This may remind you of your worth and perhaps inspire you to keep going. Sometimes, describing why you think you feel worthless to a trusted friend and seeing their response can also be beneficial and boost your sense of worth. In part because perfectionism is impossible to obtain. Try to remind yourself that nothing and nobody is perfect.
While letting go of perfectionist tendencies can be hard, there are ways to do it. When a negative thought occurs, consider asking yourself the following:. We all have different ways of feeling better. For some, this may be enjoying a meal with a friend. For others, it may be a solo bike ride or a warm bath. This is particularly true if your feelings of worthlessness have gone on for more than 2 weeks, as symptoms that go on this long may be indicative of depression.
He recommends keeping an eye out for the following signs of depression:. Morley concurs. There are professionals who can and want to help. The APA suggests a thorough evaluation by a mental health professional, as well as a physical exam. This should include a blood test to ensure that your symptoms of depression are not due to an underlying medical condition, such as a thyroid problem or a vitamin deficiency. If you do indeed have depression, your mental health professional may create a treatment plan tailored to your needs.
Feelings of worthlessness can occur at any time in life. The loss of a loved one, a breakup with your significant other, a job change or termination — all may cause a low or sad mood. If feeling worthless persists or worsens, it could be a sign of depression. 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. Click below to listen now. Worthlessness can creep in when you find yourself comparing your own life unfavorably to the lives of others. Rather than falling into the trap of only looking at the ways in which it seems you are lacking, consider keeping a gratitude journal where you spend a little time each day thinking about the things you are grateful for.
Refocusing your thoughts in this way can help protect you from the negative effects of comparison and envy. Sometimes when you are feeling worthless, focusing your attention on something other than yourself can help.
There are a number of different mobile apps devoted to improving mental health. Some apps may provide tools such as positive affirmations, mindfulness training, or exercises rooted in cognitive-behavioral therapy CBT that are designed to help you identify and change patterns of negative thinking.
It's important to remember that feeling worthless can also be a sign of an underlying mental health condition. If such feelings are persistent, distressing, or make it difficult to cope with everyday tasks, talk to your primary care provider or contact a mental health professional. Your primary care provider may ask you about your feelings and other symptoms you have been experiencing.
They may also ask you to fill out a questionnaire to screen for symptoms of depression or anxiety. You may also have a physical exam and lab tests to rule out medical conditions that might contribute to symptoms of depression. You might also want to consider trying online therapy. Research suggests that online therapy can be as effective as traditional face-to-face treatment. Online therapy presents an accessible and often affordable way of getting help for mental health concerns.
Services that provide online therapy can vary in terms of what they offer, their price, and how therapy sessions are conducted. In many cases, options include online chat, video conferencing, email, and phone options. While everyone might feel worthless once in a while, it can become a serious problem if such feelings are chronic and pervasive.
Fortunately, there are steps you can take that may help you feel better. You may avoid challenges or relationships for fear of being criticised, even becoming socially isolated.
You may neglect your appearance or abuse alcohol or drugs. If you are experiencing any of these feelings, see your doctor for advice. Several factors can contribute to a feeling of being worthless. It may be sparked by an event, such as a relationship breakdown, loss of a loved one, losing your job, or by an ongoing situation like bullying, poor performance at school, abuse or financial pressure.
A person who was constantly criticised when young may form the negative core belief that they are worthless. A core belief is a deeply held assumption you have come to think about yourself or the world, based on your childhood experience. Our core beliefs drive our automatic thoughts. If you persistently have low self-esteem, it can erode your confidence and leave you feeling insecure, unmotivated and cause you to feel worthless.
Feeling worthless can also be a symptom of depression , so make sure to get help by reaching out to your doctor and some of the organisations and helplines listed below. For what to do in an emergency see above. Your doctor can help you by creating a mental health treatment plan, if necessary.
Medicare rebates are available for sessions with mental health professionals. Your doctor can also prescribe medicines for depression or anxiety, if appropriate. It can be hard to take the first step of reaching out to your doctor — here are some tips for talking to your doctor about mental health. Remember, that all conversations with your doctor are private and they will keep your health information confidential. Learn more here about the development and quality assurance of healthdirect content.
