"Doing something you enjoy" probably doesn't include sitting on the floor debating if hurting yourself can make you feel better? No one (even the Government) can tell you "what to do" for yourself since everyone is different. But one can't build self-esteem by tearing it down; if looking in a mirror makes you feel like crying, don't look in the mirror. They've done studies and women feel worse after reading women's magazines. Everyone complains about that but they don't stop reading the magazines? There are lots of things one can do to feel better about one's self, depending on what exactly makes one feel bad. But exploring how one feels and why is a good first step to building self esteem because one gets to know one's self better in the process.