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To love myself...


15 years ago 0 3 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
I've been there many times, everywhere from feelings of worthlessness, self-loathing, and suicidial tendancies.  There is no magic pill that will make you feel better.  Everything a doctor who writes your scripts to throw at your depression is hit and miss.  Some people do well with writing a "Balance Sheet" of sorts, where they put their good qualities on one side, and what they see as their bad qualities on the other, and then focus on balancing everything out.  It works wonders for some people.  Others benefit immensely from self-inflection and meditation. 
 
But then there are people who aren't organized enough or able to focus long enough to do either of those.  It all starts with one good thought.  Take that good thought or quality about yourself, and polish it up, make it shine in your heart and in your mind, and soon you may find other good qualities, which you also need to cherish, and encourage within yourself.  But then things can go backwards again, where life seems to fall apart again, but always, ALWAYS keep the ONE good thought.  You don't want something transient, like a new car or a job as that thought, because cars get sold and jobs change.  It needs to be something so close to your heart, your essence, that no matter what, it's always going to be there.  For me, it's my children, and the thought of leaving them without a father has often been the only thing that enabled me to cling to life.  And yes, it's hard to do, hard to keep even the one good thought alive to you sometimes, but you have to, otherwise you end up falling, falling so fast that you feel that things would be better without you here, you feel that you are the cause of their pain, and that they would be better without you.  It's a LIE, you are lying to yourself and to them.  But always the good thought is there, even if you've denied it, even if you feel it's betrayed you, it's always there close to you.  It may be roughly hewn instead of polished up like you've had it.  But it's always there, always able to show you the inner beauty of itself and of yourself.  Keep the thought, cherish it, kindle it, and encourage it, and it will always give you a path back.
 
ExSlyder
15 years ago 0 101 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
I talk to myself and I say nice things. It sounds kind of silly but it helps. I say things like that's OK, Pat. You can do it. You don't have to be perfect. They problably didn't mean to hurt you.  Things that I would say to comfort my kids or a friend when they are down.
Noone else is going to take care of you. Depressives are hard to deal with. So you have to take care of yourself.

15 years ago 0 1153 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Madara,   It's nice to see you back!  This is a great question that you've asked and one that many people struggle with. You will have to start to challenge your negative thoughts:
  • Why do you not love yourself?
  • What is it that you don't like about youself?
  • Are these things true to others or just yourself?
  • What would you tell a friend of yours if they were in this situation and had the same negative thought?
  • What’s the effect of believing the negative thought?
  • What would happen if you didn’t believe the negative thought?
  • What are some alternative thoughts in this situation?
What was it in the past that you have liked about yourself? Members, what have you done to help you love you?    
Brenna, Bilingual Health Educator
15 years ago 0 144 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Hi. I haven't been here for a long time and now I am back. I am still on medication and can't get off them. My mood goes from almost good to quite bad. I've been visiting a really good psychiatrist for the last half of the year. We have been talking about many things, and the last- that I do not love myself. This affects my depression and anxiety very much. I am stuck on the thought how to start loving myself. I've had a habit to think negatively about myself for many years and now it is difficult to change this bad habit. How to start loving myself? Can anyone give me advice?

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