Why can't I be satisfied with myself?

I'm constantly comparing myself to my peers and their success. I feel like I'm never doing enough in my life and it's very frustrating. Tonight has been one of the worst nights for me. I was looking through some girls I went to school with and I couldn't help, but notice how they are very social and just going places with their lives such as having glamorous jobs and lifestyles.

My mom passed away about a year and half ago and my dad's heath has declined a lot which has resulted in me dropping out of school(Iim 22) and working full time as a teacher in a day care. I can't help, but feel jealous and wishing I could just do a lot better. I'm also feeling pretty lousy about my appearance lately and just constantly putting myself down. I feel like this is going to drive me crazy. How do I just start being satisfied with my life? I know I have some circumstances that aren't so great, but I wish I could just be happy with my life and appearance. I sometimes get those urges to change like wanting to be more social and be happy with the way I look, but it never lasts. I start giving up and just wanting to stay home all day. How can I finally change? I'm currently on antidepressants and it helps a little, but I still have those thoughts a lot.

Have you thought about therapy? Sometimes it is hard for us to rewrite our brains from years of habitual self-criticism and it helps to have an objective point of view to help us through.

I've tried affirmations without much luck but a lot of people benefit greatly by using them. Post them on your mirrors, fridge, etc.

Personally, I try to use thought stopping by just saying "stop" and then changing my thought to a more positive one or direct it to something in the present moment. It takes some practice but helps keep me from the negative thought patterns. I use it for obsessive, negative thoughts.

Practicing being grateful helps, too. List three things each day that you are grateful for. Replacing the negative thoughts with grateful thoughts is very helpful.

Good luck.

i can identify with you totally - er i'm 57. the thing that has really helped build my self-esteem now has been challenging myself-big time for me- i've embarked on a psych. degree which is no walk in the park but the equation of what you sow etc is working within and without.

I can definitely agree with you on this. Right now, I'm having a difficult time with my self-esteem. I've gone to a therapist, but because I'm still on my dad's insurance, he wants me to find another therapist. I also deal with quite a bit of anxiety. I've tried a few affirmations, and for me, they somewhat help, but I haven't really stuck to them.