Matt,

Your response impacted me more than you know. The heaviness of the guilt and shame on top of depression, anxiety, and hopelessness can sometimes feel too much. I heard something recently that really spoke to me. There’s nothing we can think or do that detracts from our worthiness or value. By default, we all are worthy. We all have value. Thinking that we’re not worthy or that others have more value than us doesn’t change anything. It just means we’re having a thought error. We are all equally worthy, equally valuable, regardless of what we feel or believe. If we can get our minds to that point and let go of trying to prove the opposite (through guilt and shame), we’ll have more mental strength and energy to see other possibilities. It makes sense but it’s taking some time to sink in. This second quote hit the self-love concept home for me: “You’ve been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.” — Louise Hay

Matt, thanks so much for reading and for leaving such an honest and thoughtful comment. It actually brought tears to my eyes. Sometimes the best gift you can give someone is letting them know they’re not alone. Thank you so much.

Best wishes,

Kari