12 Truths To Help With Depression

I'm a person who's been through depression, quite a few times now. Has it changed me? Absolutely. Has it made me feel completely out of control, hopeless, suicidal and full of fear? Yes. But, has it ruined me? Absolutely not. Has it made me a person of less value and worth? Without a doubt the answer is no. 

And the answer is no for you too.

I've not really touched on this subject a great deal within the space of this little blog, but today I am going to. I remember feeling so alone, feeling like no one would understand. Feeling like I was totally useless. Having an unexplainable urge to end my life. 

I need to tell you some truth today. I can't have this blog as a world wide resource and not share this hope, this truth and some relief for you. Please hear me today, hear my heart. I know this is a controversial issue, but I simply don't care. I want you to hear the truth, why? Because God loves you and so I will love you here in this space too. When you love, you speak truth in love.

I want to share with you some practical things that really made a difference in my life while going through this season, and I hope that they give you some relief, some comfort and some help.

1. Draw closer to God - make it happen. Make yourself pray, make yourself thank Him for the ways He helps you each day. Make yourself read the Word, make yourself sing praise. Why am I saying 'make yourself'? Because I know that most times you just don't 'feel' like it, but believe me, those are the times you need to the most. James 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.                                                                                                                                                                                                               
2. Seek medical advice - whether it be a Doctor, a Naturopath or a Homoeopath, that choice is completely yours. Just make sure you find the right help for you. If you're not sure if you are suffering from depression, maybe it's a good idea to get checked anyway and go from there. The important thing is that you know there is lots of professional help available no matter which avenue you choose.                                                                               
3. Look after yourself - sounds simple enough but most of us (especially if we're mothers) don't take regular time to give our bodies what we're needing to stay healthy. Good sleep, regular exercise, healthy eating, times to relax, lots of water. These things are necessary.                                                                                                                                                          
4. Talking it out - I've gone for visits with a Psychiatrist and I found this so incredibly helpful to be able to verbalise everything that was going on to someone who was 'neutral'. Meaning, someone that didn't know me and wasn't going to just tell me what I wanted to hear. This was a very important part of the healing process for me.                                                
5. Positive self-talk - Now I'm not getting all 'freaky' here! You have to be speaking to yourself kindly. Instead of 'I'm useless', 'I can't get through this', 'This is never going to end', 'I'm just so stupid', 'Everything is hopeless', try saying, 'I'm going to be OK', 'I am going to win this', 'I'm so valuable', 'I can do this'. It may sound too basic to help, but it really really does.                                                                                                                                                   
6. Slow down - Don't put unrealistic expectations on yourself. If you have to cut back your workload a bit to get more rest, then that's OK. It's only a season. If you only get the basics of the house work done, or not even that, then don't be tempted to feel like a failure. On days when you are feeling a bit better in yourself, catch up slowly, it will all be OK.                                                                                                                                                                          
7. Remember you are not alone - I was relieved to find out just how many people I know who have been through very similar situations to myself. It gave me a glimpse of hope in knowing that they got through it and are leading wonderful lives, and so can I. You can too. Just be careful with the balance of how many people you share your struggle with, some people unfortunately can be cruel.                                                                        
8. Finding the positives in every day - There really is so many things in each day that we can thank God for. So many of His blessings are everywhere, big and small. Maybe writing in a gratitude journal could be a visual reminder of the things that are good in your life. This practise helped me, and still does.                                                                                    
9. Speaking out Gods Word -  You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:4.                     No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Romans 8:37 God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7.  So do not fear, for I am with you;    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.I will strengthen you and help you;    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10. Find yourself some verses to speak out over your life, this is so powerful.       
   
10. Focus on the truth - You do have people in your life who love you, who need you. You've been made with a purpose, you are loved beyond measure. You will get through this. You will be made stronger through this. You're not alone. You're beautiful. There is help. There are people who understand.                                                                                                      
11. Establish a support network - I had a few people around me who would just pop in and check on me and ask if they could do anything. We had cuppas, sometimes they were just an amazing shoulder. I had some people who were holding me up in prayer, and still do, and I am so grateful for their faithful love and support of me in this way. Generally the people who really love you will help you any way they can, if you're not staying silent. You must tell people who are very trustworthy that you are struggling.                                                                                                                                                                                                        
12. Don't give up! - This is the most important point. Don't give up on God, on your medications, on your support network, on the power of prayer, on the power of God's word, on your psychiatrist appointments, on claiming and speaking out the truth. But most importantly, incredibly precious soul who my heart is breaking for because I know where you are ... most importantly, don't give up on yourself. It's not the answer, it's not the solution. You will get through this, I know you will. Please believe me. Your life is worth so much to so many. 

Depression is a part of living in a sin-sick world. It's like any other physical or psychological condition. The only reason people don't understand is because they've not experienced it firsthand. Those of us who have experienced it need to realise that if people don't understand it, it's through no fault of their own. It's impossible for someone to comprehend depression fully without experiencing it. It still effects these people though (in more ways than I have time to list), they're seeing the person they love suffer and they're not sure how to help. (This has been my experience anyway) They want to help, they just can't relate well. Let them help you in the ways they can, it is all out of love for you. 

I'm so relieved to know that there is so much reliable help out there for people suffering with depression. I'm so relieved to know that the medical world is slowly removing the stigma that was related to depression and people are seeing that it's not something that make people 'different' to them, they just go through seasons of serious struggle. 

I'm so relieved to know that our God is greater than all of these sicknesses that the enemy loves to throw into our path; that Jesus conquered over all of it on the cross, that He keeps His unchanging promises, that we have our hope in Him, that He is the anchor for our soul, that He is faithful to carry us when we can't take another step, that He never ceases to pour out His love on us, that He is our over comer in everything. God loves you you know, he really really loves you down to the very core of your inner most being. He's crazy about the person that you are, the person that He delighted in making. I'm so relieved to know that He didn't give up on me, and He won't give up on you either. 

There is always growth after pain and suffering.