Just like how people can get addicted to drugs, we can get hooked on negative emotions.
Addiction to negative emotions is when we get stuck in feelings like anger, depression, anxiety, or resentment. While it sounds strange and twisted, we may find ourselves repeatedly drawn to these emotions.
Why?

• Think about self-sabotage. We mess up our own chances on purpose, maybe by procrastinating, self-criticizing or picking up destructive habits. Sometimes, this happens because we’re scared of failing, or facing the unknown or losing control.
• Everyone needs to feel validated and connected. When we don’t get this in healthy ways, we might act out negatively. Creating drama can be a way to get people to notice us. If we feel ignored, acting out can make us feel important, even if it’s negative attention. Negative emotions can attract attention and sympathy, giving us a sense of social validation.
• Emotional manipulation and playing the victim are ways we might try to get the support we’re craving but can’t ask for. This attention can reinforce the habit of feeling and expressing negativity. And we unconsciously seek out situations that confirm our beliefs.
• If we’re frequently angry, resentful or depressed, our brain might start to expect and even crave these emotions. The brain likes predictability, and even if it’s painful, familiar bad feelings can feel safer than the unknown good ones.
• Our brain can also reinforce behaviors associated with negative emotions, activating neural pathways linked to reward, and making it hard to break the cycle.
• Negative thinking patterns, like constantly dwelling on bad thoughts or always expecting the worst, can also become habits.
• Over time, we can become so accustomed to feeling a certain way that it becomes our default state. Even if it doesn’t feel good, it’s weirdly comfortable because it feels familiar. It can be hard to let go of these feelings because they’re what we know. They’re a part of what we identify with.
• Furthermore, negative emotions trigger the release of stress hormones like cortisol. These hormones can create a temporary high, making the feelings addictive.

There are many reasons why we get stuck in harmful identifications, but most of them stem from the blueprint created in our childhood through interactions with our parents within the family dynamics.
To break free from addiction to negative emotions, the first step is becoming aware of these patterns. Meditation, mindfulness practices, journaling, therapy – they all can help us observe our thoughts and emotions without judgment, allowing for different responses.