Dealing With Depression

 

What to do when you feel helpless, hopeless and unmotivated.

~~Watch the Video~~

Worship:  Joy In The Morning by Tauren Wells

Scriptures:

• Lamentations 3:1-8
• 1 Kings 19:1-4  
• Lamentations 3:21-22
• Matthew 6:34
• 1 Kings 19:11-15
• Proverbs 12:25
• Psalms 42:11
• Psalm 34:17-18

Introduction

Lamentations 3:1-8

1 I am the man who has seen misery Because of the rod of His wrath. 2 He has driven me and made me walk In darkness and not in light. 3 Indeed, He has turned His hand against me Repeatedly all the day. 4 He has consumed my flesh and my skin, He has broken my bones. 5 He has besieged and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship. 6 He has made me live in dark places, Like those who have long been dead. 7 He has walled me in so that I cannot go out; He has made my chain heavy. 8 Even when I cry out and call for help, He shuts out my prayer.

Who is the “He” who did this to him?

• God

Has anyone ever felt like this?

Lamentations

• Jeremiah
• After the destruction of the temple in 587 BC

The Book of Lamentations is the collection of five poems or songs mourning the conquest of Jerusalem and the Kingdom of Judah.

The book is filled with tears and sorrow. It is a paean of pain, a poem of pity, a proverb of pathos, a hymn of heartbreak, a psalm of sadness, a symphony of sorrow, a story of sifting, a tale of tears, a dirge of desolation, a tragedy of travail, an account of agony, and a book of “boo-hoo.” It is the wailing wall of the Bible.

–Dr. Vernon McGee

Depression

Judah was being punished for disobeying God

They felt that God no longer heard their prayers

…we’ve all been here at some point

Helpless

Hopeless

Sad and depressed

You lose interest in the things you used to like

… today we will talk about depression

Outline:

• Introduction
• Traits of Wholeness
• Review
• Elijah
• What is Depression?
• Causes of Depression
• Symptoms of Depression
• Armor of God for Depression
• Preach to yourself
• Practical Solutions
• Loss Can Be the Start of a New Season

Traits of Wholeness

We are in our series called Seeking Wholeness

How can we be:

• Spiritually healthy
• Emotionally healthy
• Mentally healthy

Free from oppression of

• Our past
• Ourself
• Bad thinking
• Strongholds
• The enemy

We’re talking about

• dealing with life’s current stresses
• being healed from experiences/wounds of the past

We’re not just supposed to have eternal life

• We’re supposed to have: joy, peace, patience, and self control here on earth

This study is not therapy

Traits of Wholeness

• Authenticity
• Honesty
• Kindness
• Not seeking external approval / validation
• Living by values and principles
• Setting Boundaries
• Taking ownership of your responsibilities
• Living with purpose and passion
• Optimism
• Confidence
• Healthy relationships with others
• Not losing control of your emotions
• Free from addictions
• Addressing Conflict with truth and love
• Vulnerability
• Not critical or Judgemental
• Not jealous of others
• Forgive those who have wronged you in the past
• Know that you’re worthy of receiving love
• Not afraid to fail
• Able to manage irrational fear, worry, and anxiety
• Selfless encounters with others
• Not manipulating others trying to control their actions/reactions
• You care about how others feel
• Patient
• Don’t give into peer/social pressure
• Can communicate directly
• Don’t take responsibility for other people's emotions
• Take responsibility for your own emotions
• Slow to anger
• Ability to maturely express your wants, needs and desires
• Being led by the Spirit

Confession

People used to confess their sins to a priest, pastor, elder

Nowadays we emphasize that Christianity is a personal relationship between you and God

So now when people need a listening ear or guidance, they pay a psychologist or counselor

It would be great if we had a Christian community in which we could be vulnerable and authentic

Review

Actions When Disappointed

1. Never forget how much God loves me
2. Never fake it. Be who I am
3. Remember that it’s not about me
4. Live Within Your Limitations
5. Take time to renew yourself
6. Stay focused on eternity
7. Remember Others Have it Worse

Grief

Grief is the acute emotional pain that accompanies loss. Grief is not limited to the loss of people.

