Failure may be an inevitable part of life, but that doesn’t make it any less painful when it does happen. It can be particularly hard facing setbacks in your 20s and 30s, since this is the first time many people experience major “failures”—from not doing well in college or missing out on a desired job.
Feeling like a failure can have a major impact on mental health, with research actually linking this feeling to a greater risk of depression. This may, in turn, lead to a negative feedback loop, with people who are depressed more likely to ruminate on their failures and see themselves as failures….