch of teenagers, found a therapist, and started meditating.
It felt like starting a rusty engine, the beginning is the worst. Lots of emotional suffering.
In one year I got the diploma I wanted, got a job, lost 50 pounds, I'm in good shape, I'm trying to meet women to find the one.
I'm just going one goal after the other.
I'm starting to have a normal life with money in the bank.
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u/generalmayhemM 13h ago
At rock bottom you look out and see a gigantic pile of shit in front of you. For the first however long, your goal is to not make the pile bigger. Once you can sleep comfortably next to your gigantic pile of shit, you can start to make it smaller by making realistic, time sensitive, and quantifiable goals. Asking for helping is incredibly important. But above all being honest with yourself and others is the gateway to making the pile smaller.
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u/sungirl_27 13h ago
I fell farther after hitting rock bottom. And kept falling. Took going to prison and having to stay clean to then stay out of prison to get me off the floor.
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u/Popular-Priority-795 12h ago
You stop fearing the fall, because you finally discover that the ground beneath you is solid enough to build on
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u/PulloTitus13 17h ago
I swallowed my pride, moved back with my family, and am currently saving money and living my best life. I have nothing going on for me other than mental peace and a loving family at least.