Instant favorite! What a great rule, seriously. How much do we imagine things that are not true and suffer as a consequence? I'll give you a hint: a lot. It's not true that you are unlikable, unintelligent, or broken. It's not true that a person thinks XYZ about you for the reasons you believe. So how do we mitigate this? It's easy: communication, honesty, and compassion. If you are suffering from imagined troubles, you are not applying one of these remedies. You are not communicating, you are not being honest with yourself, and you are not being kind enough to yourself.