Fighting Depression
Depression has become a major topic in our modern world, seen as a very dangerous state that affects a person's mental and at times physical health. Once, being sad was not something of such importance, but with its rising presence in people of almost all ages and drastic effects, it has become a topic that will always be met with intention and seriousness.
Being depressed is a state of constantly being sad and unmotivated. Someone who is depressed will not be able to engage in activities that they normally would, at least not in the way that they used to. This is because when you are depressed, the thoughts that sadden you do not leave your mind, and they leave you down and moody, lacking the motivation to do things the way you might have.
The rate at which people are depressed in our day and age is quite astounding and hard to ignore, with about 16.1 million adults in America affected by MDD, Major Depressive Disorder. This rounds up to about 6.7% of the American population experiencing this high level of depression, a disorder that has a significant death rate.
There are numerous reasons why a person might be depressed. Some people experience depression at a more concentrated level, which is called clinical depression. This is usually caused by a combination of biological, environmental, and psychological factors, all of which vary and affect people differently. Clinical depression is different from normal depression. Although both are difficult to handle, clinical depression is a more persistent disorder that affects the patient even without external factors.
Things that might cause someone to be depressed are the loss of a loved one. When we mourn those that we truly loved or cared about, the sadness that we feel when we remember them is comes in waves, often taking us into a deep sadness once it crosses our minds. Typically, this effect should taper off over time, though the amount of time will depend on the person and the kind of relationship you had with them.
Many people become depressed when they are bullied, being harassed, and insulted with the intent to hurt them. About 20% of middle and high school students report experiencing bullying, which has a wide range of effects on them, increasing their chances of having trouble sleeping, depression, anxiety, lowered grades, and some of them even drop out of school.
It gets even worse when we look into cyberbullying, a much more prevalent form. People in the United States who have experienced cyberbullying at some point or the other in their lifetime increased from 18% in 2007 to 37% in 2019. It is a form of bullying that affects all sorts of people. From what I can tell, people are more comfortable with being mean and offensive on the internet than they are in person, which is why it is a more prevalent form. Over 60% of students who experience cyberbullying say that it drastically affects their ability to learn and perform efficiently in school, as well as making them immensely unsafe.
About 59% of teens in the United States have experienced cyberbullying and harassment to some degree, while over 90% of them feel like it is a significant problem. With bullying being so prevalent, it is no wonder that depression has become such a big problem. Many people do not know how to handle depression when they have it, and the feeling of hopelessness that depression brings does not help matters.
As Christians we are charged to approach the world differently from the rest, following in Christ's footsteps and allowing ourselves to be guided by the word of God. Many of us feel like there are certain problems that require worldly solutions, thinking that the bible will not have sufficient solutions to our issues, but this could not be further from the truth. The fact is that the bible is ageless and is the best place we could possibly go-to for any of our problems, and depression is no exception.
"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
Isaiah 41:10
The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Deuteronomy 31:8
In this passage, God is telling us that we have no reason to be worried about anything. Sure, we may go through many things as humans that might be difficult, God has promised that in our times of weakness he will strengthen us. He wants us to have complete faith in him because he loves us and he is in complete control.
"Come to me, all who labor and are heavily laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
Here God is telling us to come to him with our problems. He knows that many of us carry heavy burdens, he is the very one that allowed us to go through the many trials that we experience. Here he tells us to still bring our problems to his feet with a promise that he will ease our burden.
Faith is a very underestimated key to happiness and peace of mind that many of us tend to miss. You see, we serve an all-powerful and all-loving God; He is the very foundation of all wisdom and love. This mighty being has promised us that He will take care of us, and yet many of us allow ourselves to be deceived. If only we would have faith in God, we would understand that worrying about anything is futile.
For no temptation (no trial regarded as enticing to sin), [no matter how it comes or where it leads] has overtaken you and laid hold on you that is not common to man [that is, no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that is not adjusted and adapted and belonging to human experience, and such as man can bear]. But God is faithful [to His Word and to His compassionate nature], and He [can be trusted] not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure, but with the temptation, He will [always] also provide the way out (the means of escape to a landing place), that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently.
1 Corinthians 10:13
In the apostle Paul's letters to the church in Corinth, he talks to them about temptations, trials, and sufferings. As God speaks through him, he attempts to encourage the followers of Christ in this church, but he does not simply assure them that they will be fine. Apostle Paul points out an all too important fact of life, which is that there is no temptation that we can experience that is not common to human beings. When Christ was alive, he went through all sorts of trials, temptations, and suffering, and yet he remained blameless and holy, proving to us that it is possible for us as well.
The apostle goes further to make an even more important point. Here he says that there is no burden that God can give us that we cannot bear. God has given us the ability to overcome mountains of problems that we might face as humans. The problem is that when we are depressed, we feel like there is no way that we will be able to handle our problems, feeling hopeless and much smaller than the problems we face.
The bible fights this idea, reassuring us that no matter what we might face, it cannot be a bigger burden than what God has enabled us to handle. This should give us the confidence that even when we feel like our problems are overwhelming, God has given us the strength to handle it, all we have to do is have faith.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Philippians 4:8
Many times, the things that cause us to be depressed are external factors. We lose people we love, we experience heartbreak, and we get bullied among many other things that can cause us t be depressed. Yet, the place that depression resides is still in the mind at the end of the day. This does not mean that you are imagining all of your problems, but it means that the things that you allow your mind to dwell on are causing you damage. This is why the Bible warns us about being careful with what we allow ourselves to think about.
The Bible charges us to think only about things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, and even praiseworthy. When we stop ourselves from thinking about things that are not praiseworthy but about things that are uplifting, we will not have a hard time avoiding negative feelings that negative thoughts birth.
I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him.
Psalm 30:1-3
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you
1 Peter 5:6-7
As I have mentioned before, faith in God is the remedy to many of our problems. Many times, we feel like we can handle our problems by ourselves, keeping our burdens inside or relying on earthly solutions. This is not to say that medical efforts on earth are helpless. But the bible tells us to bring our burdens to God, crying to him, and waiting patiently for his answers. God will unfailingly lift us up from the dark pits that we are shrouded in, the coldness of depression is nothing to the warm light of God. When we face trials, God wants us to trust in him, knowing that he loves us and fearing him with the assurance that he is in complete control.
The bible has a very good example of what paths we could take when we experience depression and anxiety.
When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.” “What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.” So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.
Mathew 27:3-5
Here we see that Judas betrayed Jesus, causing him to be crucified. Afterward, he feels a pang of intense guilt that torments him and eventually leads him to eventually take his own life. He let his sadness consume him and lead him to suicide. No, let us take a look at something similar happening to another apostle.
“While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him. "You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus," she said. But he denied it. "I don't know or understand what you're talking about," he said and went out into the entryway.9 When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, "This fellow is one of them." Again he denied it. After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, "Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean." He began to call down curses on himself, and he swore to them, "I don't know this man you're talking about." Immediately the rooster crowed the second time.10 Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows twice11 you will disown me three times." And he broke down and wept.”
Mark 14:66-72
In this passage, we are shown that Peter, after swearing that he would not, denied Jesus multiple times. He then becomes consumed with sadness as well as he breaks down in tears. The difference between Peter and Judas is that Peter does not take his own life, he does not let his sadness consume him. We should follow in Peter's footsteps, having the strength that God has given us to keep moving forward.
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