Once depression or anxiety hits, a feedback loop from hell can begin. We start to feel depressed about being depressed, anxious about feeling anxious. Fighting a negative experience is a negative experience in itself. To prevent this feedback loop, we should accept our pain, not fight it, writes Mark Manson.

There’s an insidious quirk to your brain that, if you let it, can drive you absolutely batty. Tell me if this sounds familiar to you:

You get anxious about confronting somebody in your life. That anxiety cripples you and you start wondering why you’re so anxious. Now you’re becoming anxious about being anxious. Doubly anxious. Now you’re anxious about your anxiety, which is causing more anxiety. Quick, where’s the whiskey?