Let me begin by telling you that I have battled depression . . . both situational and chemical/hormonal. I’ve been depressed at times when the people around me understood, and at times when they had no idea what to do or how to help.
If you are dealing with depression know that I am praying for you as I write this.
Something I have learned from my struggle with depression:
I want to be happy!
If you want to be happy too . . . I have some suggestions for you:
1. Get help – Talk to your doctor, talk to a counselor, confide in someone you trust. DON’T try to fight this alone. Sometimes Christians believe that getting help for depression shows a weak faith. I don’t agree. I knew the Lord and was on my knees faithfully even though I was depressed.
2. Help someone else – Serving others is a good way to help yourself feel better . . . even if it’s only temporary. However . . .
3. Monitor your activities – Some people want to go to bed and pull the covers over their heads when they’re depressed. I tend to go into hyper-mode, believing that if I move fast enough I will be able to ignore the struggle. Neither way is healthy. If you’re finding yourself dealing with either extreme it’s time to accept that you may be dealing with something more than just a bad mood.
I’m happy!
By God’s grace I am doing really well. I praise Him for these good days, but I also praise Him for those bad ones. Through both I have learned about myself. I’ve learned about people and mental health. The best thing I’ve learned is that God is who He says He is and I am able to trust Him more than ever before.
How about you?
If depression is robbing you of your happiness, determine today that you want to get help. It’s okay to want to be happy!
Will you please pray with me?
Father, We want to be happy. We want to trust You completely and joyfully obey You. But some days are hard. Really hard. We are hurting and we don’t know where to turn for help. Thank you for Your love, grace, and mercy. Thank You for allowing us to honestly come before You on both good and bad days. Help us. Guide and direct us. Deliver us from the pit, and stand us on solid ground. Thanks and praise. Amen.
I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and He turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.
He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Psalm 40:1-3
Good post on depression. I am just coming out of a bout with depression that did require meds and just some life style changes. Stress from two major moves since Sept 2011 and a son getting a divorce kicked up my fibermyalgia and combined resulted in depression that I could not pull my self out of. I think more people then we realize suffer from depression for many reason but never get help due to what ever. I am going to send your post to a friend. Thank you for your courage and honesty. Blessings
Betty, Thank you for your encouragement, I started this post writing about something else, and this was the end result. After consulting with my dh and Barbie we decided this was the post to run. I was feeling pretty vulnerable so I really appreciate your kindness. I’m so glad it blessed you.
This is a great article, and I love how you bring God into your answers – because He is the one that can comfort and help us. I also think he has provided everything for us to help ourselves and one thing for myself after suffering for 35 plus years is that my thyroid was not working well. I have read Dr. David Brownstein, M.D. book on “Overcoming Thyroid Disorders” and he writes that there are more than 80% of people walking around with a thyroid imbalance. Since the thyroid is the gatekeeper to all other cells and hormones it is important to get this checked. The other problem is that most thyroid replacement meds that the doctors give do not convert T-4 to T-3 and it is the T-3 that gets into the cells and the thyroid gland. It is such an easy fix but finding a doctor who will test T-3 may be a challenge but it is so important that T-3 is checked to see if that is the problem. I think Dr. Brownstein’s book is a great resource for anyone suffering from any disease or aliment – check it out. Also one of the things that keeps the thyroid healthy is iodine and most people don’t get enough or they try to get it from chemical table salt – he also addresses that in his book. Good easy read and very informative.
Rosemary, Thanks for sharing your thoughts. You are right, health can influence our mood and striving to be in good health is God pleasing. I will have to check out Dr. Brownstein’s book.