Feeling bad about feeling bad can make you feel worse
Something I wish my parents had told me when I was growing up:<p>You, the thing listening to this advice, is just a small part of a greater whole, much of which you (the thing listening to this advice) are not consciously aware of.  This is because you were built by your genes to be good mainly at one thing: reproducing.  That&#x27;s all your genes care about.  They don&#x27;t care about your happiness or achievements or having a fulfilled life.  In fact, they don&#x27;t even really &quot;care&quot; about reproducing, except the same way that water cares about flowing downhill.<p>Your negative emotions are real.  The pain you feel is real.  But it&#x27;s not <i>you</i>.  It&#x27;s something that is being <i>done</i> to you.  In that regard it is exactly the same as physical pain, which is also not part of you, but rather something done <i>to</i> you.  The fact that you&#x27;re depressed is no more a character flaw than the fact that it hurts when you skin your knee.