The Link Between Low Self-Esteem and Depression
Read Time: 3 minutes
There are a lot of people who struggle with confidence issues, but there are those whose struggle goes much deeper than their confidence level. Those with low self-esteem seem to be more likely to struggle with depression. So are low self-esteem and depression linked and if so, how?
What Is Self-Esteem?
Self-esteem refers to someone’s level of self-worth and self-respect. It goes much deeper than just confidence. It comes down to how that person feels about him or herself as a person.
What Is Depression?
Depression is a feeling of sadness, hopelessness, or despondency that is usually long-lasting and affects the quality of life of the person suffering.
How Are They Connected?
Often, people who have low self-esteem tend to also struggle with depression. It goes both ways, however. Depression itself can also lead to low self-esteem. It is quite common for someone who is struggling with one of these issues, especially over a period of time, to struggle with the other as well.
Why Are They Connected?
When someone does not feel that they are worth anything, or when they show a lack of respect for themselves, this can lead to depression. On the other hand, a person that struggles with depression can eventually turn the depression around on themself, and it can weigh on their self-esteem.
Vulnerability
In either situation, the link ultimately happens because the person is very vulnerable not only to outside influence but also to themselves. Someone who has feelings of worthlessness will understandably be very vulnerable to the pull of depression. Someone who is depressed may feel so low that they begin to blame themselves.
A Vicious Cycle
Once someone has entered this state of low self-esteem and depression, it often becomes a cycle. Especially for low self-esteem, these feelings often become self-affirming because the person does not feel worthy of the work it would take to better themselves, which only leads to an overall worsened situation.
The Weight of It All
For friends and loved ones, the inability to ìjust snap out of itî is not understandable. The fact is that people who suffer from this vicious cycle often spend their lives feeling like they are treading water on a good day, and drowning from the weight of life itself on bad ones.
Can the Cycle Be Broken?
With patience, understanding, and the affirmation of love from the people around them, the cycle of low self-esteem and depression can be broken. Expect it to take time and work, and you might need to consider professional help in some situations, but the cycle can be broken.
The link between low self-esteem and depression is strong. The vulnerability and feelings of hopelessness bring on a vicious cycle that only feeds into itself, worsening these feelings of worthlessness and depression. There is hope, however, and with the right kind of help, anyone can come back.
Try to relax when you’re in this state, don’t sweat the small stuff. I like to diffuse and use a happy essential oil, this can help with mental work as well. The smell I love is Harmony & Thrive, these smells just put me in a good mood because they smell upbeat if that makes any sense. Try not to sweat the small stuff, and be laser-focused on your mental health and self-care to build your self-esteem back to where it should be that makes you happy and comfortable.
When I was younger, I’d very low self esteem. Still do yo a degree, but not near as bad. I was chubby and constantly teased for wearing glasses. So I shut myself off from everyone; meaning I didn’t have very many friends I’m my elementary school years. Things changed drastically when I was pulled out of my old school and enrolled in another one on a different town. I would say those were some very hard days for me. But thankfully that’s no longer the case! Thanks for sharing this! It definitely makes a lot of sense!
I’m sorry you went through such a hard time, kids can be mean and ruthless. I’m glad you’re doing better now, you’re a beautiful soul. Thank you for stopping by.
Thanks so much for connecting the dots. Appreciate the insight.
Thank you for dropping in.
Yes I agree they are linked. I have a friend who lacked self esteem and became depressed. There is no shaking it.
It’s a hard thing to get put together. Once your mind makes up your self esteem then you’ve got to pull yourself out of a depression. It’s so hard. I’m proud of everyone who can do it.
Great read
Thank you for coming by.
I agree that low self-esteem can lead to depression. Learning to love oneself is vital for our mental health and well-being.
I couldn’t have said it better.
I agree with you. When we feel unworthy, we feel depressed. And I had that feeling before.
It is a horrible feeling isn’t it, I don’t wish it upon anyone.
Hey Leslie thanks for sharing your thoughts on the link between low self-esteem and depression. I’m a licensed mental health professional and I agree with you that there’s a strong link between the two. However, I differ with your opinion that treating depression with an essential oil since people suffering from depression can actually have a neurochemical imbalance in their brain and need professional help from a psychiatrist and licensed mental health professional. If someone is suffering from depression and anxiety I strongly urge you to speak with your physician. You can also check out my post on my suggestions on how to overcome depression and anxiety https://pantearahimian.com/how-to-overcome-depression-and-anxiety-in-9-effective-steps/
Oh yes, I’m not giving medical advice at all. I would hope someone would seek their physician. I just use the oils to help calm my nerves, is all.
I completely agree that low self esteem and depression go hand in hand. Also people who struggle with low self esteem will blame themselves more often and that leeds to serious depression. I believe in the same solutions you have suggested in this post to overcome these seriously stagnating mental blocks. Thanks for sharing this!
Exactly, this was my point for writing this article. I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Thank you for sharing the link between these two important topics!
Thank you for coming by!
Important converstion. Thanks for being willing to talk about this and hold spaces for others.
I thought it needed to be addressed since it’s so easy to forget the correlation between the two.
I agree that they go hand in hand as I’m a product of it. I’ve honestly never sought professional help I’ve just always worked on coming back from the phases. Also it goes with anxiety too.
There definitely seems to be a connection between depression and low self-esteem. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
This blog post offers valuable insight into the relationship between low self-esteem and depression and how they can feed off of each other to create a vicious cycle. It is important to recognize that both issues can manifest in someone’s life and take steps to break this cycle. I appreciate the advice offered here regarding relaxing, using essential oils, and focusing on self-care as ways to help build one’s self-esteem back up. Overall, this post is an important reminder of the importance of mental health and taking care of oneself.