These 5 Habits Can Cause Depression And Low Self-Esteem

Sep 17, 2018 by apost team

Far too many people suffer from depression that stems from low feelings of self-worth and lack of self-esteem. If you are one of them, you would probably try anything to feel happy and confident again. When negative thoughts take over your mind, it can be very difficult to shift them. However, the same subconscious talk that tells you bad things about yourself can be turned around to make a real change.

You can feel better about yourself and escape from self-loathing and depressive thoughts through frequent and powerful positive thinking.

The process identifies the damaging habits that bring you down and removes the walls trapping you in a negative mindset. Then it rewires your mind to focus on positive changes, ideas, and feelings.

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You may recognize yourself as having some or all of these habits. If so, you should know that a steady progression of positive thinking and good habit formation can help you overcome them and lead a happier, more confident life.

No one and nothing is perfect and chasing perfection is one way to fall deeper into depression and self-hatred.

You cannot achieve your lofty ideals, but no one else would be able to either. Perfectionism leads to disappointment, feelings of failure, and the accompanying fear of trying anything new.

Try to see failure as a regular and expected stepping stone to success.

Your own feelings that you are not good enough in some way are damaging enough to your emotional self, but when you start projecting those feelings onto others, the problem just compounds itself.

What does this mean? Projecting means you imagine that another person shares the same feelings or thoughts as you do even if there is no evidence that demonstrates this.

You assume a person thinks you are dumb, or weird, or ugly because your own mind is filled with these thoughts.

Learn to recognize when this happens and pull yourself out of your emotional response into your intellectual mind.

Has the person said or done anything that proves they have these bad thoughts about you? Don't they deserve to be recognized as who they are instead of who you are afraid they are?

Learn to use the same standards on yourself as you would on other people to determine that self-esteem troubles are truly from the self and not an external source.

If you suffer from low self-esteem, you may seek validation from external sources such as the people around you.

If others see you as having worth, maybe you can feel that way too. However, this type of thinking often leads to being what is called a people pleaser.

You may get stuck in the habit of doing everything for other people, agreeing with their every thought, and never saying "No" because you do not want them to think bad thoughts about you or go away.

This bad habit, unfortunately, leads to even more troubles with depression and self-esteem issues because people start to take advantage of you.

The types of people who would do this think you are an easy mark, not a kind and friendly person. Create boundaries and help when you want to, but also focus on how your actions and comments benefit yourself.

It is natural to feel guilty when you do something that negatively affects yourself or others. However, dwelling on the guilt after the event has passed creates a spiral of negativity that is hard to get out of. Feeling guilty about something out of your control is even more damaging. These things lead to self-deprecation and a deep seeded fear that you are the problem and have no power to change. The secret to changing this bad habit is forgiveness. Would you forgive someone for their mistake? Afford yourself the same kindness and move forward.

Everyone has something they regret doing or saying in the past, but holding on and rethinking those times stops you from moving forward. There is no way to change the past. All you can do is decide what to do differently today and tomorrow.

When you feel yourself dwelling on long-gone negativity, shift your focus to the good things you have done and to ways to make a positive change in the future.

While professional help is always an option, it is possible to help boost yourself out of feelings of self-loathing and sadness by making positive thought a habit.

Accept who you are, where you came from, and focus on where you are going in the future. Cultivate self-confidence mindfully, and practice positive thinking every day.

You will find that, with some hard work, you can make a great change away from depression fueled by feelings of low self-worth.

We all have habits we should work on every day to make ourselves a little better. It´s ok to feel a little bit down sometime, but it´s important to make sure you do not let it affect your mental well-being. Are you guilty of having these bad habits too? Let us know!

Share this with your friends and family to show them how important it is to take care of yourself both mentally and physically. 

Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation with your doctor. Your health is important to us!