5 Tips For Dealing With Low Self-Esteem And Depression

Living and dealing with low self-esteem and depression can feel like you’ve fallen into an abyss with no way out.

That’s because depression and low self-esteem feed one another. Your low self-esteem makes you more vulnerable to depression because you aren’t taking great care of yourself. And your depression deflates your self-esteem.

It’s a vicious cycle that just drives you deeper and deeper into the abyss.

But it can be broken. You can break free from its control.

By learning and implementing these 5 tips for coping with low self-esteem and depression, you can start to experience joy again.

1. Stop believing everything you think.
   Your mind is incredibly powerful and you can use its power to help you feel better … or to perpetuate your misery.Dealing with low self-esteem and depression is a signal that you can start harnessing your mind’s power to help you feel better.The first thing to do to harness your mind for good and throw out comparative thinking.Comparison is a tool your depression and low self-esteem uses to keep you feeling badly. You are the one who is found lacking. This unjust comparison reinforces the negative thoughts you have about yourself.Whenever you catch yourself comparing yourself to someone or something else, pause and choose to stop believing that thought.

   The second way to harness your mind for good and help you more effectively deal with low self-esteem and depression is to challenge your negative thoughts. The next time you catch yourself contemplating something negative, test the thought.

   You can test challenge a negative thought by asking questions like, “Is there any accurate supporting evidence that someone else would validate?” and “Do I want to continue to let this thought make me feel badly about myself?”

   By honestly and rigorously testing your negative thoughts, you’ll be making tremendous strides toward breaking the cycle and effectively dealing with low self-esteem and depression.

2. Take care of yourself.
   When you feel trapped and poorly about yourself, and are just trying to make it through the day as you cope with depression and low self-esteem, it can seem like a huge hassle to take care of yourself. Even simple things like brushing your hair or your teeth can seem overwhelming.Yet, by consistently doing the little things to care for yourself, you will begin to create a pattern of self-care which will start elevating your sense of self and lift your depression.Make daily, consistent self-care a non-negotiable. You’ll probably need to force yourself in the beginning, but it will get easier the more you do it.
3. Rediscover activities you used to love.Chances are you used to feel lots better than you do know. And when you felt better, you probably did fun things.It’s time to remember the fun you had and start doing those things again. You’ll discover that as you participate in activities that you found enjoyable in the past, you’ll be able to tap into the fun you had and bring it to the present.When you allow yourself to have fun, your depression and low self-esteem will at least lift, if not evaporate all together.
4. Redefine failure.
   When you’re feeling depressed and struggling with low self-esteem, it’s very easy to feel like a failure. The sense of failure is another response to the negative thoughts running through your head.Reality is that everyone fails – including the most successful and revered people of history. The difference is that these people think about failure differently than you do when you’re dealing with depression and low self-esteem.Thomas Edison was masterful at putting failure in its place. Here is an example of some his wisdom to help you begin to redefine failure for yourself:“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
5. Seek positive support
   Reaching out to positive people or groups when you’re struggling with low self-esteem and depression can seem like a monumental task; yet, building the strength to do so is one of the best things you can do to pull yourself out of the abyss.Jim Rohn said it best, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”The problem is that when you’re dealing with low self-esteem and depression, many (if not all) of those five people are the negative voices in your own mind.Reaching out to positive friends or helping professionals will go a long way toward supporting you as you follow through on the previous tips.

Climbing out of the pit of despair from dealing with low self-esteem and depression is far from easy. And chances are you’ll struggle with follow through on these five tips.

But every time you do succeed in implementing one of these ideas, you’re lifting yourself up and drawing nearer and nearer to a life of renewed happiness.

You are worth the effort – no matter how you might feel about it now.

If you would appreciate some more support in leveraging these tips, reach out to us.  If you are dealing with depression and need more help let us know. We’re here to help.