Why Don't I Feel Bad? (And Why Do I Feel Okay?)

Sometimes, especially when dealing with anxiety, a person can be surprised and even bothered when a chronic problem stops affecting them. Anxiety and worry can become so habitual that if there is ever a break from it a person can actually get nervous and panicky. When a person going through a lot of difficulties starts to feel better, they may find themselves asking 'why don't I feel bad?'

Here's a few reasons why:

People can become addicted to negative feelings. When a person has to deal with several challenges at once-- especially with depression-- there is sometimes a desire to make things go 'perfectly bad' as if it is some kind of record of the worst life ever. With this attitude people can feel a sense of pride in their problems, as if no one else has encountered anything similar and it is somehow more special to have a worse experience than someone else.

On the other hand, people sometimes hold on to their negative feelings because it gives them a feeling of safety. When they start to feel better, they suddenly feel a loss of control over the change.

These attitudes, however, are just habits, and acknowledging how our mind reacts to how we feel is a great step toward getting it under control.