How can this cycle make me feel down?

Cycles of acting and living can sometimes make you feel down or depressed because your bad habits can make you feel down. Negative cycles often follow the same pattern:

• Something happens that makes you feel sad, uncomfortable, or stressed. It could be anything, even something seemingly trivial like a social situation or a test.
• As a result of that sadness or stress, you get in the habit of avoiding that situation so you don't have to deal with it again.
• Bad habits-like avoiding stressful situations-only make the problem worse and cause more and more bad feelings.
• Continuing to avoid situations that make you feel bad creates a vicious cycle, which can make you feel down and lead to depression.