Why Do You Feel Like You Are Not Worth it? (3+ Coping Strategies)
By
OptimistMinds
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Author bio
The Optimistminds editorial team is made up of psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health professionals. Each article is written by a team member with exposure to and experience in the subject matter. The article then gets reviewed by a more senior editorial member. This is someone with extensive knowledge of the subject matter and highly cited published material.
In this article, it will be discussed why people feel they are not worth it anymore. It will talk about how people sometimes might think they are not worth being alive or looking for help. Aside from that, the article will discuss how friends and family can pick up on warning signs the person is giving, and what can be done to help.
Why am I feeling like I am not worth it anymore?
Everyone might have thought, in one moment in life, if being alive is worth it. It might be because you felt overwhelmed by life, or because you went through a trauma, like losing someone you love. But it was just a fleeting thought.
But to some people, this thought may be a frequent one, and they might feel like they are not worth being alive, or even looking for treatment. They might feel like they are just a burden, and that they are not worth worrying anyone.
This can happen quite often to people going through depression and other mental illnesses. And it is important, when these thoughts race through your head, to remind yourself that what you are going through is a moment. Life has not always been like this, and it won’t be like this forever.
If you are feeling you are not worth it, and still haven’t looked for treatment, it might be time to consider you might be depressed, and professional help can be a way to start understanding what is going on and how to cope with it.
If you are already in treatment, it might be important to get in touch with your physician to talk and understand if there are adjustments that need to be done to your course of treatment.
To make it easier to understand what might be going on with you, let’s understand a little more about what is depression and suicidal thoughts.
What is depression?
Depression is a mental illness that can happen to everyone, at any moment of their life. It is explained as an intense sense of sadness, as well as a lack of hope for the future, and loss of interest in anything that used to give them pleasure. Aside from that, depression harms a person’s sense of self-worth and self-esteem.
Although anyone can develop depression, it is known that women are more susceptible to it. Other risk factors can increase a person’s chance of going through a depressive episode. It can be that they have a family history of depression, or that they are going through a trauma, like the loss of someone they love.
Not only that, if a person has gone through a previous episode of depression, they tend to be more vulnerable to developing a new episode in their lives. Another thing that can make a person more likely to develop depression, is having an imbalance in their brain’s chemistry.
Doctors usually consider a person depressed if they have felt its symptoms intensely for two weeks. And although everyone experiences depression in their particular way, some main symptoms can help you understand if you are depressed. They are:
- Change in sleeping pattern
- Change in eating pattern
- Irritability
- Isolation
- Excessive crying or difficulty crying even when they want to
- Lack of pleasure in all activities
- Difficulty focusing
- Self-harm
- Thought of death and suicide
How can I cope with depression?
If a person is feeling depressed, there are many ways to cope with it. The first way is looking for the professional help of a therapist and/or a psychiatrist.
The first will help you, through talk therapy, to understand better how you feel, and what strategies you can find to deal with depression. The psychiatrist can help you, through medication, on reducing your symptoms.
Aside from them, other strategies can be done in your day-to-day to help you cope with depression. They can be:
Meditation and breathing exercises
Doing meditation and breathing exercises you focus on your breathing and your body. It is a way to disconnect, even if just for a little, the negative thoughts going through your mind. It can also be a great way to make you feel calmer and relaxed so you might even sleep better.
Moving your body
It doesn’t need to be a hard workout, but even going out for a small walk can help you. It gets you out a little, helps you see and think of other things. And by the end of it, you might also experience the benefits of the endorphins going through your body.
Get in touch with people you love
Although when someone is depressed they tend to isolate themselves, it might be of great help to have people you love around you. It might help you feel more connected and supported. It can also be a great way to not let negative thoughts and feelings take over.
Remember this is a moment
Sometimes it is hard to remember a moment in life when you weren’t depressed, but having in mind that you have not always been depressed, and you will not always be.
What are suicidal thoughts?
