Depression Tips

Judy - I never accused all depression sufferers of being sinful, so you may wish to edit what you say about me.

I affirm what The Lord can and will do, your accusations are a load of unhelpful rubbish, adding heat not light to this thread.

AllTalkNoAction said:

Time alone doesn't heal, there are many bitter older people to show that, faith and seeking God over time heals though (without faith it is impossible to please God)

I gave a list of a few possible reasons so I don't know why you are accusing me of being judgemental etc

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You're assuming all depression is down to sin. That's been proved to be false

AllTalkNoAction said:

Some of these suggestions can alleviate synproms and distract you away from feeling depresssed, but surely Jesus would hit the nail on the head and say "uproot the cause", whether it's unbelief, unforgiveness, unresolved issue, . . .

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Sounds here like you are atributing it all down to sin, to the suggestions you wrote. It may be true sometimes, but just because that was the case with any of us personally, or to someone we knew, I'm sick of people generalising everyone else, as if we're all the same. Sometimes we do just need to fill our lives with activities and think positively, not allowing the devil to keep us depressed. God doesn't and hasn't immediately just got rid of it for everyone just by prayer, thats been proved by a lot of people, but it doesnt make them or God wrong. Sorry if I sounded disrespectful, it just annoys me when someone treats it as that simple all the time, and a quick prayer/wave of the magic wand would automatically get rid of it. Job prayed and prayed but it didn't immediately all go away for him. There's the devil active in this world too, and saying that would always happen, is creating false hopes in people, and then they feel like failures if it doesn't happen. God later blessed Job abundantly, and Job grew in his relationship with God, it wasn't sin that stopped things from getting better. Sometimes he works on us slowly, longing to bring us close to him. God can, and certainly will heal, but its not always immediate. I think he does heal everyone, but sometimes he chooses to do it gradually, and step by step and suffering is also there to test our faith and perseverance.

Judy02 said:

You're assuming all depression is down to sin. That's been proved to be false

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And where did I make that assumption ?

I said " Whatever it is".

In my past experience with depression these are some of the things that helped me through... leaning hard on Jesus, praying, talking to a trusted friend or counselor, exercising, not isolating, playing worship music, being kind to myself, taking care of my body by making sure I ate and didn't under or over sleep. Positive affirmations and self-talk helped. Being honest with famiy and friends and understanding that not everyone will be supportive. Being patient with myself and the journey was difficult at times too, because I wanted to rise above what I was feeling. Having friendly reminders of hope and scripture from friends and loved ones helped me in that.

For me personally, I needed to take an anti-depressant for a period of time due to a depletion of my seratonin level, that was prescribed by my doctor and it helped me a great deal. I was able to get off the kitchen floor. Yes, I had a lot of carpet time.... I went through depression due a past trauma and the need to walk through my grief. Thankfully, by the loving grace of God and His comfort, I came through. Sometimes what we think will kill us will only make us stronger, God will give you courage to get through what you need to, He is very close to the brokenhearted. I don't mind sharing about this for I know there is someone out there who will read this and receive encouragement and hope from what I am testifying about and some of the tips that have helped me... God bless you.

Jdmessenger said:

In my past experience with depression these are some of the things that helped me through... leaning hard on Jesus, praying, talking to a trusted friend or counselor, exercising, not isolating, playing worship music, being kind to myself, taking care of my body by making sure I ate and didn't under or over sleep. Positive affirmations and self-talk helped. Being honest with famiy and friends and understanding that not everyone will be supportive. Being patient with myself and the journey was difficult at times too, because I wanted to rise above what I was feeling. Having friendly reminders of hope and scripture from friends and loved ones helped me in that.

For me personally, I needed to take an anti-depressant for a period of time due to a depletion of my seratonin level, that was prescribed by my doctor and it helped me a great deal. I was able to get off the kitchen floor. Yes, I had a lot of carpet time.... I went through depression due a past trauma and the need to walk through my grief. Thankfully, by the loving grace of God and His comfort, I came through. Sometimes what we think will kill us will only make us stronger, God will give you courage to get through what you need to, He is very close to the brokenhearted. I don't mind sharing about this for I know there is someone out there who will read this and receive encouragement and hope from what I am testifying about and some of the tips that have helped me... God bless you.

