Emotional distress can send us under the covers for weeks, but it can also cause us—force us—to reevaluate ourselves and our lives in ways that we otherwise simply would not. Strong negative emotions can keep us in a rut, but they can also help us break out of one. In fact, we often learn the most from the feedback that in the moment is the most distressing. But for some of us, that distress turns into long-term anxiety or despair, and we can become depressed, nonfunctioning, or suicidal. All those distortions that Google our problems and make it appear that things will never get better settle
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