• Relationships (death, breakup, …)
• Physical (Things, abilities, freedoms)
• Self-concept (roles, values, labels)
• Dreams
• Worldview (innocence, safety)

It takes at least a year to deal with significant losses

Grief impacts

• sleep
• eating
• energy
• work
• social

How to Grieve

• Set aside time to grieve
• Grieve in community
• Take it to God

Tips for Those Grieving

• Make to-do lists
• Minimize demands (unless staying busy helps)

DEER

• Drink fluids
• Eat
• Exercise
• Rest

Loss causes us to Examine our Theology

We want to be able to

• Control the future
• Predict the future

With our:

• Faith
• Tithes
• Good deeds / works

God Owes Me

Our view: “Even if He doesn’t”

Story: Efui

• “Why would we do it then?”

Prison or Portal

Times of loss can either elevate you to the next level of faith or trap you where you are

Elijah

Elijah’s Victory

1 Kings 17-18

• Elijah prayed and it didn’t rain for years
• Elijah raise the boy from the dead
• Ahab and Jezebel had all the prophets of Israel killed
• They had searched all nations looking for Elijah to kill him
• God told him to present himself to Ahab
• Contest between Elijah and 450 prophets of Baal
• He called down fire from heaven to defeat the prophets of Baal
• Slaughtered all the prophets of Baal
• Prayed to bring the rain back
• Outran a chariot

Elijah’s Depression

1 Kings 19:1-4  

1 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more so, if by about this time tomorrow I do not make your life like the life of one of them.” 3 And he was afraid, and got up and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah; and he left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree; and he asked for himself to die, and said, “Enough! Now, LORD, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”

• Jezebel said she was going to kill Elijah
• Elijah felt defeated
• He was so discouraged he wanted to end his life

Elijah was depressed?

Did Elijah’s depression seem warranted?

Things look different in our own heads

Example: suicide

• Celebrity
• Star athlete
• Upbeat positive person
• “They had it all”

Many people dream of being in their situation, but they felt that the situation was so bleak that they took their lives

What is Depression?

Depression is feeling of

• Sadness
• lack of motivation
• Hopelessness
• Helplessness
• Powerlessness
• Worthlessness

“What’s the use…”

Depression causes loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed

Difficulty thinking, concentrating or making decisions

• Lack of energy

Example: during pandemic

Depression affects an estimated one in 15 adults (6.7%) in any given year. And one in six people (16.6%) will experience depression at some time in their life. Depression can occur at any time, but on average, first appears during the late teens to mid-20s. Women are more likely than men to experience depression. Some studies show that one-third of women will experience a major depressive episode in their lifetime.

We all get depressed at times

Being Depressed vs “Having Depression”

• Major depressive disorder
• Clinical depression

Symptoms must

• last at least two weeks
• represent a change in your previous level of functioning

for a diagnosis of depression.

Depression / Anxiety

Depression and anxiety often co-occur

Because you’re hopeless and helpless you feel threatened

• This may activate your anxiety

Anxiety is apprehension and fear about the future

Anxiety starts with a… “What if“

depression starts with a memory

• You let it go when you are free from it
• You come back to that memory

Depression Is Different From Sadness or Grief

It is normal for feelings of sadness or grief to develop in response to

• Death of a loved one
• Loss of job
• Ending a relationship
• Being a victim of a physical assault
• Being the victim of a major disaster

But being sad is not the same as having depression. The grieving process is natural and unique to each individual and shares some of the same features of depression. Both grief and depression may involve intense sadness and withdrawal from usual activities.

They are also different in important ways:

1. In grief, painful feelings come in waves, often intermixed with positive memories of the deceased. In major depression, mood and/or interest (pleasure) are decreased for most of two weeks.
2. In grief, self-esteem is usually maintained. In major depression, feelings of worthlessness and self-loathing are common.
3. In grief, thoughts of death may surface when thinking of or fantasizing about “joining” the deceased loved one. In major depression, thoughts are focused on ending one’s life due to feeling worthless or undeserving of living or being unable to cope with the pain of depression.

Grief and depression can co-exist. For some people, the loss can lead to depression. When grief and depression co-occur, the grief is more severe and lasts longer than grief without depression.

