Low self-esteem and depression

Low self-esteem and depression often feed into each other in quiet but powerful ways. When your self-worth is low, it can be hard to believe that you deserve care, rest, support or joy. You might walk through the world feeling like a burden, second-guessing your every move, and measuring your value by how little you ask for. Over time, this erodes your inner world until even basic self-compassion starts to feel out of reach.

Depression can magnify the voice of low self-esteem, turning passing thoughts into painful truths. “I’m not good enough” becomes a daily narrative. You might isolate or lose interest in things you once loved, not because you don’t care, but because it feels like you don’t matter. The exhaustion isn’t just physical; it’s emotional and mental.

Healing isn’t about snapping out of it or “thinking positive”, it’s about gently reconnecting with your worth, even when it feels buried. It’s about recognising that depression lies and that your pain says more about your capacity to feel deeply than it does about your value. Slowly, with patience and support, you can build a new inner foundation — one rooted in compassion, not criticism.

Signs to look out for:

  • Persistent feelings of hopelessness or numbness

  • Harsh, self-critical thoughts that feel like facts

  • Believing you’re a burden or undeserving of care

  • Lack of motivation, even for things you used to enjoy

  • Isolating yourself or withdrawing from relationships

  • Constant guilt or shame, even when you’ve done nothing wrong

  • Feeling tired no matter how much you rest

  • Minimising your struggles because “other people have it worse”

  • Thinking you have to “earn” rest, love, or support

 

Let’s re-frame:

I should be stronger than this

→ Struggling doesn’t make me weak, it makes me human.

 

No one would miss me if I disappeared

→ My presence matters, even when I can’t feel it.

 

I’m a burden

→ Everyone needs support sometimes. That includes me.

 

There’s something wrong with me for feeling this way

→ Depression is not a personal failure, it’s a signal that I need care.

 

I can’t ask for help

→ Asking for help is an act of strength and self-respect.

 

I don’t deserve rest or joy

→ I am worthy of care and kindness, no matter what I do or don’t achieve.

 

Other people have it worse, so I should just get over it

→ Pain isn’t a competition. My feelings are valid, even if someone else is struggling too.