If Youve Been Telling Yourself That Youre No Good
If youve grown up hearing bad things about yourself, its going to be hard to tell yourself something different.
But you do need to make sure that these thoughts are not your own.
If you are an adult when you find yourself feeling less self-confident or unworthy of your life in any way, youll need to ask yourself why you are telling yourself these negative things.
You wouldnt say that to a friend, right? Why do we always treat ourselves poorly and give so much to other people?
Take some time to consider why you are having these ill-gotten feelings about yourself and explore where the thoughts are coming from.
It might not be from the comments of others. We often find it hard to place ourselves in society, especially if we havent had a good role model of self-confidence.
Younger generations are increasingly struggling with their self-esteem and self-image because of social media and how they think they should be acting.
In fact, studies have found links between social media use and loneliness, envy and anxiety.
More and more we are getting away from our most authentic selves. If you can just figure out why you are treating yourself so poorly, you can start to introduce more kind actions and thoughts into your day-to-day life.
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Suicide Addiction And Depression
If you are thinking ofsuicide, call the SUICIDE HOTLINE right now. Someone who cares and knows how to help is waiting for your call. Your life matters.You have been perfectly and wonderfully made, and God wants to redeem your life and give you a purpose, hope, and a wonderful future.
National Suicide Prevention HotlineCall 1-800-273-8255
Pay Attention To When Worthlessness Strikes
Sometimes these negative feelings arise in response to certain situations, thoughts, experiences, or even people. Start noticing when these feelings emerge, what is happening when they occur, and what type of thoughts might be contributing. This is one way to help combat the negative rumination that might be fueling feelings of inadequacy.
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Emotional And Physical Trauma
One reason that depression and feeling worthless are linked so closely is due to the effect of traumatic experiences. Childhood trauma, in particular, is very damaging to your emotional well-being. It certainly influences your beliefs about yourself and your self-worth.
For example, you may have been told when young that you were insignificant or worthless. Perhaps you were bullied. Physical and sexual abuse adds to this message that you dont matter. In fact, these feelings may have been used as a tool to manipulate you. If you havent adequately healed the impact of early life traumatic experiences, they can cause you to seriously doubt your self-worth as an adult.
I Am Addicted And Depressed And I Feel Worthless
If you are struggling with drug addiction, it is likely that you arefeeling worthless and depressed. You may be having thoughts of suicide because you feel you have no hope. You are not alone. We are all frail humans, and we share the struggles of life. We all have different brain chemistries, and your doctor can help, even if your addiction and depression are caused from a chemical imbalance.
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Disconnect From Social Media
As noted above, social media breeds loneliness by giving you false perceptions. Instead of scrolling through images of everyones best selves and happiest times, take a step back from your online life for a while.
Choose to only look at social networks once a day, or perhaps not at all for a month.
See if this makes any difference to your loneliness, and ask yourself what you can learn from this.
What To Do When Anxiety Makes You Feel Stupid And Like A Failure
I’m solutions-oriented, so I keep working on solutions for anxiety, even when it feels pointless — like it does today. In spite of that, here’s some things I do when anxiety makes me feel stupid and like a failure:
I hope this sheds a little clarity on why anxiety makes you feel stupid and like a failure. It’s a nasty disease, and our culture has little patience or tolerance for it. But, even if others in your life are telling you you’re a failure and you’re stupid because you struggle with anxiety, I’m here to tell you differently. You are not stupid, and you are not a failure. And neither am I.
APA ReferenceWeber, G. . Why Anxiety Makes You Feel Stupid and Like a Failure, HealthyPlace. Retrieved on 2022, February 22 from https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/treatinganxiety/2015/09/why-anxiety-makes-you-feel-stupid-and-like-a-failure
Mamadou
Hi, i found your article helpful.In my childhood,I have been abused physically and emotionally.These make me afraid of people and speaking.l also feel depressed due to a hurtful word of my family member and his word makes me in self-doubt.
Jeff DicksonCharlieIsaac MacInnessierra williams=
no mam i am just dumb. or so i thought before reading this. THANK YOU SO MUCH LIL LADY. you truly have shown me………………….dont look out your window.
Anonymous MeLindsayFluffyBannas AllisonDamon RainGaynell FosterJayRichard SmithsonAdamDanielleLadyRavenMaluMP
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Powerful Daily Affirmations For Enjoying Your Own Company And Combatting Loneliness
Finally, if youre feeling lonely or lost, try affirmations for loneliness:
- I am at peace when Im on my own.
- I can appreciate myself for everything that I am.
- Only I am responsible for my happiness.
