We indulge them. We choose to catastrophize because, perverse as it may seem, self-pity gives us a kind of short-term high, even if it habitually locks us into deeper lows. When we allow the mind to get away with thinking distorted and self-critical thoughts, our reward system trains it to do it more.36 In order to choose long-term well-being, we have to resist the urge to indulge in our own pain.
