I've also struggled with self esteem and being able to look in the mirror and actually like what I see. I also struggled in college; depression and anxiety made it very difficult me to attend classes. I still haven't graduated, but I'm now in a much better place and plan on transferring schools soon to finish up. I agree that seeing a therapist will help you move forward.

The one piece of advice I can give, and I think it's the most important, is that you have to WANT to let go of all those negative thoughts. It sounds so much easier than it is. But, I know with me, letting go of my desire to be perfect, and that nothing else was acceptable, was SO hard. I had to truly want to change my thought processes before I could move forward. I spent several years in therapy before I was finally ready to start letting go of my ideal of being perfect. Part of the problem is when you have low self esteem and low self worth, the negative thoughts feel right, good, a form of punishment because you're not good enough. You can't just start telling yourself you are good, because you won't believe it until you want to believe it. I grappled with this for years, and even now, I can occasionally feel myself slip back into those comfortable territories.

I hope this didn't come out wrong, or too jumbled. It was very hard for me to explain... One of those things I know in my core, but not really in language.

Take care