For when you feel like you've hit rock bottom.

At some point in life, we may reach a point where we feel we can't sink any further. Life may feel like a constant state of lying in bed and listening to the rain patter against your childhood window. If this day comes, I hope you know, it's okay to cry. You may feel an ache in your chest, like a vacuum trying to steal your stomach from its core. Your eyes may be too dry to cry, and your body may feel too heavy to wipe your eyes. But you should cry. Remind yourself you are human, with human emotions, despite the hollowing feelings. And maybe you'll think about all of the sad things that life has given you and wonder how much strength you have left to be a person. But remember to cry.

As you lay in bed, thinking about sad things, watch the raindrops trickle down your windowpane. Think about the tired plants who now found relief in each drop and the birds playing in the puddles and someone cursing their shoes getting wet. And maybe if you lay there long enough, you can see the way the sun peeks through the clouds, filtering lazily through your blinds, and reminding the world that, at the end of the day, there will always be light.

When you have the strength, sit yourself up and stretch your arms above your head with a deep breath. Take a drink of water from the cup beside your bed. Swing your legs over the edge and take your first step in a while. Find your way to the bathroom and turn on the shower. Wash away all of the grief and dread, put on a fresh new outfit. Make your way to the kitchen and take a bite of something savory. Maybe you can't stomach a lot, but anything is better than nothing, something to fill that pit in your stomach until you can fill it with joy again.

Once you've kept the bite of food down, make your way to the door. Or open a window. Touch the air outside and notice the way the rain cleaned the earth while you were inside. Sit in the grass and stare at the sky, find shapes in the clouds like when you were nine. Lying there in the grass, even for a moment, you'll remember what life feels like. You'll remember it's okay to cry and feel everything completely.

You'll remember the nights you screamed till you cried and flooded your pillow with tears. You'll remember the people who held you tight. The sky will remind you of when you flew kites, and raced your sibling to the car, not wanting the back. You'll remember the nights you stayed up past bedtime and counted the glow-in-dark stickers until your eyes grew heavy and you dreamed of ice cream for breakfast and playing on swings. You'll remember the jokes that made your stomach hurt with laughter and sunset drives around town, aimlessly cruising while you sang off-key. You'll make bad art and make mistakes and make new friends who make you feel complete. Life will take you on adventures and fill your days with good food and lazy mornings and more raindrops to watch while you eat.

You'll have a million more of these moments. Just wait and see.

Remember, when you feel like you've hit rock bottom, you can’t go any further. You can only go up, unless you choose to stay stagnant.