Self Pity

I quote from the Slice of Life:

These people are usually miserable and make others miserable too by constantly pointing out what's wrong in their lives. They never seem to listen when we point out what's good and right in their lives; how the positive out-balances the negative. They don't want to acknowledge this because then they'd have no reason to feel bad for themselves.

The person who engages in self-pity is looking for sympathy, and it's usually in that sympathy that they hope to find some relief. It too quickly becomes an addiction, a quick fix they have to take again and again in order to limp from day to day.

As someone once said, "Self-pity is one of the most unhappy and consuming defects that we know. It is a bar to all spiritual progress and can cut off all effective communication with our fellows because of its inordinate demands for attention and sympathy. It is a maudlin form of martyrdom, which we can ill afford."

Sometimes, I feel a little self-pitying does help in motivating you to push yourself forward. However, over exaggerating your circumstances only lead to laziness and depression. One must always remember. There's always someone worse off than you.