After being hospitalized five times in a single year, I wrote on my Facebook page: „Change begins with the downfall.” For me, hitting rock bottom was the catalyst for setting new routines.

This experience made me wonder: is it possible to establish new habits simply through a desire to improve, or does it require a moment of real discomfort to implement change?

Then I stumbled upon an episode of School of Greatness with James Clear, where I heard a powerful opinion: “Comfortable is how we grow, but pain is how we change.” He emphasized that discomfort is necessary to drive a change. And made me think again.

Is struggle what puts us on the right track?

I had never thought about struggles in this way. I used to see them as something to avoid, something you should quickly escape from. However, looking back, I realize that indeed they catalyze the change. 

What’s more, experiencing difficulty helps us achieve consistency because it reminds us about the place we never want to be again, giving us the motivation to keep going.

This bitter-sweet conclusion helps reconcile with difficult events—not necessarily while you’re experiencing them, but over time, when you can reflect with perspective.

Now I know that without my difficult events, I wouldn’t have delved into the various stress symptoms accumulated in my body. I wouldn’t have had the motivation to meditate, do yoga daily, or practice intermittent fasting. I wouldn’t have explored different knowledge bases for building healthy habits. Health was never my priority; there was always something more urgent like school, career, or family duties.

But now, nothing is more urgent. The struggle made me realize that there is nothing without physical and mental health. We often take things for granted and push ourselves to the limit. Then we become sick and focus on treating the symptoms rather than addressing the root causes by establishing healthy routines. (In fact, if you think about it, our entire health system is based on treating disease rather than maintaining health.)

To come to this conclusion I had to hit the rock bottom.

James Clear in his book „Atomic Habits” explains that discomfort and challenge are integral to the process of habit change. He states, „The pain of not doing it becomes greater than the pain of doing it. That’s when habits are formed.”

So while you might not be there yet, you can turn difficulty into your advantage.

I want to share this to show you that there is light in this dark tunnel, and this dark tunnel can lead to a better place—if you choose to go that way.