Depression and Low Self-Esteem as a Symptom

Low self-esteem can bring on depression. Having said that, depression also lowers self-esteem. It truly is a vicious cycle, one that I am trying very hard to manage.

On a depression scale of 1 to 10, in recent weeks, my depression has been very well managed and I've been a consistent 8. My family is healthy and happy, work has been good and it looks like we're going to have a white Christmas. Yesterday we got together, had some Chinese food and decorated our Christmas tree. It was a lovely evening. My brother took a photo of me standing by the tree, putting up a decoration. He posted the photo to Facebook and when I saw it, I was shocked by how fat I looked from behind.

Low Self-Esteem and Depression Sometimes Go Hand-in-Hand

My self-esteem took an immediate dive, taking a lot of the happiness I was feeling with it. Now, many would say that this is a problem that has little or nothing to do with depression, the causes of depression or the coping with depression. Many would say that this is a problem any typical woman (or man) could feel.

And I agree.

Weight, Self-Esteem and Depression

I am like any typical woman, one who has always struggled with weight. Where the depression component kicks in is with my inability to rebalance my thoughts and bring my self-esteem back up. The negative thoughts about my weight and how I look have the potential to send me spiraling down a very dark hole. I need to tap into my coping skills to lift me out.

It's been 24 hours and I've had very little success at doing so. I've been trying, but it doesn't seem to be working. In fact, I seem to be in the spiraling down phase. But oh, I am fighting it. For now though, my self-esteem is tumbling and my depression... well, it waits for me at the bottom of the pit.

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