Surviving Depression
It took me a long time after taking that leap of faith into therapy to learn that the most valuable part of psychotherapy is not information or advice but it is the therapist-client relationship itself. You need to internalize their advice and techniques (as OP managed to do on their own), and therapy is about creating a facilitative environment to alter that conception of self.<p>In therapy, you are unconditionally accepted with positive regard, which facilitates viewing yourself more clearly without the need to lean on self-defeating coping mechanisms, like self-pity or shifting blame. As social creatures we instinctively perform a lot of mirroring of others&#x27; mental state, so simply by being accepted we are able to try on what it is like to accept ourselves. It&#x27;s leveraging an additional set of tools baked into us at a deep level to build self awareness and a more positive, realistic self model.<p>If you&#x27;re struggling, I&#x27;d like to echo others and strongly recommend you reach out to a psychiatrist and psychologist if they are within reach for you. Take OP as an example that it is possible to change, but please explore all the resources available to you so that you can explore what works for you.<p>That being said, thank you to Vishnu for sharing some of your struggles and how you&#x27;ve managed to find ways to improve. It really helps to be talking publicly about these issues.