Depression
- Anila Cherian
 reedom
… Release … Relief …is a cry very often heard from
people longing to be free of their pain and suffering. There are
‘dark days’ when we trudge heavily through confusion,
doubt, despair and discouragement. Sometimes it feels as if ‘darkness’
has put her arms around us and is pulling us down into the depths
of anguish.
Depression
- to put a name to these feelings, has been described as the ‘common
cold’ of all emotional problems. At some time or the other
all of us have experienced such feelings. It’s when these
‘dark days’ persist that they become days of depression.
Depression
affects the whole person - body, soul and spirit. Severe depression
may overwhelm its victim with feelings of despair, sadness, fear,
exhaustion, immobilizing apathy, hopelessness and inner desperation.
We may experience a sense of worthlessness, think negatively,
loose interest in everything and lack self-esteem. It feels difficult
to get up in the morning and we tend to feel irritated about the
smallest of things.
Depression
is no respecter of persons - it can affect anybody. Martin Luther,
Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill are some leaders who have battled
with bouts of depression through their life. Churchill referred
to it as the ‘black dog’.
Christians
very often, struggle to accept that they may be depressed. Many
of us look at it as a sign of spiritual failure and tend to be
impatient with people suffering from depression. We may even catch
ourselves thinking, “Why can’t they just pray &
read the Bible more or trust in the Lord, and all their problems
will be solved. No sincere Christian should feel depressed. There
must be some sin their life!”
Christians
are not immune to depression. King David, in the Bible, is described
as a man after God’s own heart and yet his numerous bouts
of depression are recorded throughout the book of Psalms. Jeremiah
wrote a whole book of lamentations. Elsewhere in the Bible it
appears that Job, Moses, Jonah, Peter and even Elijah experienced
depression. Unfortunately, Christian friends (like Job’s
friends) can sometimes be our worst enemies offering false and
unrealistic advice.
It
is no shame to feel depressed - it is an inevitable part of our
maturing process. It is more honest to admit that we need help
than to pretend we can live the Christian life in isolation. Our
drive to be self-sufficient can destroy our dependency on Christ.
Depression,
despair and hopelessness can creep into our lives and taint our
view of reality. But the Truth restores hope. We need to look
at things from God’s perspective. Let’s look at some
practical ways to cope with depression -
-
Admit
you have a problem and seek help. Sometimes depression can originate
in the body due to physical causes. Such depression can be treated
medically by a doctor. Some people get depressed when of some
situation or crisis in their life, which they find difficult
to accept or cope with. They should seek the help of a good
Christian counsellor or their pastor.
-
Make
sure you eat, sleep and rest properly. Lack of sleep and nourishment
to the body can add to the stress and aggravate the situation.
-
Stop
thinking negatively. People who are depressed tend think negatively
about themselves, their circumstances and the future. These
thoughts and lies become deeply ingrained as they constantly
ponder over them.
-
When
your thoughts and your lifestyle disagree with what God says
it is a sin. ‘Whatever is not from faith is sin’ (Romans
14:23) We need to confess and repent - that is turn from our
false beliefs and destructive behaviour.
-
We
need to renew our minds by replacing the negative thoughts and
wrong beliefs about ourselves. Changing false beliefs and attitudes
is necessary to overcome depression. We need to replace it by
the truth written about ourselves according to the word of God.
Lean heavily on God’s Word. We need to say like David in
Psalms 119: 15&16, ‘I will meditate on Your precepts,
and contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statues;
I will not forget Your word.’
-
Don’t
wait till you ‘feel’ good, before you do things. Schedule
appointments and activities that pulls you out of your negative
mood. Force yourself to work, even though you may not feel like
getting out of bed. Plan an activity and stick to it. Continue
with your routine duties.
-
Temporary
relief measures like alcohol, drugs, pornography etc. don’t
help at all. They just worsen the situation and adds to the
stress. Don’t add addiction to the list of your problems.
-
When
we feel depressed we tend to avoid people, as we don’t
feel like interacting much. But being alone only gives us more
space and time to ponder on negative thoughts. It might be helpful
if you can be part of a small caring fellowship, which meets
regularly - its great to have people who can listen and pray
with you.
-
Express
and share your feelings with God. Jesus was a man of sorrows,
acquainted with grief. He can understand what you are going
through and can relate to how you feel. ‘For we do not
have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses,
but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let
us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may
obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.’ Hebrews
4: 15 & 16
-
Memories
from the past can haunt us and pull us down. We hold on to old
hurts and scars and let bitterness take root in our hearts.
We need to let go of the past, and grab hold of God. This may
involve forgiving people who have hurt us in the past.
We
need to open our fingers and let go of the ashes that we hold
on to so tightly. There is beauty beyond our comprehension awaiting
us. God promises to trade beauty for ashes, oil of joy for mourning
and garments of praise for the spirit of heaviness. (Isaiah
61:3) Go ahead - trust God. His beauty for your ashes.
‘Now
may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.’
Romans 15:13
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