It takes courage to open up about our self-loathing thoughts to anyone, much more to the internet. 💪
You're right that being aware of the problem is the right step. For me, it involved a lot of un-learning and learning to take back my self-worth.
I'll leave you with this excerpt from Emotional First Aid (by Guy Winch) that talks about why positive self-talk can backfire:
...positive affirmations are supposed to change how we feel about ourselves, whether they fall inside or outside the boundaries of our own self-concept is crucial to their effectives. When people with low-esteem are exposed to positive affirmations that differ too widely from their existing self-beliefs, the affirmation is perceived as untrue and rejected in its entirety and it actually strengthens their belief that the opposite is true. Recent research into the usefulness of positive affirmations has investigated these ideas and verified their potential in causing more harm than good.
YEah, it never really helped me. It made me more anxious. ahhaha