Depression is a “whole-body” illness, involving your body, mood, and thoughts. It affects the way you eat and sleep, the way you feel about yourself, and the way you think about things. Pessimism, poor self-esteem, excessive guilt, and self-criticism are all common. You may feel sad for no reason at all. Some depressed individual no longer enjoy activities that they once found pleasurable. You might lack motivation, and become more apathetic. You might feel “slowed down” and tired all the time. Sometimes irritability is a problem, and you may have more difficulty controlling your temper. In the extreme, depression is characterized by feelings of helplessness and hopelessness.Don’t presume that depression is a disease of the 21st century, the prophet Elijah experienced the same thing when he was running away from King Ahab, “Elijah, a servant of God, said, ‘I have had enough, Lord…take my life!” 1King 19:4
In dealing with this predicament, one should be aware of potential problems, like physical fatigue, the “after the high” lows or post-adrenalin depression, constant problems and loneliness. These things most often than not predisposes us to the problem, it makes us vulnerable to the daily “blows” of life. To deal with depression is to keep a proper perspective on our past. As we get tired and swept through the flood of despair, it will be helpful for us to look back and recall the goodness of the Lord, that even during the lowest point of our lives He manages to insert a packet full of love into that situation, to remind us that He is walking that path with us. Another way is to be thankful for every little thing that comes our way, because gratitude affects our attitude towards life and others. Count your blessings! Amidst the problems that come our way let’s realize that there’s more to life to embrace so live and let live. Let’s not waste time sulking. We only have the here and now.
Be proactive in the present. If we feel down in the dumps it’s okey to take a break, rest, recharge and reorganize our perspective. Renew our relationship with friends and loved ones; reconnect with God; and get back in the game. In life’s race it doesn’t matter how long it took you to the end strip nor the number of times you have stumbled, what matters is that you made it to the finish line. Finally, stay positive about God’s promises. “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Cor. 12:9 this is just one of the many promises of God. The Bible is filled with them, we just have to go over those and claim each promises. Believing in the written promises may sound too good to be true, but what more proof shall we need when Jesus took our place in the cross so we may not experience the pain of death ( depression is nothing to that ). There’s no greater love than that.