5 Things I Learnt After Hitting Rock Bottom

Throughout education, I was told what I needed to achieve a good life. I was told in order to be happy I had to achieve high grades so that I can go to university to do a course that's going to get me into a good paying job. I was pulled away from creative subjects and pushed towards subjects that would result in high paying jobs. Until this past year, it didn't occur to me that maybe I didn't want just a good paying job out of life.

Up until last year, I was attending sixth form studying law, government and politics and religious studies and now looking back I can honestly say that I only enjoyed one of those subjects. Eventually, things got on top of me and I began a downward spiral. I would avoid attending classes and most of my day would be spent in bed and eventually, I left. At this point, I had lost who I was.

1. Hitting rock bottom stripped everything away.

After I left I lost friends, motivation, and a sense of everyday life. It was like for me the world had stopped but everything and everyone around me was still carrying on. I was forced to see the world as it is for the first time and not how you’re told it’s supposed to be. Everything was stripped from me and I was forced to see things for myself. I learnt that the people I saw as my friends weren't who I thought they were. Expectations for yourself should only be made by you. You’re in control of the rest of your life and life is worth living when lived to its fullest.

2. It shaped me as a person.

I felt as though everything around me was collapsing but really everything was finally clicking together like puzzle pieces. I developed a higher intelligence through looking past the importance of high grades, good jobs and fitting in with society. I developed my own individuality and respected it and learnt that it was okay to not be exactly like everyone else in the world because you will never influence the world by being just like it.

3. I discovered what I truly wanted from life.

I learnt I don't want to be surrounded by fake friends, unrealistic expectations, and an excessive amount of money from a dead end job. I want to be surrounded by positive and kind people that show you can be/achieve/earn anything you desire not just what a curriculum says is good. I don't want to be another person that meets the acceptable standards in society. I want to do what I love every day with passion and determination.

4. Learning the Importance of Looking After Myself Physically and Mentally

I learnt the importance of exercise not just for the external gain but also for the internal gain. The psychological benefits of exercise include improved mood, reduced stress and a healthy way to deal with it, improved self esteem, increased feelings of energy and decreased symptoms of depression. Research has shown that exercise can help reduce your risk of major illnesses and can lower the risk of early death by up to 30 percent.

Learning to look after yourself especially during such a low time will help you learn that when you’re doing what you love you fight harder for it. After going through all of this I am now a true believer of when you do what you love you’ll never work a day in your life.

'Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life' - J.K. Rowling

I started to realise that this wasn't the end for me. It was a second chance at rebuilding myself. Looking back at my life before hitting rock bottom I realise I wasn't living my life, I was just getting by because I wasn’t doing what I loved. I would tell anyone going through a hard time or feeling at their lowest right now that however long it takes, you’ll go somewhere new, do things you love, find things, and people that make you feel at your best.