Causes of Depression

Physical Causes

The psychological methods may not help if you aren’t attending to your physical needs

Nutrition

• Unhealthy diet
• Dehydration
• Stimulants
• Caffeine, Nicotine
• Vitamin D deficiency
• Lack of sunlight
• Chronic pain
• Our pain tolerance is lower when we are depressed

Biochemical

• Hormonal Issues
• Serotonin, Oxytocin, Dopamine, Endorphins
• Thyroid imbalance
• Imbalance in estrogen or testosterone

Lack of sleep

“ it is impossible to treat someone for depression if they don’t keep a regular sleep pattern“

– – Jordan Peterson

Circumstances

• Something we care about goes away
• Feel like a bad situation won’t gonna go away
• Relationship end
• Death
• Loss of job / finances
• Retired
• Violence / Abuse
• Poverty
• Traumatic experience

Environment

You don’t feel

• Safe
• Empowered

Relationships

• Spouse
• Significant other
• Kids
• Coworkers

Personality / Mindset

• low self-esteem
• easily overwhelmed by stress
• generally pessimistic

Spiritual

• See no meaning to life
• Loss of faith in God
• Finding connectedness and meaning
• Guilt due to unconfessed sin
• misplaced shame
• ungodly fears
• suppressed bitterness or hatred
• hopeless grieving
• unbiblical expectations

Demons

Depression isn’t a demon

Demons influence you with lies

• I’m alone
• God doesn’t love me
• God hasn’t forgiven me
• God has rejected me
• Nobody loves me
• My life isn’t worth living

Cell Phones / Social Media

Study: Teens spending five hours per day or more on their phones are 50% more likely to experience depression

Mood Changes

We scroll through our feeds and we have huge emotional ups and downs like we never did before.

• You see a picture of your nephews baby that was born
• You see a picture of a kid who just shot up a school
• You see a photo of your cousin getting baptized
• You see a picture of police beating up a black man

Bargaining

“If I do X, Y and Z, maybe I can wake up and it will have been a nightmare

Bargaining contribute to depression because the person wakes up every day hoping to reality is different

• Hope is squelched every morning

Solutions

• Develop hope for the new reality
• “I can grieve and experience this loss and still have a rich and meaningful life”
• What can you do to have the richest, most meaningful life today?

Comparison

Silver vs Bronze Medal

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRvwW3CY/

Don’t Compare Yourself

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CqTZlWRA9gm/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Depression is based on perception

When you have depression it is based on your perception of your current situation.

Focusing on yourself

Symptoms of Depression

Many of these symptoms could also be:

• Anxiety
• Stress
• Lyme disease
• Lack of sleep (e.g. sleep apnea)
• PTSD

Affective symptoms

• Feeling sad or depressed
• Apathy - they don’t care about anything
• Low motivation
• Guilt
• “I should be doing something productive”
• Hopelessness/helplessness
• Mood vacillation
• Irritability
• Emotional dysregulation
• Suicidal thoughts

Story: friend committed suicide

Physical symptoms

• Fatigue and slowing
• Reduced libido

• Testosterone, estrogen

• Blood sugar challenges
• Low blood pressure
• Dizziness especially standing
• Sleep challenges
• Eating and/or weight changes
• Reduced immunity

• Stress
• Cortisol suppresses your immune system - inflammation and pain (fight or flight response)

• Decreased pain tolerance
• Muscle aches

• Not moving around as much

• Headaches
• Vision changes

• One reason the world may seem gray when people are depressed is impaired contrast perception
• One reason the world may seem gray when people are depressed is impaired contrast perception
• Not permanent
• Health.Harvard.edu
• More eye strain and headaches when you are depressed
• Your vision changes
• Difficulty focusing
• You will see things more crisp when your mood improves

• G.I. changes

• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Caused by lack of serotonin

Cognitive signs of depression

• Difficulty concentrating
• Slowed thinking
• Problems with memory

• Just can’t think of the word
• Tip of your tongue

• Difficulty with decision making and judgment
• Negative attitude and perceptions/pessimism
• Personalization
• Rumination
• Unpleasant memories
• Nightmares

Interpersonal symptoms

When people are depressed it impacts the relationships with others as well as their self-esteem

• Low self-esteem

• We feel inadequate because we aren’t getting things done

• Isolation/withdrawal/emotional unavailability
• Intolerance

• Attention, want us to do something

• Lack of motivation to care
• Fear of rejection
• Increased dependence

• Disempowered
• Clingier
• More fearful of abandonment

• Erratic

• Consistency
• Responsiveness
• Attention
• Validation

• Difficult to validate a support other people

• Empathy
• Support

— Solutions —

Armor of God for Depression

How can the armor of God aid us in battling depression?

