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Do You Like Yourself? Your Thoughts are Welcome!
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Hello Everybody and new posters especially:-)
I have had anxiety since 1983 and depression from 1997. There is always someone that says 'You have to Love Yourself' before recovery. When people are suffering from anxiety/depression this may be the last 'advice' they really need. This is only my experience when I am 'advised to love myself' to rebuild my life. I have heard the following from people that cant 'love themselves' which is fair enough as I am a person that cant either. Your thoughts will help me and others learn from your point of view. I can only be 'gentle' to myself to heal...not love.
- Why should I love myself if I dont in the first place?
- I am in a dark place, how can I love myself?
- I dont deserve to love myself
- I am depressed...How can I love myself?
- I have mega anxiety attacks..what is there to love about myself?
- I hate myself and what I stand for...why should I?
- I love my partner more...I will care about myself 'later'
When people have depression/anxiety/denial they dont need to be counseled with ' love yourself'. Thats a huge ask.
I dont need to climb Mt Everest by trying to love myself when I cant. It can be an unrealistic and even silly target to achieve having depression
I just prefer to be 'gentle' to myself. Same results and way less stress 🙂 Your thoughts/opinions are more than welcome
Thankyou so much
Paul
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Hello RX, don't believe you have said too much, what's on your mind you shouldn't bottle it up, we know once we keep thoughts to ourselves they only ferment, please don't worry.
Take care.
Geoff.
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Ah thx for that Geoff.
And yeah l do agree especially with MH .
All the best and l hope your traveling ok.
rx
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Hi rx
What you're highlighting has a high impact on liking ourselves in a positive way.
when we go through life and slowly come to the realisation that other people think differently and a good percentage of those think stupidly, or inconsiderate, selfish, mean, manipulate etc to the point whereby you start to like yourself much more.
This illustrates that while we focus on elevating our good character (in our mind), to like ourselves...if while doing so instead of comparing ourselves to more successful people perhaps comparing ourselves to less honourable characters will raise our own image of us.
Crucially always looking at different ways we can gain confidence.
Ps keeping chatting RX. Keep being yourself.
TonyWK
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Hi Everyone,
It is not always easy looking at yourself in a favourable light when people put you down, ignore you or contribute to making you feel insignificant.
People say no one else can make you feel this way, that expression confuses me a little.
I know my thoughts, feelings and emotions make me perceive how I interpret and react to incidents and situations around me.
Acknowledging the negative feelings and trying to see the good in myself is what I require more of.
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Thanks for that Tony , much appreciated.
But yeah , people eh , a whole nother box of rocks again that one isn't it.
People have never said anything to me matter of fact l'm surprised really . l don't know what they think bout these things but l've never had even a hint of any bad from family . This stuff goes on within my own head and heart , l feel embarrassed that l've done so many things and had so many things , even lived so many places. l'm even careful about it if l talking to someone l just don't wanna go reeling off the list of anything involved.
l don't even know how l'm viewed in those ways and luckily in ways l come from a huge family and a lot of us have lived all kinds of lives or been all over the world or changed careers many times or whatever . So different's nothing unusual in my clan l don't even know if any of them even bat an eyelid but it's how l feel about myself within myself lately is where it comes from and looking at others- which is never a good idea in that way is it unless you can do it at peace and be happy for them. lt's not really envy in the way that l wouldn;t want any of their lives even though l admire some, not for me though .
rx
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Hello Dools, 'People say no one else can make you feel this way', I believe that's exactly what they can do, once they have begun grinding us into the black hole, our minds develop negative thoughts, unfortunately, and the whole process begins.
My best.
Geoff.
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Hi Geoff,
That statement 'People say no one else can make you feel this way' confuses me because psychologists and psychiatrists have told me that no one can hurt me, I can only allow my mind to hurt myself.
That then makes me feel like a total failure because I have let other people's cruel words and actions hurt me.
It makes me feel inadequate and like my "Protection Shield" against negativity is broken.
Sometimes advice from the psychologists confuses me and makes me feel worse about myself not better.
At work I am told to just ignore the people who come in and abuse and yell at me, to smile at them and ask them to leave if they don't have the right documentation. My skin isn't that thick. I don't have duck's feathers for that abuse to just roll off me all the time.
It is hard to like yourself when you don't even feel safe!
Thanks for your comments Geoff. Cheers from Dools
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Hi rx
Re: "So different's nothing unusual in my clan l don't even know if any of them even bat an eyelid but it's how l feel about myself within myself lately..."
I think you're putting too much emphasis on blood family.
My family, well half of them, are no longer family. Same blood runs through veins but thats where it stops.
To assist in me liking myself more, I've moved on to adopt some friends as family. Not doing that would be subjecting myself to pain from relatives that...don't give a damn.
TonyWK
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Hi Tony.
Yeah you'd be right too def' , God almighty l probably don't even cross their damn minds anyway.
ln saying earlier l've never had a hint of anything bad though , l was only thinking to do with things l'm feeling about myself lately. But ahh , there's been other things though at other times with them, big things too.
But atm my main concern is just about where lifes headed for me and just wanting some stability and settle , for good hopefully. Probably selling the house end of yr ,yet another move , the bloody last l hope. But if l stay here l have no life so l dunno what choice l have. My relationships all up in the air , l dunno , l just want some lasting stability now.
Appreciate for the thoughts,
rx
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Hello Dools, 'People say no one else can make you feel this way', and being told by the psychologist's and/or psychiatrist's this, I certainly don't and can't believe they have said this because my brother in law was one reason why I had my breakdown, what he had done and certainly what he'd said to deny it.
A person, qualified as a solicitor, who asked my wife, not game to ask me personally, for a very large and substantial amount of money, in the high double figure thousands over a few months, to stop him going bankrupt and actually denying this, saying it was my depression that had confused me, but bank statements don't lie, contradicts what these psy's have said.
People can hurt anyone by what they say and can definitely keep someone in depression of any type, not only for a long time but can cause a fragile person to finally break down, that's what he did, and even now I know of others he has done exactly the same with.
At work, you can't ignore these people that abuse you or make cynical remarks because you are never sure when they will appear.
Geoff.
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