Suicidal thoughts, known as suicidal ideation, are what happens when a person starts contemplating ending their life. It can happen because they are going through a mental illness, or sometimes it might be related to a feeling of being overwhelmed in life, or going through a situation where you think there are no other possibilities out of, such as being going through financial or legal problems.
There are levels of suicidal thoughts, it can be that a person has only some fleeting thoughts about ending their life, but it is just an idea, they are not planning it. But there is a not degree, to which the person is already thinking concretely about committing suicide, they might have a plan for it, and in a moment of crisis, might attempt it.
Understanding what level of suicidal thoughts you are is important. It can guide you to look for help, to take care of yourself by, for example, not being alone, looking for professional help, or taking things you might use to hurt yourself out of sight if you feel you might be close to trying.
What are the warning things someone is considering suicide?
There are some signs that a person that is considering suicide might give. Being aware of those can help people close to them to protect them. Those are the signs:
- They start to show curiosity about violent events and death
- They might start giving their belongings to other people
- Increased isolation
- Demonstrating hopelessness
- Change in sleep pattern
- Becoming agitated and anxious
- Mood swings
- Severe self-criticism
How can I help someone close that is considering suicide?
There are some ways people can help a friend or family member that has been experiencing suicidal thoughts. The first thing is to talk openly about it. It might be a relief to bring their thoughts out in the open.
Another way to help is to make yourself present. It can be in person, or even by text message, but it is important that they feel they are connected to someone. This can be a good way to prevent someone to commit suicide because they also feel like less of a burden.
It is important to also keep them safe, if you understand they are in immediate danger, don’t leave them alone and remove from the sight things they might use to hurt themselves. It is also important to discuss with them about looking for professional help.
Frequently Asked Question (FAQ): What to do when I think I am not worth it anymore?
Is being alive and depressed worth it?
Yes, being alive, even though you are depressed, is worth it. When a person is facing such questions remembering, once again, that this is a moment, that won’t last forever, may help calm your heart. But if the feeling gets too intense, it might be good to get in touch with your physician to talk about your line of treatment.
Whenever I get frustrated I feel like I shouldn’t be alive anymore, is that normal?
Dealing with frustration can be hard, but it shouldn’t lead you to the path of giving up on your life. Try to observe if the idea of dying is frequent, and it is, it might be time to look for a psychiatrist or a therapist, you might be depressed and might need help understanding this moment and your feelings.
Am I a burden to everyone?
No, you aren’t a burden. When you feel depressed, it might feel like you are just causing problems, but that is not it. Get in touch with people close to you, and see how supported and loved you are.
A good way to think if you are being a burden is to reflect that if the roles were reversed, wouldn’t you do everything in your power to help them? So that is it, they are doing what friends do.
How do I know if I’m sad or depressed?
It is important to know the difference between sadness and depression. Sadness is an emotion everyone will feel at times of their lives, but it goes away and it doesn’t affect their life as a whole.
On the other hand, depression affects all areas of your life. It makes everything lose its meaning and the sadness might feel both more constant and more intense.
Is life meaningless?
Life’s meanings are very subjective. Every person will establish a different meaning to their life. It might be to develop professionally, might be love, might be something about your social relationships. Either way, everyone will create their meaning, and those can change over time.
But if life seems constantly meaningless, it might be that you are experiencing depression. It can give you a sense of emptiness and lack of purpose that can influence how you view your life as a whole. If that is the case, it might be time to look for help.
Conclusion
In this article, it was discussed why some people might go through the feeling of not feeling like they are worth it anymore. It explained why people might start considering they are not worth being alive, and how they can start considering suicide as a way out.
Through this article, it was explained what are suicidal thoughts, what are the warning signs that indicate someone is planning suicide, and what can be done to help someone going through it.
If you have any questions or comments about this article, feel free to write in the space below.
References
Harmer B, Lee S, Duong TVH, Saadabadi A. Suicidal Ideation. 2021 Aug 6. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan–. PMID: 33351435.
https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/depression/what-is-depression