Read more on Better Health Channel website. Learn ways to help build your child's self-esteem so they grow into happy, confident and well-adjusted teenagers. Read more on Centre for Clinical Interventions website. Self esteem - It's normal to feel a bit down on ourselves from time to time, but if it hangs around that's not healthy.
Read more on Tune In Not Out website. Read more on ReachOut. Young people share their stories about their self-esteem as a teenager.
Self-esteem is feeling good about yourself. The opposite of self-worth is worthlessness. Worthlessness is a strong feeling that can lead to suicide in depressed patients if they do not seek the help they deserve. Many people who experience multiple setbacks in their lives like job loss, financial struggle, divorce, or not liking how they look can end up feeling like their lives have no meaning.
Depressed people may feel hopeless that their situations can improve, and they may internalize external events to mean that they themselves are failing or worse failures. These thoughts are unrealistic, and they are symptoms of depression. Self-worth can change for many reasons. For example, if you are around people who are overly critical, beliefs about your self-worth can sink rapidly.
Wondering why you feel worthless is not uncommon, and oftentimes, it is because someone else has projected these feelings onto you. From childhood, we hear messages from other people about who we are and how we should be that begin to form our thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about ourselves and the world. If you have established a self-concept that is harsh on yourself and overly negative, it probably is not serving you well when it comes to going after what you want from life.
The problem with feelings of worthlessness is that they can cause bad treatment of yourself, as we often treat things we do not see as worthy in a poor manner. We all make mistakes, and concentrating on the big picture too much can make you feel quite small, especially when things do not go the way we want them to. Rather than striving for perfection and comparing yourself to others, choose to focus on how unique you are.
Do not be mistaken though; a little competition in life can be a great motivator for a lot of people. However, if you find yourself often comparing yourself to others when it comes to what you should be striving for, you may be struggling with issues of self-acceptance. More often than not, when we are trying to "measure up" to something or someone, the measuring stick we are using is not realistic.
When we compare ourselves against someone else, we often see what we want to see, or we see an ideal version of a real person. Try to avoid "should" thinking.
Telling yourself that you should be a certain way, achieve a certain goal, have certain things, etc. Usually, if you are thinking "should" thoughts, they are not truly self-directed goals and values but instead have been given to you by someone else.
This can create unnecessary stress and pressure on yourself when instead, you can be creating more productive thoughts and goals that align with your own values. Valuing yourself means valuing the inner compass that tells you what is important to you. Celebrate the things you are good at - even the small accomplishments. Try to avoid looking down on yourself; instead, talk positively about yourself as if you were talking to someone that you care deeply about. When you talk to others, you often value them above yourself, which means that you are less likely to say something to upset them.
By talking to yourself the same way, you will be less likely to use thoughts or words that bring you down. Be realistic about your limits; if you are feeling overwhelmed, lower your expectations a little. Taking supportive actions for yourself is not failing; it is merely giving yourself a chance to be successful in the long-run.
When you have reached a goal, celebrate it. Always try to acknowledge compliments, and recognize that one thing you "should" do is treat yourself with care. Valuing yourself means that you believe that you matter and you can make a difference, and you treat yourself accordingly. There are several ways to tap into your inherent value as a person. Some examples are by helping others and by valuing what you already know and what you have accomplished. Start by making a contribution to your community.
Volunteering with other people can show you how much you have to be thankful for, and feeling like you are making a difference can give your mood a boost. By being thankful, you may also be able to see what aspects of your day are precious that sometimes get taken for granted.
Try to pick five things each day that you feel grateful for; added bonus if they are things about yourself. Anytime you notice that you are talking negatively about yourself, take a moment to pause and think about what you would say if you were talking to someone else instead.
It is likely you wouldn't be as critical. Ask yourself, "How is saying this to myself helping me? Self-worth has to do with accepting yourself as you are, and knowing that even with your faults, you are a valued person.
None of us is perfect. We all have things we want to change about ourselves, and that is okay! You can have a desire to push yourself to be healthier without letting it detract from your overall sense of worth and quality of life.
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