There was once a children's story about a rabbit that had an argument with a "tar baby". He struck the tar baby and found himself increasingly entangled and the more he struggled, the more entangled he became.
This picture sort of describes some of the may traps one can fall into in life. Feeling sorry for oneself can be similar in that it can feed on itself to almost become like a prison.
Being able to break free is a huge step forward.