- I am learning to love myself and my own company.
- I will trust my intuition.
- Being alone is rejuvenating me.
- I am finding myself by being on my own.
- I am creative, happy, and at peace when I am on my own.
- We all learn new things about ourselves every day.
- I will take the time to truly understand myself.
Begin With Little Achievements
Feelings of worthlessness are hard to defeat.
Were innately programmed to want to do things, and when we dont feel like were doing anything meaningful in the world, we end up asking, Why do I even exist at all?
But you cant start off with a bang, especially when youre at your lowest.
No one can go from zero to a hundred in a single day or even a week, and the reason why so many people fail when they try picking themselves up is that they end up setting extremely high expectations, ultimately disappointing themselves when they fail.
So start small. Your first task shouldnt be, Get your dream job, Get a six-pack in a month, or Double your income ASAP.
Your first task should be simple things like, Run a kilometer or two, Cook yourself a nice meal, or Clean up your room.
Its not about proving to yourself that you can be your ideal self immediately.
Its about proving to yourself that youre capable of starting and completing goals that you set out to do. Its about creating the habit of succeeding, by starting off with counting every little success.
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Take A Step Back And Appreciate Everything
Sometimes its really all just in your head, a matter of perception.
Your feelings of worthlessness may be completely unfounded maybe you actually do contribute plenty to society. Maybe you actually do mean a lot to the people around you.
Maybe youre so much more valuable than you actually think.
But sometimes we can get lost in our personal storms.
Were our own worst critics, meaning a single failure or setback might make us feel like weve done nothing right with our lives.
This is especially true for high-functioning people while you may be completely productive and efficient when youre on, you may also be completely down when youre off.
So think about what youre really feeling. Is it as true as it feels, or is it just a result of something that happened right now?
Appreciate what you have, count your blessings, and think about everything youve already done.
Is your life really not something you can be proud of? In many cases, it is, and the only problem is your current storm and getting over it.
Savor Simple Sources Of Joy
You cant just will yourself out of depression or force yourself to feel happier, but you there are things you can do throughout day to find joy, boost your mood, and ease stress.
- Listen to uplifting music, watch funny videos online, or download episodes of your favorite sitcom.
- Try to spend some time in naturego for a walk in the park or find a new hiking trail.
- Help a friend or neighbor with an errand. Helping others can be just as beneficial to you as it is for them.
- Take a class online, listen to a lecture, or take a virtual tour of a museum.
- Take up a new hobby, learn to play an instrument, or write your memoirsanything that brings you a sense of joy.
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Find Hope And Contentment Within
Its natural to blame life circumstances for how you feelespecially in these difficult times. But there are ways to find contentment within, regardless of your situation.
Be your own friend. Instead of rehashing past mistakes, focusing on the negative aspects of your life, or dwelling on worst-case scenarios, talk to yourself in a kinder, more realistic waythe same way youd expect a friend to talk to you.
Pat yourself on the back. Take a moment to acknowledge your role in any successes you experience and give yourself credit.
Change your morning thoughts. Before you go to sleep, write down something positive you can read as soon as you wake up in the morninga hope you have for today or something youre grateful for.
Why Depression And Feeling Worthless Are So Closely Linked
The problem with depression isnt just that you are feeling down or sad. Its that depression has the power to affect how you perceive yourself. Depression and feeling worthless often go hand in hand.
Depression changes your outlook. It alters how you interact with the world, and can actually cause you to redefine who you are as a person.
This altered outlook is no longer based on uplifting beliefs about yourself, but around feeling such as powerlessness, shame, and hopelessness. And that creates a link between depression and low self-worth. Its the root sense of powerlessness and shame which impacts many people.
But of all the symptoms of depression, shame/low self-esteem is one of the most damaging to your psychewho you are as a person.
Thus, its important to consider how depression and feeling worthless connect, and what you can do about it.
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How Depression May Affect Your Sense Of Self
Its important to note that depression and low self-esteem are different concepts.
The American Psychiatric Association notes that feelings of worthlessness and guilt are common symptoms of depression. At the same time, low self-esteem is a risk factor for depression.
Low self-esteem, on the other hand, can happen for numerous reasons. It may have appeared after disappointing a friend, for example, or doing poorly on a test. The feeling may have also been spurred by the way you were raised or your experiences throughout life.
Still, while theyre not one and the same, feelings of worthlessness can be part of experiencing depression.
Experts suggest this because depression may distort your sense of self.
