Depression is rampant in our society, and the next 2 blogs I will be sharing ways to overcome it.
1.
Let yourself be grateful. All of us can
find little things to be thankful for. We live in the most affluent nation on
earth, and have many blessings that we can say “Thank you” for. Write down
three things every day that are different, some specific, small things, that
elicit an attitude of gratitude in you.
2.
Volunteer. Help at a homeless shelter,
make meals for shut-ins, help out at a place for orphaned animals, visit
elderly people in a nursing home, rake your 90 year old neighbor’s yard. All of
these get the focus off of yourself, and on to someone else. Who has it worse
than you. It’s guaranteed to make a person feel better.
3. Exercise. Even a 15 minute walk will
produce some endorphins, making you feel better. However you like to exercise:
biking, jogging, dancing, pilates, walking, playing tennis or basketball…choose
one and then figure out how you can do it several times a week. It really
works!
4.
Write. Journaling is a very successful
way to overcome depression. Somehow, committing it to paper gets it out of our
mind, and articulates it. That’s better than letting it sit in our head and
ferment. When I journal, I try to end it with a positive thing. An
inspirational saying, a Bible verse, a poem. This lifts my spirits.
5.
Read the Psalms. David was depressed for
over half of the Psalms, and minced no words in expressing it. He vents quite
vociferously in some places, for God isn’t afraid of emotion! But notice, in
every Psalm, there is at least one verse that shows the faithfulness of God. A
little light to illuminate the darkness. David knew all about the dark night,
the agony of the soul.
6. Connect with someone. It is the tendency
of people who are struggling with depression to isolate themselves. Reach out,
even though you don’t feel like it! Ask a safe person if you can vent to them.
Let them know that they aren’t to fix you, you just want their listening ear.
Don’t stay alone, and it’s best not to do it thru texting. Face-to-face contact
is 100% better.
7. Pray about it. I mean short prayers, like
“God, I have lost hope, please help me.” “What shall I do about this despair?”
Then expect God to answer you, even if you have doubts.
If, however, you are seriously depressed, it
would be good to see a professional. Rather than judge you, the
counselor will help you learn some useful tools to defeat depression. It’s
worth a try! 5 sessions could well be all the person would need.
A word about medication. I believe that
anti-depressants are God’s gift to us, but are to be used sparingly. If a
person is very depressed, they might need something to get them back up to
feeling decent again. But rarely should the medication be seen as a permanent
solution. You need to change your thinking to get well and stay well.
Medications in many cases are like the scaffolding on a house that is being
built. It’s there for a while, but not there long term. Changing one’s thinking,
figuring out and beating the distortions, is how one builds the house.
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