Yes, You Deserve To Live, Even If Your Thoughts Say Otherwise
Feb 6, 2026
A direct challenge to the harsh inner rules that tell people they do not deserve to exist. A simple 'holds up at scale' test is introduced to reveal when self-judgment is actually unfair. Examples like work-value and coral reefs show why private standards can be dangerous when universalized. Encouragement to question deadly self-blame and consider broader, kinder perspectives.
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Test Your Rules At Scale
Evaluate your private rules by asking if they'd make sense applied to everyone.
If a rule only sounds reasonable when it's about you, it's likely flawed.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Coral Reef Childhood Lesson
As a child, Dr. Scott Eilers asked why taking a tiny piece of a coral reef seemed harmless.
His parents explained that if everyone did it, the reef would collapse, illustrating scale effects.
question_answer ANECDOTE
If Only 'Important' Jobs Mattered
Dr. Scott Eilers uses careers to show absurdity: if only 'high-value' jobs counted, society would collapse.
The example shows personal judgments about worth don't survive universal application.
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Head to Grow Therapy to find your dream therapist today!Sometimes suicidal thoughts aren’t about not enjoying life. Sometimes they come from something darker:“I don’t deserve to be here.”“Maybe dying would be the right thing.”In this video, I challenge that logic with one question that tends to collapse it:"Would the rule you’re using against yourself still make sense if you applied it to all of humanity?"Because most people live under two sets of standards:1. the ones they apply to everyone, and2. the brutal, private “me-only” rules they’d never apply to anyone elseI unpack:- the “holds up at scale” filter (and why it matters)- how self-judgment becomes a private “death-squad” standard- why “earning the right to live” is a dangerous framework- the question that exposes whether your rule is actually universal—or just self-hatred dressed up as moralityIf you’re struggling right now: please don’t do this alone. Reach out to someone you trust or a professional.
I know what it is to feel hopelessly stuck and worthless to the world in general. I also know what it is to live without those feelings. I’m both a Clinical Psychology specializing in treatment-resistant depression and anxiety, and a human who has spent more than a decade managing sever depression and anxiety.
Disclaimer: This content is not intended to be a replacement for receiving treatment. It is purely educational in nature. My relationship with you is that of presenter and audience, not therapist and client.
The Psychology of Depression and Anxiety - Dr. Scott Eilers 
