I do have a dog. I probably don't give him enough credit. I like to assume he only loves me because I give him walks and treats. But he does like to be near me and seems to be distressed when I'm gone. He's been a good buddy the last 5 years I have had him.
I have a great friend who is a bit of a straight shooter that pointed out to me that I am harboring a bit of resentment towards women. That a lot of the feelings of worthlessness is anger towards women, as well as internalized negativity towards myself. I think he's right and that I have generalized a bit when girls or women did things to mock or insult me when I was younger. He's most likely right that I now have both filters that I apply to pretty much any interaction with women now.
Is this something others have worked through? It bothers me that I feel this way, but I am glad I can recognize what it is now. I have started journaling about some of what happened and the views about myself and women that I carried away from those encounters. I probably buy too many books, but I would also like to read up more on this if there is anything useful.
You have a dog, not a cat. Cats are all in it for the food. Not Dogs. Dogs are all about unconditional love if you treat them right.
As for working through feelings about women/bullies. Yeah i have been there. Although somewhat ironically (since its in contrast to the previous advice i gave) what got me past it was other people believing in me.
One of the worst things about depression is that a person can get caught in a negative reinforcement feedback loop. The way out of it is first learning that you are stuck in one and then rejecting the premise. That tends to be easier when you have evidence to the contrary.
Ie M was nice to me. K, she just treats me as a person, maybe i really am just like everyone else. Eventually this stuff started to pile up and i had enough evidence to convince myself that i was OK. It was a long bumpy road. But i got there. (Neither M or K were more then acquaintances but they along with a few other people (both male and female) 100% changed my life for the better)
If i could give any advice is this. Self Love is what gets a person past this. When a person is depressed one of the first things you lose is Self Esteem aka the ability to value yourself or in other words the ability to love yourself.
The thing is Love is very much a practiced skill, and like all practiced skills it gets easier the more you do it. Start small with whatever you can manage. Maybe thats taking your dog on more regular walks or being a better friend/family member. Then when you are ready think about volunteering somewhere. Maybe the local animal shelter? Whatever it is just be part of something that you feel good about being a part of.
Eventually people saying Thank you will start to feel normal. You will notice your self image will start to change. Aditionally you will now have ammunition to fight against the long held negativity you are currently holding onto. For every person who said something negative about you, you now have positive examples to refute that.
Wow that was an essay. I think i was talking to myself more then anyone else by the end there.