This is a beautifully written and inspiring post.
I agree that you can't get out of a prison if you don't know that you're in one. For me, the way out of that prison is to understand that my thoughts, feelings, urges, and sensations are not me. These are all parts of me but they will never be me. Just like my arms and legs are parts of me but not the whole me.
I am their observer and container. I'm free to choose which of them to act on and which of them to just let be.
Easier said than done, though. I still get hooked up with unhelpful thoughts and feelings and I still will be from time to time. But with practice, I will be able to unhook from them faster so I can be free to do what matters to me in this life.
It is definitely easy to get caught up in unhelpful thoughts, but with time and practice you learn to catch them and not let them drag you down so much. I used to let things get me down for day, but now got it down to hours. Not perfect by any means, but a major improvement.