the sea anemone in me

I'm pretty sure I've read or heard or it's common knowledge that when the going gets tough and you keep going and you're doing the "right thing" (which you know based on the watchful eyes of others because you couldn't bare to trust yourself anymore at this point) things don't usually get easier, they get worse. And that's because life is said to be the ultimate test and people have been saying that for centuries and there must be a reason for that.