How to Fight Depression

I recently wrote a blog post on how to relate to someone going through depression. If you have a friend or family member or someone close that you love going through depression and you don't know how to help them, read this post and it may give you some ideas.

However, if YOU are the one going through the depression, I would like to share with you some ways that have helped me endure it. I would say I have probably been suffering from chronic depression a majority of my life, with long periods of it on and off starting all the way back in 6th or 7th grade. It can be seriously emotionally, physically, and spiritually debilitating. Depression is not just having a bad day or bad week; it's a deep seated feeling of hopelessness and despair that you just can't shake no matter what is going on in your life. It's a sense that you are in this black hole that you will never get out of and there will be no relief. If it wasn't for my faith and my relationship with Christ, I don't think I would be here today and the depression would have conquered me. But, thanks to the redeeming love of my Savior, here I stand, still here, still fighting, one day at a time.

Here are a few things that I do that really help me when dealing with my depression, and maybe they will help you too.

1. Remind myself of God's unconditional love and promises. I do this by reading and reciting certain scriptures in my head to remind myself of God's truths and promises. Some verses that I constantly go to are:
1.  "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6. This helps me fight the strong feeling of loneliness that accompanies my depression.
2. "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:12-14. The imagery of pressing on and straining towards the goal ahead gives me strength and purpose to keep fighting the depression day by day.
3. "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8: 37-39. These are my favorite verses in the entire Bible. They remind me that although I often feel defeated by my depression, I can be a conqueror through Jesus Christ, and that nothing will come between me and my Savior and His love.
2. Invest, Love, and Serve Others. Depression causes a person to focus solely on their problem and sadness. It's like tunnel vision. It's hard to see beyond it to anything good or positive or any blessings you may have going on in your life. Honestly, when you are depressed, it often makes you sometimes very self-centered. So, one way I have found that helps me get my mind and emotions off of myself is to focus on others. I call and text and check-in with my friends regularly, write small encouraging notes to them, make them worship mix cds, think of creative gifts and ways to serve them. It really does help, at least for me.
3. Confide in someone. You can't do this alone. Depression is often way bigger than anything a single person can handle on their own. Not only do we need to be dependent on our Lord during dark times, we should also turn to the people God has placed in our lives for a reason. Confide in a friend, family member, counselor, pastor....whoever you trust and loves you and is a fellow believer. This is key. You can confide in friends or people who are not Christians, but I strongly encourage you to at least have one person you can confide in who has the same values and beliefs that you do. Don't be prideful and stubborn and act like you can handle this all on your own - let some people in your life carry you through and share some of your burden.