Why do I feel like I'm failing at everything?

The feeling that you're failing at everything is usually a symptom of Major depressive disorder, Anxiety disorder, or perfectionist thinking rather than an accurate assessment of your performance. When you're struggling mentally, your brain becomes hyperfocused on mistakes and shortcomings while filtering out successes and positive feedback. This cognitive bias, called 'mental filtering,' makes failures feel overwhelming while achievements seem insignificant or lucky. Major depressive disorder can make even small tasks feel impossible, leading to a sense of constant failure when you can't meet your usual standards. finding identity/perfectionism-how-to-let-go" class="internal-link">need to be perfect sets impossibly high standards that guarantee you'll always fall short, making normal human mistakes feel like catastrophic failures. Challenge these thoughts by looking for evidence - what have you accomplished recently, even if it seems small? What positive feedback have you received? What would you tell a friend who was being this hard on themselves? Sometimes this feeling indicates that you're taking on too much or that your expectations are unrealistic given your current circumstances. It might be helpful to lower your standards temporarily and celebrate small wins. If this feeling persists and significantly impacts your daily life, it's worth talking to a mental health professional who can help you develop more balanced thinking patterns and address underlying Major depressive disorder or anxiety disorder disorder.