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If you try to develop this understanding while you're depressed, however, you'll hardly see the point. It's just as oppressive as anything else.

But if you work through it outside the context of your depression, you develop positive associations: it's liberating to feel pain fully.

And when you know that feeling of liberation from memory, have a lifeline. If you can work through the bullshit, you know *how* it gets better.

That's when you realize there may be a point to doing things, to bothering with what few minitiae of everyday life you have the energy for.

Otherwise, you really shouldn't underestimate the more practical solutions. Depression is often *caused* by basic life issues.

A lack of companionship or warmth in interactions with others, too much stress, not enough sleep, malnutrition etc. They all matter a lot.

But if you suffer from a low self-esteem, depression can really destroy your willingness. You don't feel like you deserve anything good.

If you've tried exercises like this with no improvement, there's a good chance you need outside help - counseling or something else.

People with self-esteem issues tend to refuse help; "I'm not worth it." Fuck that. The people in your life don't deserve this BULLSHIT.

So sink into that feeling of worthlessness. Feel it. Know it. Understand it. See that it isn't always there. And then, get some real help.

This has probably become a bit too disjointed to be fully digestible, coherent or useful. I wanted to finish for the sake of completeness, but...

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I think I'll go ahead and convert this into an article later. I couldn't quite keep the thread together, but I think I can fix that.