i like me. obviously i have faults and imperfections, but then like... so does everyone. i'm not a horrible person and i'm not cruel, so i don't really think there's any reason to hate myself. i didn't used to like myself much for most of my childhood but now that i'm a bit older i've learnt that it's just... easier. even if you've got to fake it to begin with and wait until it actually sticks, it's just easier to accept yourself for who you are and avoid the pain of hating the person you have to live with for the rest of your life. there are days where i don't particularly like myself, like when i do smth socially awkward or clumsy, but it doesn't take long for me to jump back up and realise that it was just a small mistake! not going to lie though, it did take a few years for me to adapt that mentality. it's just a lot of hard work, monitoring your own thoughts and small steps towards really accepting smth, i guess.
to answer the second question, yes, i did drastic things to myself when i was a little younger. nothing too serious in that i never physically self harmed or attempted anything; my methods were more based on putting myself into situations i knew i hated as punishment or getting involved in dangerous things as a distraction. nowadays i still struggle with physical confidence so i do monitor my eating and weight in a way that would be considered unhealthy but i don't hurt myself and i wouldn't consider myself to have an ed. looking back on it it makes me angry at myself that i ever attempted things like that bc rly, my life wasn't that bad, i wasn't that bad, and there was no reason for it. : - (
my advice for ppl who need a boost... change the way you think. it sounds difficult, but it's just a process of tiny steps - if you catch yourself thinking 'i suck', 'i hate me', anything like that... change it. just think something different, picture something different, and eventually you'll learn to associate those clicks of negativity with brighter things. i'm pretty sure there's a psychological term for that but i'm not entirely sure what it is? apart from that just focus on the positive, always, no matter how hard it is - you're clumsy? yeah, but you're really good at that videogame. you're not academically intelligent? no, but you're street smart. that kind of thing! also never, ever listen to the negative opinions of others bc humans are just mean in nature. you deserve to be kind to yourself.