At some point in our lives, we've all said that a certain day was "the worst day of my life."
Chances are, we said that when we were fairly young, and many days followed that were, in fact, much worse.
Indeed, only with time and perspective can we assess what days were truly awful. Sometimes, things get so dire that even if we've more or less "moved on", we still can't shake off how awful certain experiences were.
Redditor No-Duty9608 was curious to learn about the times people truly felt they hit rock bottom, leading them to ask:
"What was the lowest point in your life?"
When Living In The Present Doesn't Work...
"Going through it now."
"Lost both my parents in 2024."
"My cat has a hip disorder and can't walk."
"My house was badly damaged by a tornado that hit our town this summer."
"I hate my job I've put 20 years into, and now I've been written up twice in 3 months."- xmiitsx87
Nowhere To Go But Up
"My wife, now ex, gave birth to what turned out to be not-my-baby."
"The same week that the DNA test came back, my mom had a massive stroke."
"I got to go say goodbye to her, but while I was gone, a roof leak took out a significant part of my record collection."
"A couple of days later, baby daddy came to pick up my wife and their child. It was late at night."
"And there I was, alone in an empty house."
"A house I had worked my a** off to make ready for a family."
"I considered lighting the place on fire ..."
"I poured myself a drink and put on an undamaged record by Duke Ellington."
"That's almost 20 years ago, now."
"I've been living with my girlfriend from when we were in 9th grade."
"We have three dogs, a house in Montana, and a house in New Orleans."- pete1729
Never Compromise Your Morals
"Getting fired for doing the right thing."
"Ended up being a blessing in disguise."- SarcastiChic
Nothing More Terrifying Than The Unknown
"30 years ago, I moved to the PNW from the SW USA."
"I was broke, I had no job, no car, I only knew two people here, and I had no idea what I was going to do."
"In February of 1995, it snowed, and I was walking home after taking the MAX from downtown to SE Portland, and as I was about 4 blocks away walking in the middle of an empty street covered with snow and slush, I broke down and started bawling."
"I had f*cked up my life, I was going to be alone and homeless and had wasted all my youth."
"I fell down to my knees and just felt sorry for myself."
"I got home and slept for what seemed a week."
"I dusted my pity off and just kept going. It took a few years, but it was worth it."
"There was only one way I could go, I was at the bottom level of my life."
"It was devastating, and it made me a stronger person."- Common_Mess_8635
There Is Always Someone Who Will Listen
"Right now."
"Been severely depressed for over a year, and it's getting worse."- codered8-24
When You Can't Help But Believe In Angels
"Losing my little sister to cancer- she was 31, and I was 34 when the world as I knew it ended."
"It’ll be 3 years this July."
"Then I found out I was pregnant 3 months after her passing."
"No doubt she helped my son arrive safely Earth side."
"My son saved my life."
"#F*CKCANCER."- ha_ha_812
The Time Of Life When No One Really Knows Who They Are
"In my teenage years when I was depressed, had no self-confidence, had anxiety, was self-conscious about my appearance & had no one to help me at that time."- ScarletMistress5
It Takes Some People Longer Than Others
"When I started to realize that my life wasn't how I wanted it to be."- Ok-Buy5000
When Bad Company Comes Calling
"Harassment and threats from loan sharks."
"My mental health is really ruined."
"Can I have a merrier Christmas at least?"- itselfmyself
Treasure The Memories
"The lowest point in my life was the day my dad passed away."
"It was sudden, and I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye."
"I felt like my world stopped, and I couldn’t find my footing for months."- False-Efficiency4183
Bouncing Back Is What Ultimately Matters
"Like 5-6 years ago, I was hooked on pills."
"I lost a lot of things then."
"Here I am all these years later. I got all my sh*t together and living better than ever!"
"I thank god for my family but more importantly myself!"
"To anybody who’s struggling with addiction who wants to get clean, you can do it!"
"If I can do it, anybody can!"- Whole_Personality_58
Doing What's Right Isn't Always What You Expect It To Be
"having to be very honest with myself and leave an empty marriage."- n_cab24
Asking For Help Is Never A Weakness
"In 2018, I applied and was denied for a personal loan because all of my credit cards were almost maxed, paying for a car and student loan, and car insurance."
"My paycheck would go to bills, and I would be left with 50 dollars."
"I felt as if I was drowning."
"The lady referred me to a service that can help with my finances."
"Two years later (plus a deployment), all my cards were at zero, loans were paid off, and managed to lower the rate of my car insurance."- YellowStar012
A Parent's Worst Nightmare
"My son got diagnosed with leukemia."- ShuShuTheFox90
There's No Rhyme Or Reason
"37 and getting diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, thankfully 5 years on and life is back on track."- old--oak
We all wish that we didn't have to endure the low points in our lives... or live with the memories they leave.
However, those who can look back on their "low points" from a better place should consider themselves very lucky indeed.