Getting caught up in fighting against or constantly evaluating our feelings can absolutely fuel a sense of being trapped in them. Some ways this manifests:

• We focus on analyzing why we feel a certain way, if it's rational, picking it apart rather than just allowing it to be. This excessive mental focus amplifies it.
• When a feeling arises, we immediately resist it and want it to go away. We reject it rather than accepting it as part of the normal ebb and flow.
• We start monitoring the feeling closely, constantly taking its temperature, which keeps us stuck in it.
• We try to force it away through distraction or suppression. But denied emotions typically persist and grow in the shadows.
• We judge the feeling as bad or dangerous. This judgement fuels unhelpful stories around it being too much to handle.
• The desire for control and certainty takes over. We become determined to master or eliminate the feeling immediately.
• All this fighting tightens the grip of anxiety, depression, etc. If we stop warring with the wave, it flows through us quicker.

The alternative is to make space for feelings with openness and compassion, rather than an adversarial relationship. Easier said than done, but incredibly freeing. We realize we can ride anything out.