Feeling Worthless and Depression
Now, you know that I'm going to interject the FIRST place to go is to God and His Word !!!
Psalm 34:4-10 "I sought the LORD, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; He saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them. Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him. Fear the LORD, you His saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing."
Feeling Worthless and Depression
Some Specific Methods for Boosting Self-Esteem
- Train yourself to recognize and write down the self-critical thoughts as they race through your mind;
- Learn why these thoughts are distorted; and
- Practice talking back to them so as to develop a more realistic self-evaluation system.
Develop Mental Biofeedback.
A second useful method to boosting self-esteem involves monitoring your negative thoughts. You can set aside 10 to 15 minutes each day and write down your negative thoughts. Initially, each time you do this, the number of thoughts increases. This occurs because you get better at identifying them. After about a week you reach a plateau, and then after three weeks the number of negative thoughts goes down. This indicates that your harmful thoughts are diminishing, and you are getting better.
Cope, Don't Mope.
People often make the mistake of viewing their images in a global way, making moralistic and negative judgments. This approach tends to cloud the issues, creating confusion and despair, and can block our ability to deal with real problems that lie beneath these judgments. Once we get rid of our negative thoughts, we can define and cope with any real problems that exist.
Getting Help to Get Better. As shown here, there are a number of things you can do on your own to improve your self-esteem. It is often the case, however, that low self-esteem is one piece of a larger set of issues that may be quite challenging to address all on your own. People who find that they have a lot of difficulty seeing themselves realistically or addressing the underlying problems in their lives may benefit from the services of a mental health professional. A trained and experienced therapist can help you to identify and address the issues that underlie low self-esteem and set you on the road to feeling better. Philippians 4:11-13 "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."
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