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I wonder how many of the people here with self-esteem / depression issues were raised Catholic. I was, and for years I suffered from "Catholic Damage" - the feeling of always being inadequate and guilty.
Fortunately, with effort and maturity I was able to get these feelings under control. What worked for me was:
- Reading. I recommend "The Noonday Demon" (on depression) and "The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem"
- Regular excercise.
- Setting achievable goals and realizing them. Building a pattern of small successes helped me move on to bigger challenges. Accomplishment is a great tonic.
- Talking. Having a couple of good friends with whom I could let off steam helped me put things in perspective. When one keeps it all bottled up inside, it's easy to magnify problems.
- Altering my way of thinking. I practised changing my mental reaction to having a dark mood. I would remind myself that it would pass and worked on not dwelling on it. Doing this shortened the depression spells considerably.
- Medication. I did use anti-depressants during a very horrible period of my life. They helped bridge me until I was able to get my footing back. I don't recommend this as a first resort - but if you are really feeling completely lost and overwhelmed, talking to your doctor would be a good step to take.
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