Breastplate of Righteousness

When we’re depressed we’re tempted to just say “Forget it” and do things that we’ll need to repent of later

Don’t seek temporary escape/pleasure

Coping mechanisms

Do seek enjoyment that God allows

Hope of Salvation

Lamentations 3:21-22

21 I recall this to my mind, Therefore I wait. 22 The LORD’S acts of mercy indeed do not end, For His compassions do not fail.

Your future is bright

Shield of Faith

I believe in God through bad and good – 2Pac.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CnnYKTAPNK9/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Progress is step-by-step

• Get through today

Matthew 6:34

“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Sword of the spirit

1 Kings 19:11-15

11So He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD was passing by! And a great and powerful wind was tearing out the mountains and breaking the rocks in pieces before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake, a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire, a sound of a gentle blowing. 13When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14Then he said, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of armies; for the sons of Israel have abandoned Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they have sought to take my life.”

15The LORD said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; and when you have arrived, you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram.

Elijah knew the voice of God

God didn’t give Elijah a pep talk

A word from God will encourage you

Proverbs 12:25

Anxiety in a person’s heart weighs it down, But a good word makes it glad.

I. singular speech, discourse, saying, word, as the sum of that which is spoken:

1. of men

The Discipline Gets You to a Point Where You’ll Listen - Bill Johnson

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CoqhD8jrBES/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

• The discipline removes the stronghold

The Presence of God

Example: my quiet time

Preach to yourself

Psalms 42:11

Why are you in despair, my soul? And why are you restless within me? Wait for God, for I will again praise Him For the help of His presence, my God.

Affirmations

Memory verses

Psalm 34:17-18

17The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears

And rescues them from all their troubles.

18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted

And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Practical Solutions

• Get out of bed and shower
• Get some sunlight
• Get a regular sleep cycle
• Write down your thoughts
• Don’t fight against something that you can’t change
• Set boundaries and minimize exposure to  negative and stressed out people.
• Do something that cheers you up
• Set small goals
• Example: Brush teeth and shower

• Exercise
• Go into nature
• Watching nature shows
• Aroma therapy

Antidepressant

Antidepressants only work for about a third of the people who have depression

Because most antidepressants only deal with

• Serotonin levels
• Dopamine
• Norephinepherine

Loss Can Be the Start of a New Season

The storm is making you better motivation

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CpQj0YYA5Vw/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Without a Test There’s No Testimony

Hitting rock-bottom is beautiful - Mike Tyson

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cp6gpqbAuyi/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

You have to lose some things to Gain others - Darius

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CqlqLhEudA7/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

——————————————-

You woke up today because someone needs your help

Instructor: Michael Leadon

References

Two truths to remember when you’re battling depression

Life church

Demonic attacks (2/2)

David Diga Hernandez

What Does the Bible Say About Depression?

https://www.lifeway.com/en/articles/pastor-depression-eight-biblical-strategies-for-counseling-depression

Understand the grief and loss and associated anger and depression

Doc snipes

Depression signs symptoms and causes part one

Doc snipes

Depression signs, symptoms and causes part two: physical

Doc snipes

Depression signs, symptoms and causes part three: cognitive

Doc snipes

Symptoms of depression part four: interpersonal

Dr. Dawn Elise Snipes

What is depression?

https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/depression/what-is-depression

American Psychiatric Association

Depression

Depression: Causes, Symptoms, Types & Treatment (clevelandclinic.org)

Cleveland Clinic

Connecting

Larry Crabb

Extra

You can also find stories of the Bible where certain people experienced depression: Moses (Numbers 11: 10-16), David (Psalm 51; Psalm 32: 1-5), Elijah (1 Kings 19:1-18), Job, Jonah (Jonah 4:1-11), Psalmist (Psalm 73).

2 Corinthians 7:6 ESV

But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus,

Struggles lead to success – T.D. Jakes.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CnmEG77pmm6/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

How to get a haunting memory to go away

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CpgJhWEOVYo/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Justin Peterson