Six things to remember when you’re at rock bottom and broken inside

It gets better
As unlikely as it seems in the moment, life gets better. It takes time, but it gets better. Time heals all wounds. Even when everything is dark, there’s light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how small and far away. Just keep moving forward.

Pain doesn’t last forever

Pain is a strange thing. Some types of pain heal completely, and in time you come to see the painful experience as nothing more than a valuable life lesson. Other types, such as the death of a loved one, never really fully heal. You’ll always feel a pang of sadness when thinking of someone you’ve lost. But this pain becomes less intense, less overwhelming. It comes less and less frequently, and every time the pain gets a little bit easier to deal with.

It’s okay to talk about it

No matter how hard it is, it’s extremely helpful to talk about your feelings, especially when you feel like you’ve hit rock bottom. Some people in life are brilliant, compassionate listeners. These people tend to be open minded, non-judgemental, and patient. Talking to such people allows you to work out your thoughts and feelings, to make sense of the jumble of fears and emotions inside your head. Whether this takes the form of a therapist, close friend, or partner doesn’t matter so much – just that you have someone to talk to.

Emotions are emotions (accept them)

We wouldn’t be human without our emotions. They’re the reason we do most of the things we do. Try not to feel angry or frustrated at yourself for having them; you’re only human. Negative or positive, all you can do is accept your emotions for what they are. Don’t fight them – try to understand them. Try to learn from what you’re feeling, what is says about your state of mind and your perception of yourself.

You can’t change the past

What’s done is done – you can’t change it, no matter how badly you wish you could. The only thing that you can do is learn from it. Learn from the things you regret happening, things you regret doing. Grow and change and adapt. Allow the past to shape you into a better person for the present, rather than dwelling on things you can’t change.

Life is a series of ups and downs

This is one of the hardest aspects of the human condition to stomach, but it’s an important lesson to learn. Good times won’t last forever, but neither will bad times. Enjoy the ups while you’re living through them, and when living through the downs remember that it won’t last forever. Life is short. It’s all you can do to enjoy the time you have on Earth as well as you can. Make the most of it.