It can be a tricky one. I tend to think negative thoughts creep on us because we compare ourselves to others and feel too much pressure to be either perfect or like everyone else. As such, something that might help is to focus on things that make you unique and embrace them. Have a musical talent? Awesome, take some lessons in the instrument you're good at. Are you good with people? Cool, do some volunteer work. Tap into what makes you, you. The more you do this the more you will start to appreciate who you are and your self esteem will go up. Do something different to break the monotony and same old same old.

Something else that is important... accept the fact that you have negative thoughts sometimes, because everyone does. It happens and it doesn't make you bad or weird. But do take steps to improve it so it doesn't completely consume you. And also.... keep reaching out! This was a great step. I'm here if you want to message me about anything. Best of luck!

thanku although I don't think I am good at anything. I have failed at a lot in life. I do exercise daily. I have lost 5 lbs.

Message me we'll continue this convo that way..

Hi Hope. To gain self esteem you have to achieve things. So take courses, do art classes - or a mechanical how to fix your car class. Whatever it may be, always be learning new things and realising you have skills and accomplishments. You basically have to earn your own respect. That can take courage, and it can take self control, and it can take forbearance.

As to negative thoughts: we should all have them. We should have them, look at them, review them, analyse them, and see if they make logical sense and are REALISTIC. And if they are not realistic, we should bin them. If they are realistic we should act upon them.

If you follow your thoughts all the way through to their logical conclusion, and then review them, you can sort them and put them where they belong. It's people who distract themselves, run away from these thoughts, that never get them shelved, and never get rid of them.

Hello there! I see you are feeling a bit frustrated with yourself on how you manage your emotions, which is 100% understandable as we ALL could use some work. Since I am not a mental health practitioner, I cannot provide you with professional guidance as they can; however, I can set you up with a free appointment with a qualified mental health counselor on a 24/7 digital healthcare tool, called Maven. I have been using it since last month and find it very helpful. The promo code I used to receive my free appointment is FIRSTFREEASC. To ease you through the process (it can be confusing!), I will write out the steps for you below on how to make your free appointment within minutes:

1. Download the free Maven app on your IPhone, IPad, or simply go to the main site: https://www.mavenclinic.com/
2. Create an account with an username and password
3. Once logged-on, scroll down to the bottom and type FIRSTFREEASC where you see referral code ($25 will be added after this)
4. Go to book appointments and choose the service you would like, which will be mental health
5. Select a healthcare professional and book a time (ignore if it says there is a price charge)
6. Confirm your free appointment and launch the app or website when it is time

Please let me know if you have any questions, and I hope you find Maven as helpful as I!

did they prescribe meds?