How Do You Know When You Have Reached Rock Bottom?

Most of us have had a point where we have felt ourselves start to fall, either emotionally, professionally or physically, and those dramatic barriers and cliff faces that we face can be such a shock that it is difficult to know where to even start with getting out.

It is exceptionally rare to find a person who hasn’t fallen, who has not made that one bad choice or had that one bad day that has set them on a self-destructive cascade to a place where it feels like there is no escape.

It can be easy to feel overwhelmed and like there is no escape. There is no shortcut to turn everything around and nothing that previously helped seems to have much of an effect. This is generally the moment when you know for sure that you have reached rock bottom.

One of the most unusual aspects of rock bottom is that it is not the lowest possible point you can reach; instead, it is the point when you decide to take ownership of your emotions and your life situation, even if the root cause may not necessarily have been your fault.

Canadian writer Terese Mailhot beautifully explained that people only learn their capabilities when they hit rock bottom because that is exactly what they need to start climbing again.

Exactly how people find the capabilities to come back will vary from person to person and situation to situation; bespoke life coaching can often be a good first step because it combines support, non-judgemental advice and a sounding board to help find a way out.

The point after loss is also often the point where people can take the time they need to heal, understand what has happened, what will happen next, what they need to do about it and give themselves the space to be self-compassionate. It is not the time to judge but to prepare for what comes next.