Depression is often tied to a sense of low self-worth and negative beliefs about yourself, says Billy Roberts, LISW-S, the founder of Focused Mind ADHD Counseling in Columbus, Ohio. It can feel like youre wearing emotional eyeglasses, clouding your vision. If you believe you are not good enough, youll see the world through these not good enough glasses.
Isabelle Morley, PsyD LLC, in Massachusetts, adds saying, In some ways, the most challenging part of depression is the painful lies it makes people believe about themselves.
Even when someone has high self-esteem and a positive sense of self-worth, they can suddenly be plummeted into self-doubt, self-criticism, and the deeply held belief that they are worthless once depression hits, she says.
Add Mindfulness To Your Day
Mindfulness is the practice of focusing your attention on the present moment and accepting it without judgment. It can prevent you from getting caught up in worries about the future or regrets about the past.
Listen to a favorite song. Sit somewhere comfortable and give your attention fully to the music, even if its a song youve heard a thousand times before.
Try a mindful chore. Complete a household chore such as washing dishes while giving your attention fully to the task. Notice how things feel, smell, or sound and whenever your mind wanders, gently bring it back to the task.
Meditate. HelpGuides Mindful Breathing Meditation can help you harness the power of your breath to ground yourself in the present moment and find inner calm.
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Ask Yourself: What Would Happen If You Disappeared
As we said above, it all just might be a matter of perspective. You might just be feeling worthless right now, but your actual reality is far from it.
So an easy way to test this possibility is by asking yourself: what would happen if you disappeared?
Who would miss you? What things would go wrong? Whose life would be significantly affected by your absence? Your family, friends, partners, pets? Your personal projects, things you love and things youve dedicated your life to, and all the people youve met along the way?
Your life isnt meaningless and you arent worthless. No matter how difficult it may be to answer those questions right now, you know in your heart you do have answers to them.
How To Be Kind To Yourself And Boost Your Self
While feelings of worthlessness may seem difficult to bear, please keep in mind that several tactics can help you restore or discover happiness and self-confidence.
One of the most vital things you can do for yourself is to show yourself compassion. Understand that feelings of worthlessness are an aspect of depression itself.
If youre feeling this way, remember that it is the depression shaping how you see yourself, and it is not the truth, Morley says. It is an imbalance of neurochemicals that is impacting the way your brain and body are functioning, leading to misconceptions about who you are as a person.
Holding this awareness at the forefront of your thoughts may help you empathize with yourself and what youre going through.
In addition, you may want to consider the following:
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I Feel Very Worthless
but the thing that broke me was a couple of days ago i met my ex and my father came to me and asked me what plans I about life and how long i was planning to live so worthless and that he had doubts of whether he was right to use his money on me if i was going to continue like this . It just was a knife to the heart.
Anxiety And Depression Support
Long story short. I suffer from anxiety, depression, and ptsd. I struggled all throughout school and currently struggle to find a job. I feel like a burden and all I want to do is bring something to the table. Worst part is that I see others around me stress over having to care for me. I hate this feeling. I need a job, but the problem there is that my anxiety basically cripples me and my depression holds me from moving forward. I need help. Story of my life.
I think eventually you will find a job. If possible try to find one that has some physical activity, that should help alleviate some of the anxiety and depression symptoms. Hopefully you can find something that will start you off with a few hours a day. If you are feeling down, walking or some physical activity helps me much with feeling better. Hope everything goes well.
I’m always looking at job listing hoping something will jump out at me. As of right now, I’m thinking of working at a funeral home. Throughout me trying to find a job my anxiety gets worse and worse and worse.
I’m sorry to hear that you feel this way. Living with that every day is really difficult. I think I know exactly how you feel. I’m also 29 and struggling with the same thing. Like you I was also questioning whether or not posting on here could be helpful when I signed up yesterday, but even simply reading others posts takes away some of the isolating feeling.
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People Are Telling You That You Are No Good
Its hard to understand why anyone would put someone else down, but many people grow up in households where they have been told repeatedly that they are worthless.
For many reasons, parents take out their frustrations with life on their children, calling them names or saying they are unworthy of being loved. This can especially be the case if you were raised by narcissists.
In other periods of life, your boss or coworkers may make remarks about your performance that make you feel like you are no good at anything.
It doesnt help that, according to Scientific American, its natural for humans to care what other people think of them. This is probably, even more, the case when it comes to our close ones or people we work with.
You might have had a series of failed jobs or relationships or opportunities and now you feel like everything you touch turns to stone.
I know that breaking free from toxic people can be extremely difficult.
However, if there are people in your life who are tearing you down, you simply have to learn to stand up for yourself.
Because you do have a choice in the matter.
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