Many of our thinking (reflective) mechanisms have evolved from a survival point of view - they once were worth the trouble and suffering they cause to our everyday life experience. Today, however, nothing much is really about survival, but these mechanisms are still here - working as hard as ever but with situations that in reality are almost meaningless, attributed as really meaningful by the very same function. So, the mechanisms cause us harm by upsetting us for "no reason" and getting us to, at a basic level, prioritate wrong. This is one reason why books as The Power of Now can have so much impact on people. It creates distance to these "thoughts" that once where rational.
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