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Thank you for your post, I'm sure many of us will find it helpful. Sometimes I've been a bit hurt when not everyone has understood, or been supportive, maybe its hard for people who've never had it to fully understand. But sometimes through times like this is as well, I realise how faithful God is. And the CF members on this part of the forum have been amazing and a god send too, hehe! xxx

WORDS OF COMFORT

And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast ~ 1 Peter 5:10

Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am faint; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in anguish. ~ Psalm 6:2-3

But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold. ~ Job 23:10

For He gives us comfort in our trials so that we in turn may be able to give the same sort of strong sympathy to others in theirs. ~ II Corinthians 1:4

Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. ~ Psalm 71:20

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. ~ Romans 15:13

Come to me and I will give you rest, all of you who are weary. ~ Matthew 11:28

He restores my soul. ~ Psalm 23:3a



The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters
he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
<> for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

AllTalkNoAction said:

And where did I make that assumption ?

I said " Whatever it is".

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Maybe u were just trying to help, but just from the examples you gave, made it seem like u just assumed it was automatically a result of sin. Healing can be immediate, but it isn't always, because God might decide another way is better. Immediate healing doesn't always mean, its a fault of that person, or a damaged relationship with God., or that God doesn't care anymore. The reason I got quite angry, was because I didn't want people feeling that they were failures just because their depression hadn't lifted, or have been immediately healed. Because that isn't true You can become a stronger person through your trials. Last year when it first happened to me, I prayed and prayed, was really confused to what was happening, begging God to heal me, asking him to let me know if there was anything wrong in my life, which may be causing it to remain. I'm still close to God now, but immediate healing not happening doesn't automatically mean there was something wrong with me. I think for me, God is very much trying to teach me through this, and to rely on him. I have improved since last year, but its been more gradual.

For people who are depressed: Suffering is the result of living in a fallen world, but God has also promised to strengthen and bring us through adversity, by meaning we become more dependent on him, and it will make us stronger, and glorify him even more. He does always promise however to bring us through things, and will never leave us, even if healing isn't always immediate, he may be healing us gradually all the time, without us necessarily even realising it, as its so gradual. It was only by looking back to this time last year, I realised things actually HAD improved, despite my depressed state of mind being unable to see it earlier

As well as the great ones listed above, I love this verse, which always encourages me, especially when I've struggled, from Philippians.

"Being confident in this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.' (Phil 1:6)

God never gives up on us, no matter how we feel. The God who began a good work in us continues throughout our lifetime, and will finish it when we meet him face to face (its a promise given by him to us)

His work in us began when we first belived, and God always finishes what he starts - and that includes every single one of us. We are so valuable to him xxx

I have to go to two counselors at college to keep getting my antidepression meds (student health rules), but it's interesting that sometimes talking to the counselors helped me more than talking to friends. Perhaps it's the new-personness of the counselors as opposed to friends, or whatnot, talking to professional counselors in addition to friends really helped me.

Also, when I'm at home, the cats always seem to know when I'm depressed and jump on me. For some reason that cheers me up.

Metherion

Hey Metherion I don't have cats, but my dog also senses my mood and comes to cuddle It cheers me up too. He loves me unconditionally and never judges or tell me to 'snap out of it'.

Hey. I have a dog and a cat too, I sometimes think they sense when I'm feeling down, and try and cheer me up - it's really cute!

I know what you mean metherion about talking to counsellors. I found it easier to open up and be more honest with them than friends sometimes, because of the fact that they didn't know me, it felt easier, and a bit safer. Plus I thought if they did judge me, which they didn't it wouldn't matter, because I didn't know them and would never have to see them again if they were unsupportive so the risk seemed smaller.

Good luck with your counselling and meds! xxx

I find reading Psalms comforts my spirit

Ok, so, I have had depression in my life at one point.

I believe that most of it came from not fulfilling my purpose in life, and living simply and comfortably and not boldly for christ. I have found that setting out on my vision even a little, such as helping others, being part of a fellowship of other believers, spreading the gospel or giving my life completely other to Christ, and not living for my self, has helped a great deal. I believe that depression has a lot to do with spiritual matters, I went on drugs for a while, they covered up the depression, but they did not get rid of the problem. It was like sweeping my problems under the rug so to speak.

My best advice would be to seek out some sort of volunteer work to do, or go to a soup kitchen and hand out food, something like that, help others some how, show love. Something that has purpose in the eyes of the Lord makes a world of difference. Seek after God and truth, and pray are my best advice, otherwise life is meaningless and depression soon comes.

I'm not saying everyone's condition is the same, but for some it might be because of spiritual matters, some for purely chemical reasons. The thing about antidepressant drugs is that most of them give you extra dopamine, which in turn gives you good feelings, which might cover up the real problem. Some people really do lack dopamine medically and need it. Either way, going out and doing something good for others might benefit both. It takes your mind off your own problems or saddness just like music would.

Hugging my 3 year old daughter or snuggling with her on the couch watching TV. I feel so lucky to have her and it gives me a boost in spirits.

Get yerself a lion !