The floor of a bad year is at least a floor. You can plant your feet on it and shove.

Hitting the bottom is grim, and it also ends the falling. A large part of what makes a bad year unbearable is not knowing how much worse it gets, and reaching the floor answers that question. Solid ground is the only thing you can push against. That is a small consolation and a real one.

If you are at the low point, stop bracing for the next drop and take stock instead. Name what is still standing, however little that is. Then push once, in one direction, and see what moves.