Identifying the thoughts that lead to my negative emotions can help keep me from being weighed down by those emotions. Sometimes understanding what's going on inside me can be a life-changing revelation that leads to change.
In working with clients from various backgrounds and areas of concern, sometimes the greatest anguish is not understanding what's going on inside of them. Learning the mistakes that are being made, while not focusing on labeling oneself, judging oneself, or "awfulizing" can be a great way to spiral up instead of down.