The dark monster named Depression

I had been in a cycle of depression for many years and didn’t even know it. Before I had accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord‚ I dealt with the depression‚ or‚ better yet‚ attempted to deny and avoid it‚ by using alcohol and drugs. Then‚ as a Christian‚ I “overspiritualized” my emotions and circumstances‚ mislabeling the depression as just “satanic warfare.” Granted‚ part of it was spiritual warfare. Yet‚ the great majority of the emotional deadness and hopelessness I had been in was actual depression.

What is depression? It can simply be defined as a deep state of emotional hopelessness. Depression is a symptom of a deeper problem. We no longer enjoy things we used to enjoy. We don’t have the energy or motivation to pursue life. Depression makes it very difficult, if not impossible, to even get out of bed and brush our teeth. Suicidal thoughts happen a lot when we are depressed‚ which makes depression very dangerous. Depression in many cases is “frozen anger.” When we keep emotional pain inside without ventilating it in healthy ways, we eventually end up depressed. Depression can also be a chemical imbalance in our brain. If we have any of the following symptoms for more than one month, we may be depressed and should seek help.

Symptoms of Depression:

• Sadness and hopelessness
• Bouts of rage
• Lack of energy and motivation
• Changes in sleep patterns
• Changes in appetite
• Changes in sexual desires
• Thoughts and plans of suicide
• Chronic emotional pain and confusion

Causes of Depression:

• Sexual‚ physical‚ verbal, and/or emotional abuse
• Growing up in a home with alcoholism‚ drug abuse‚ violence‚ legalistic spirituality‚ divorce‚ emotional distance or abandonment‚ chaos‚ etc.
• The loss of a loved one
• Divorce
• Traumatic experiences

Depression is a dark monster that usually never lets go. Many people live large portions of their lives in depression and never get help or even realize they need help. Jesus Christ let me know through people and circumstances that I was depressed. The reason for my depression was childhood sexual abuse by two strange men‚ plus my dad’s alcoholism and violence, and my parents’ divorce. The Lord has helped me work through a lot of the depression. If you sense you or someone you know is depressed, please get help today!

• Ask Jesus Christ to come into the depression. Pray and invite Christ into your depression‚ seeking His power and direction. Also‚ reading the Bible, especially the Psalms, can bring supernatural help into our depression, as can church attendance.
• Visit a doctor. If your depression is at a high level, visit a doctor immediately to get a thorough examination.
• Seek out Christian counseling. Pray and find a professional Christian counselor as trained professionals can help us talk through and learn about our depression.
• Be active. Depression can be exhausting and the easy thing to do is nothing. We may need to force ourselves to exercise‚ eat‚ shower‚ be with people‚ etc. Avoid too much time alone by doing something active daily.