I Hate Myself
Question
I hate myself. I make decisions I later regret but I don't stop making them. I embarrass myself in front of others all the time, lowering my self esteem. I'm not a nice or kind person and I hate that. I don't know what to do. I hate my friends but I don't want to be the loser at school and I care a lot about how other people see me. What do I do?
Counselor response
Thanks for writing in. We are sorry to hear you are struggling with your own thoughts, it sounds like things have been really difficult for a while. We all have times when we lack confidence and don’t feel good about ourselves. You have probably heard this before but you can control your actions and this includes how you think about yourself. This seems so simple but it can be so difficult especially when it’s about you.
One simple rule is to tell yourself only positive things. It might sound very foreign, especially if you have never said those kind of words to yourself before. We have 101 phrases that you can try: 101 Positive Things to Say to Myself. These phrases can help you overcome some of the difficult times that you might be experiencing right now. Low self-esteem can become a long-term problem, it can have a harmful effect on your mental health and your life. Being honest is very important, especially if you want things to get better.
You have the right to develop healthy boundaries with yourself and with those who are around you. We all deserve to grow up to be responsible, healthy and independent adults. Positive self-talk, such as, telling yourself that you can do things and follow through; will improve the way you think about yourself.
Considerreaching out to people that give you positive support; likea school teacher, counselor, therapist and/v2/or your parents. We can be a support to you too and we hope that you will continue to reach out!
Now go! Go do this right now, go change that negative toxic self-talk in your head and start with saying the following phrases:
I Love myself.
I approve of myself.
I accept myself.
Thanks for emailing us. Know that we are always here to provide support when you need it. You’re never alone!
We look forward to hearing back from you.
Nicole, counselor