To ask if anyone has ever been in a place where life felt like it couldn’t get better and then it genuinely did?

[HopefulAfterDark]

I’m going through a really tough time at the moment and could do with hearing some real stories of things turning around, whether that’s career, relationships, health, finances or just general life.

AIBU to ask for a bit of hope from people who’ve been there?

I've had low periods 4-5 times in life. I've had two periods where I've sat and thought if this ain't better in a few weeks I'm done. All for various reasons. It's got better each time, different time frames but things have come back to equilibrium.

Anything specific your dealing with that would help to share?

My DH lost his job when his company lost an important contract. He got a big payoff of about a years salary and then the next day got headhunted by the firm which won the contract. Jammy bugger 😀

Yes, I was at a really low point about 10 years ago. Suicidal. Luckily got some great inpatient treatment and support. Life is amazing now, I can’t believe I was ever so desperately unhappy. I’m sad to think that I may never have experienced the life I’ve got now. OP I know life can feel horrific and not worth the effort, but I promise it won’t feel like this forever. Have you got any support around you, anyone you can let know how your feeling?

That really helps. It’s a combo of housing and financial stress at the moment. Would love to hear more turnaround stories if anyone has them.

I’m really glad things turned around for you. I’m not in crisis, just really overwhelmed with housing/financial stress and feeling worn down. I do have some support but I was mainly looking for stories like yours to remind me things can shift. It genuinely helps.

Hi I’ve had a few…
I got divorced and faced a difficult court hearing with my ex husband. A month after the court hearing I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was caught early and treatment and surgery took 6 months. A few months after I finished my radiotherapy, I developed a pretty serious illness that took me a while to recover from. During this time we had the pandemic and I had to attempt to home school my children while recovering and trying not to catch COVID. Two of my children have autism and ADHD so it wasn’t easy.
I decided to end a long term relationship at this time too.
For a while I was convinced I’d failed at life. I was broke, unemployed, single, unwell and my confidence was very low and I suffered with depression.
I’ve managed to get back up again, and now have a job, my health, a new partner and I can’t believe the turnaround.

It’s hard to think things will get better but they will.

Absolutely. I had PND, it was horrific, then for a year or two after I felt bone numbingly fatigued- all the time. I thought I’d feel awful for ever- really miserable.

But - it passed. And now I’m myself again. Sertraline and CBT (therapy) were great helps, but the best thing was the passage of time and my environment improving.

Please don’t despair. Whatever is going on is always helped by exercise, sleep and early nights, talking to someone and taking small steps to improve things. Always ask for help and keep pestering your GP. Good luck OP. I promise, it will end.

99% of 2024. It was a bloody awful year due to major health issues with my son followed by multiple surgeries and a long hospital stay.

Several times, I was sat down and gently told that they didn't think he was going to make it and if by some miracle he did, he ''wouldn't be the boy he was before''.

He did make it and though he does have some disabilities now, he is still very much the boy he was before and is doing better than medical experts predicted.

2025 has been much kinder!

I hope things can be kinder for you soon too xx

In my late 20s I moved (ran) away to get away from an abusive boyfriend/toxic relationship. I ended up sleeping on a relative's couch, working in a low-paid job, I was very, very isolated and I was so mentally and emotionally done-in that I was overwhelmed by normal, everyday things like asking for a ticket on the bus - my confidence was at rock bottom and I didn't know how to function in normal life. It was just a very low, low time and I couldn't really see any way it would improve. But of course it did. Everything does pass. There is always a route, even if it's not always clear at first, or even for a while.

It might not seem like it but there will come a time when you look back on your current tough time and know you got through it.

When I was in my early 30’s I was in a private psychiatric hospital on 24/7 suicide watch. I felt completely unlovable, I’d never been truly ‘happy’ and didn’t even understand what that would feel like. I’d got a career but I thought having six months off for mental health reasons would be the end of it.

12 years (and plenty of therapy) later and I feel positively joyful 90% of the time. I know I can deal with anything that comes my way. I earn six figures and while I’m just in the middle of a divorce we were together for 11 years and it’s my choice to leave (and I feel good about it and not unlovable at all).

Anything and everything can change.

The issues change but things I didn't think would get better do. I've had recent times where I had been so low I couldn't string a sentence together and haven't had any income, I've felt I'll never keep a job or be able to afford to buy a house again, I have felt that every single thing is pressure I could do without and have doubted my judgement because I have started to realise several people are causing me significant stress. Now, I am really happy with the choices of who I've distanced myself from and it's made me happier, I have a job that may let me own a home again and still be a present parent, and colleagues who are decent human beings. I still have housing stress for now and am feeling ill never have time to exercise or be focused enough to eat well but I'm letting go of allowing other people's opinions to affect me and I'm always able to justify my actions and choices to myself which I have realised is the important thing.

id love to talk to you becasue I cant see how naytihgn can change for me. my problem is I was very very very happy and successful and then went into psychosis and lost everything

Yes. I hit rock bottom aged 21. Lost the majority of my extended family overnight when criminal activity by one member towards another came to light. That’s permanently fractured my family. It was like a mass bereavement. At the same time, I was missing the good support network I had as uni had just finished and all my friends went their separate ways. I also ended a bad relationship myself, which was still incredibly painful, although the right decision. I couldn’t cope with moving away from home to continue studies and made the wrong choice about what to study, which felt like a failure. I spent a lot of time alone whilst feeling very distressed at losing so many people and that my entire life was unrecognisable. I just wanted to sleep and not have to be aware of any of it.

After a very bad year, I slowly began to rebuild my life. I had some good immediate family and friends around me. I got a new job which was a great distraction and brought new friends into my life. I’m now 39, happily married with 2 children, and at peace with the past. So happy to still be here.

Hang in there OP. Things can and do improve 🙏🏻