How do I feel better about myself?

[Jolson131]

I get compliments on various things in my life but they all feel empty. I don't really respond to being called handsome it actually makes me uncomfortable like they pity me or just want me to feel good so they lie. I don't feel like I do things that are meaningful to anything and I feel hate to other things to distract me from the fact I hate myself. If anyone can relate please help me.

[Anonymous]

You have low self-worth and self-esteem. If you don't believe there is anything good about yourself, no matter what other people see in you and no matter how many times they tell you you are handsome, etc, you won't believe them. Coming from personal experience, you can learn to like yourself, and even love yourself, but it takes a lot of hard work, and you have to WANT to change. Sometimes, after having lived your whole life with low self esteem and self worth it's scary to try and challenge some of the negative self talk you do and it feels too overwhelming or like you're going in circles, but if you want to live a more positive life, you have to do what you have to do.

What helped me over the years (and I'm still working at it) was therapy, meditation, the book Self Esteem by Matthew McKay & Patrick Fanning, and reading a lot of sites like TinyBuddha. com.

I realized that a lot of my self-hate came from my own thoughts. Yes, I had some experiences growing up that helped shape me into the person I was but it was up to me to continue to allow those to dictate how I viewed myself and the world and continue to be miserable and envious of others because I didn't feel like I could measure up, etc, or I could take responsibility for myself and change. Find some greater meaning in my life. Find out what things I was passionate about and be grateful for those things and put my energy there, rather than focus only on what I looked like, what I didn't have, what things I was "lacking".

I know what it's like to not like yourself, but you CAN change it around. :)

[Jolson131]

I tried to change things. I was in a mental hospital and they put me on pills and nothing has worked and I tried ODing on my sleeping pills and even that didn't work and I don't know why

[Applefan1]

Well maybe try not to overthink the compliments. Try to accept that they are meant because the person actually thinks that. Also if you don't eat healthy try to start eating a healthy diet, I have found when I eat healthy I feel much better about myself than when I eat junk food all the time.