Hard times bring up old memories; unpleasant or discouraging flashbacks from our youth.
There may have been traumatic times earlier in your adult life. Presumptions about who you believed you could become have been shaken. You might hear your parent admonishing you for not getting better grades or fighting with your siblings, unfair comparisons with a sister or brother or scolding for disobeying.
At such moments, we question ourselves.
Am I really that incompetent? Those old messages can erode any confidence you are gaining.