Well Spring of God's Love

Are you depressed?  Are your parents or children depressed? Do you notice that someone in your life always seems down?

Have you tried to pan for gold yet?

Probably the most difficult aspect of depression is maintaining your fight against it. We may try to be brighter and more hopeful, but within a few days we are down again. This time we say, “See. I’m not feeling better. I tried to be in a better mood but it doesn’t work for me.”

Then it seems we become lower than we were before we tried to combat our mood. Somehow it seems more hopeless.

We all need to keep trying. Start your day with positive feelings and continue to be hopeful throughout your day. Keep going and don’t give up. Being down may be a habit that you have learned. Was someone in your life depressed? Did you learn to be negative and difficult to please by modeling their behavior? It is very possible to break that habit and replace it with one of optimism. Keep a calendar for yourself with reminders to look at the bright side, always.

The other possibility is that you are clinically depressed. If this is the case, then you need to see a counselor and probably a psychiatrist. Clinical depression won’t get better by itself. No amount of “hope” will turn it around.

Anti-depressants are very effective. There are newer ones that don’t have the side effects of those in the past. There are mood stabilizers that are very effective as well.  You may need one to make the anti-depressant more effective. That’s ok too.

You know what the good news is? You will feel better in just a few weeks! Truly. You will have more energy and a positive attitude. The downfall would be if you are not seeing a counselor because it is possible to rise out of depression and not know how to be happy again.

You may actually struggle to sleep all day and not go out for fun. You may still force yourself to over-eat like you do when unhappy. It’s true! You may be so used to being down and isolative that feeling good is very unfamiliar.

Keep a journal and recognize the shift in your mood and activity level. Go with it. Make sure the changes you make are positive.

Don’t stop taking it. Once you feel great you may think that you are perfectly fine and stop your anti-depressant on your own. Resist this urge. You are feeling so much better because you are taking it.

Even if you are not clinically depressed it may be a good idea to take anti-depressants. If you are unhappy because of a divorce then it may help to take it temporarily until you get through your stages of coping. Even when suffering from a critical illness, an anti-depressant may be a great idea. There are any number of situations that may improve your coping by being treated for depression. 

Keep an open mind. No one needs to know unless you tell them. Keep panning for gold.

This may feel like a daily struggle or even an hourly struggle but it doesn’t have to consume you. Find help and make your well-being your priority.

You, take good care of you! 

God’s love keeps all darkness away. Get help if you are unable to feel better on your own.

We all deserve happiness,

Evelyn