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" Question  I suffer from a lack of self-confidence which inevitably leads to increased levels of stress and depression.  In particular I am finding hard to progress in life, career and relationship wise. I often find I have no drive and no clear direction in life. It&amp;amp;#8217;s as if I&amp;amp;#8217;m just plodding along.  I feel I have lots of potential but I just can&amp;amp;#8217;t muster the effort because I fear failure.  Is there any type of counselling I can attend or mild medication I could be prescribed?    Answer David writes: I think if you look at things realistically, you&amp;#039;ll see that &amp;#039;medication&amp;#039; is not going to be able to put your life right.  However, commonsense counselling could help a lot, and I think you should ask your GP what facilities are available in your part of the UK.  Christine adds: Quite honestly, there are some doctors who might put you on an antidepressant &amp;amp;#8211; but this is no answer for you long term.  Personally, I think people should steer clear of medication &amp;amp;#8211; and all its inevitable side effects &amp;amp;#8211; unless they really need it.  I don&amp;#039;t think you need it, but I do think you are right to be concerned about yourself and right to try to sort out your feelings.  A great deal of good can be done by reading and working at various self-help books these days.  So I&amp;#039;m going to recommend some to you. This is not instead of the counsellling &amp;amp;#8211; it&amp;#039;s just a way of tackling things from another angle.  The best books for you right now would be.  &amp;#039;Mind over mood&amp;#039; &amp;amp;#8211; this is an excellent book that encourages the reader to re-think his/her responses to situations. It&amp;#039;s by Greenberger and Padesky and is published by Guilford Press.  &amp;#039;Overcoming low self-esteem&amp;#039; by Melanie Fennell, published by Robinson. &amp;#039;The confidence to be yourself&amp;#039; by Dr Brain Roet, published by Piatkus.  In most areas there are evening classes in self-assertiveness. These classes help a lot of people.  They are usually quite a good laugh &amp;amp;#8211; and one of the bonuses of them is that you not only develop skills to help you in life, but you meet other people who are struggling with similar problems.  Your local public library should be able to tell you about evening classes in your town/city.  I do hope this information will help you. Yours sincerely Dr David Delvin, GP and Christine Webber, psychotherapist   Other Qs &amp;amp; As Can the new pill take away my shyness? Feeling empty, useless and worthless Hiding my feelings How can I improve my self-esteem? How can I overcome my shyness? I feel worthless I lack confidence I want to improve my self-confidence I&amp;#039;m so shy Is there a drug to cure my shyness? Meeting strangers makes me feel sick Problems facing up to people Reducing shyness Social disorder   Last updated 04.01.2012 "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/ask-the-expert/a4301/lack-of-self-confidence/>