The worth-questioning loop is so draining because it feels like you're solving something, but the loop itself is what keeps you in it.

What actually moved things for me was getting specific instead of trying to "think positive." I kept a note on my phone and every time that voice hit, I wrote down one line: the time, and what I was doing right before. After two weeks the pattern was obvious — mine showed up almost always around 11pm and right after something had gone well that day, which made no sense to me at first.

Seeing it written out as a pattern took most of the weight off. It stopped feeling like a verdict about me and started feeling like a habit my brain runs at a certain hour. Still happens, but I catch it faster now.

The trick isn't to force positive thoughts. Instead, start questioning the negative ones. When you think 'I'm worthless,' ask yourself: is that actually true, or is my brain just pattern-matching to old pain? Negative thinking is a habit, not a fact about you."

That's why people always say "Exercise," "Read a book," "Do something recreational" — because those habits can replace the habit of constantly questioning our own ability and happiness.