Coping with low self esteem

[Ricekrispiebun]

I have struggled with this pretty much all my life and it's an ongoing day to day battle. I have Adhd and am unable to work. I tend to beat myself up constantly and measure my worth based on this. I am trying to be kinder to myself and not feel like a useless waste of space because I would never in a million years treat a loved one like I treat myself. I constantly compare myself against people that I deem successful and always find myself coming up short.

Lately it's just a struggle to get through each day. I do speak to a counselor but to be honest they are not very understanding around being neurodiverse.

Does anyone else struggle with this and how do you cope?

I like to think of it like this. How you feel about yourself inside, on a personal level and how you feel about your place in society and in relation to others are two different things and you can separate them.

You can like yourself as a person and see that you have value as a decent, responsible person who doesn't hurt others and who loves your family and tries your hardest to deal with life.

Not all members of society can work, for whatever reason, and it's not your fault. Work is set up so that it comfortably meets the needs of certain types of people, but not others and that's not your doing or your fault. Many years ago, people like us would have been more integrated in our communities and would have been able to contribute, but things have changed and it's getting harder and harder to keep up. People do fall by the wayside, but that's no reflection on them as people, but on the system by which we have to try and operate.

I had to quit my professional job and I do a very menial job now and make very little. I still value myself as an individual though as I'm a decent person and I don't cause anyone any problems. That's as good as it can get and that's good enough.

@BarrowInFurnessRailwayStation that is a really wonderful and insightful way of looking at things and has helped me so much. Thank you ❤

@BarrowInFurnessRailwayStation Thank you :)

Ditto to those two posts above^

I had a stressful professional role and now I work in a library. I love it. And it's only work ten hours a week. We are all doing the best we can with what we've got.