When things aren't going well and don't seem to be getting better, when you feel alone and disconnected, stressed, not good enough, angry or ashamed, resentful, or have been deeply hurt, you naturally try to ease that discomfort, but not always in the most helpful ways. Often, problematic thought patterns and behaviors arise from natural coping mechanisms that helped you get through difficult times, but are no longer helpful and are in fact now causing greater harm. Navigating all of this can be hard and at times, overwhelming.