What is a breaking point? Is there a definite point that is set in stone, like a number or a level? Or is it different for every person?
I am not sure of the answer, but I can tell you that for the first time in my life, I think I have reached that point. I have gotten to a point where I cannot seem to handle any more stress. I would like to believe that everyone’s breaking point is different and I would also like to say that my limit is fairly high.
For most of my life I have been able to handle a lot of stress. I was diagnosed with anxiety at a young age, but I always seemed to work through everything that was thrown my way.
That was until this past month, when I finally felt like everything hit me like a train. A few days after I came back to college for the spring semester, my great grandma passed away. She lived a life full of love and happiness and showed me what unconditional love was. I grew to accept her passing, but I had an aching feeling deep inside me for the weeks following. Moving forward it seemed like every little thing started to fall apart. Whether big or small, one thing after another just kept crashing down and for the first time in a while, I felt out of control.
So I go back to my question, what is a breaking point? I think it is a moment where you realize you have hit rock bottom. But it also is a moment where you decide whether to stay at the bottom, or you can slowly but surely work to bring yourself back up. For me it started by talking out my feelings, saying no to certain obligations that brought on extra stress, and maybe even letting go of a growing toxic situation. In a way, I think we all need to hit rock bottom at one point or another so we can build ourselves up to be better than we were before; a better version of ourselves.