Depression is characterized by constant thoughts of worthlessness and self-doubt, which might distort the confidence and self-esteem of the individual with depression.
The mental health professionals, while treating depression, try to rebuild their image of self and boost their confidence through various therapies. These various therapeutic methods try to get rid of the negative thinking pattern caused by depression.
First, let’s talk about the symptoms of depression and how it might affect your self-esteem. Then, we can discuss ways you can help yourself and methods professionals use to help you get your self-esteem back.
Depression: Its Effects On Self-Esteem
- Depression can put an individual in a vicious cycle of negative thoughts, making them believe they are unworthy and incapable.
- Depressed individuals can excessively criticize themselves, affecting their self-worth and confidence.
- Depression can cause people to isolate themselves. This reduces positive social interaction, leading to self-esteem issues.
- Individuals with depression can lose their interest in activities. This results in a diminished sense of accomplishment and hinders the development of confidence.
- Individuals with depression might find it hard to make important decisions with complete confidence.
- Depression can make the sufferers feel very helpless. So it becomes challenging for them to believe in their own ability to succeed.
However, do not lose hope. With proper treatment and a little bit of effort you can heal from these symptoms to get self-confidence back again.
Steps You Can Take To Help Yourself Build A Positive Self-Image
These are the things you can do to rebuild your confidence amidst depression-
Acknowledge What You Feel
To start your healing journey you need to first acknowledge the emotions you are experiencing. Remember that there is nothing wrong with feeling down, so avoid being too hard on yourself. Recognizing your feelings will also give you a better understanding of yourself.
Build A Support Network
Connect with friends and families who can understand and support you without any judgment. Positive social interaction might help you boost your confidence and be your strength during challenging times.
Practice Self-Compassion
Try to be kind to yourself to replace your negative self-talk with self-compassion. One way to do that is to engage yourself in activities that bring you joy and relaxation. Activities like reading a book, taking a walk, etc, can contribute to your overall well-being and build a positive self-image.
Establish Realistic Goals
Set realistic, achievable goals for yourself. Break them down into small, manageable tasks, and celebrate your own successes as you achieve them one by one. This gradual progress can boost your confidence and create a sense of accomplishment.
Challenge Your Negative Thoughts
Identify and challenge your negative thought patterns that cause low self-esteem. Replace them with positive and realistic affirmations. With time, you can reshape your perception of yourself.
Positive Affirmations in Daily Practice for Improved Self-Image
Embrace positive affirmations in your daily practice to combat depression and self-esteem issues caused by it. Consciously repeat uplifting statements to cultivate a mindset that can challenge negative self-perceptions. Through daily affirmations, you can empower yourself, fostering resilience and optimism.
Seek Professional Help
The most important step of your healing journey is to seek professional help from a mental health provider. They can diagnose you and explore the root causes of your confidence and self-esteem issues. They can help you build coping methods that are tailored to your specific needs. Remember, you must only try to diagnose yourself with provider guidance.
Different Therapy Methods
There are various evidence-based scientific therapy methods that professionals use to treat individuals suffering from self-esteem issues due to depression. Some of them are:
Self-Compassion Therapy
This therapy is a gentle and supportive approach to help you build a kinder relationship with yourself. In this therapy, individuals learn how to acknowledge their own struggles without any judgment. It has three main components -self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness.
Self-kindness asks individuals to respond to personal failures with gentleness rather than harsh criticism. Common humanity focuses on recognizing the fact that everyone faces challenges and building a sense of connection. Mindfulness helps individuals approach their thoughts and feelings with an open mind.
Therapists guide individuals through different exercises and techniques that help them develop these skills to promote emotional resilience and positive self-view. Self-compassion therapy will help you build a better relationship with yourself.
Cognitive Restructuring
Cognitive restructuring is a powerful tool that mental health professionals employ to enhance the self-esteem of individuals with depression. The Cognitive restructuring method helps individuals identify and challenge negative thought patterns. The professionals guide the clients to replace such negative thoughts with positive and realistic beliefs. This treatment method recognizes that our thoughts strongly recognize that thoughts strongly influence emotions and behaviors.
By regularly practicing cognitive restructuring, individuals can build a healthier image of themselves in their heads, thereby boosting self-esteem. This approach plays an important role in treating depression and self-esteem issues.
Art Therapy to express emotions
Art Therapy proves valuable when dealing with depression and the self-esteem challenges that come along with it. In the world of healthcare, professionals in this field use it to help people express and explore themselves in ways they usually can’t. Besides, art therapy also helps people who struggle to speak their minds to communicate without words.
When you’re feeling down and depressed, expressing yourself through typical verbal means can be hard. It’s a lot easier said than done, which is why something like art therapy was created. By creating pieces of art that represent how they feel, patients have an easier time exploring their thoughts and emotions. The best part? You don’t even need to know what you’re doing!
Having an outlet like this shifts perspectives for most individuals. Even if you aren’t able to appreciate your own skills yet or feel as if you’re stuck in a loop of negative thoughts — art creation will do wonders. It’s not a one size fits all method either; therapists make sure to tailor it for each individual’s needs.
Whether you’d consider yourself an artist or not doesn’t really matter here. This is still a choice that anyone can go through with regardless of skill level or experience.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is an evidence-based treatment approach, often used by mental health professionals to treat depression and self-esteem issues. This treatment focuses on building psychological flexibility in you. So you can become more adaptable and open to emotional challenges caused by depression.
ACT encourages you to accept your emotions without any negative judgment. Your therapist will guide you to identify and commit to your core values, giving you a sense of purpose that can help you manage your depressive symptoms. You learn how to regulate your emotions through the mindfulness techniques involved in ACT.
ACT provides support in addressing self-esteem challenges stemming from depression This treatment method might assist you in distancing yourself from self-limiting thoughts that may be weighing on your mind. You can gently untangle yourself from internal struggles through ACT, fostering the development of a more positive self-image.
So, step by step, you can regain your confidence along with the help of a mental health guide.
FAQs About Treatment For Depression And Self-Esteem Issues
Q1) Can depression cause self-esteem issues?
Depression can sometimes distort your perception of self-worth, causing self-esteem issues. The persistent negative thoughts, hopelessness, and feelings of worthlessness can erode your self-confidence. However, do remember that it is always possible to get your confidence back through proper treatment.
Q2) Is it possible to help yourself heal from self-esteem issues and depression?
You can take several steps, such as acknowledging your own feelings and practicing self-compassion to deal with your depression and self-esteem issues. The most important step, however, is to take the initiative of seeking professional help for your mental health issues.
Q3) What treatment methods are used by mental health professionals for depression?
Different treatment methods, such as self-compassion therapy, art therapy, etc, are used by mental health professionals to treat depression and self-esteem issues. They aim to distance the negative thought patterns in your mind and replace them with positive, self-worth-boosting thoughts.
Wrapping it up!
Depression can have a severe negative impact on your self-esteem. The lack of confidence can hamper your everyday life and everything you do. If you are finding yourself in a situation like this, do not lose hope. Seek for mental health and start your journey to regain your confidence today!
Psychotherapist Gita Sawhney at her practice GS Mental Health & Wellness can help you out if you’re looking for some compassionate psychotherapy.
Hopefully, this article has answered all your questions regarding the ways your mental health provider and you can help manage depression and self-esteem issues, expanding its branches within you.
