How to Deal with Not Being Careful

Get rid of feeling worthless. People who feel unworthy often don’t believe they are cared for by anyone. Remind yourself that you deserve attention, no matter how you feel or what others say about you. Learn to fight negative thinking, even if you don’t want to admit it. ^[1]

• Think about your reaction when someone offers to help. Do you argue with them as if to prove yourself worthless? This can make you feel worse and make other people stop wanting to help you. Pay attention to your reactions in these situations. You should learn to stop reacting and say “thank you”.

Reach out to old friends and acquaintances. If close friends or loved ones are not around, think of those who have been kind to you in the past. Find a way to reconnect with old friends. Share your feelings with a close friend, teacher, or acquaintance who is a good listener.

• Talking in person or on the phone is better than texting or chatting online. ^[2]

Understand the “don’t care” response. When you’re seriously depressed, it’s easy to assume that everyone is selfish, mean, and uncaring. Often people are more focused on their own lives. This doesn’t mean they don’t care about you. People’s responses like “Everything will be fine” or “Forget about it” may sound indifferent, but the speaker actually thinks it will be very helpful to you. They can make you happy in some way, but you need to be careful when talking to them in the worst mood. ^[3]

Find new interests and groups of friends. If you only have a few friends or family members, an argument can temporarily destroy your entire support network. Therefore, you should choose new activities to meet more people and to assert your worth.

• Participate in volunteer activities. Helping others is one way to feel better about yourself.
• Join a local club, religious organization or course.
• Practice talking to strangers to get to know them better.

Find support online. When there’s no one to talk to, you can try chatting with strangers online through sites like Blah Therapy or 7 cups.

• When you’re in a crisis, call your local psychological counseling hotline. There are many online and telephone counseling services available around the world. You can check out sites like Befrienders.org, suicide.org and iasp.info.

Keep happy memories. When you’re sad, it’s hard to notice the positive things in your life. Hugs or advice won’t affect you or you’ll forget in a few hours. ^[4] When you’re more relaxed, write down all the happy memories on paper. Keep everything in a journal or paper box. Add it in every time someone sends you a good message or does something good for you. Reread those things when you feel uninterested.

Make time for your pet. Pets are great companions in difficult times, especially dogs. If you don’t have a pet, you can ask a friend or neighbor if you can take their dog for a walk or visit the cat.