I never thought about where it came low self-esteem which contributes in a huge way to depression. It really makes sense that rebuilding self-esteem will improve the mood.
Has an illness, addiction or other left your self-esteem in the gutter? In the weeks to come, we will be exploring various strategies to help rebuild your self-esteem:
What is self-esteem? The level of self-esteem you have is gained via reactions important people have had to you throughout your life. Starting off with your parents, it is further shaped by your siblings, superiors, friends and significant others. One primary factor in the development of self-esteem involved the positive or negative reinforcement or messages you receive from these people.
Before we can begin rebuilding, we encourage you to take make a list of the people in your life who have played an important role in your life. Were they supportive or negative forces in your life? What did they do for your self-esteem?