Depression Essay 1:
Practical Advice
1. When I have experienced depression from time to time, one thing that is helpful is to volunteer to help others. It is harder to be depressed when we are helping others.
2. Also, find a trusted friend, family member, or a fellow Christian in whom you can confide in and talk with. Sometimes just talking about your depression can help you identify what the root causes are.
3. Why not try writing out on a piece of paper the many things that you have to be thankful for (I Thess. 5:18). These may include having a family, a home, a job, food on your table. Even the poorest Americans are far richer than the vast majority of the world. They can not always lay their head down at night safely on a pillow, inside a home, or know where their next meal is coming from. It is hard to be depressed when we are giving thanks.
This is a fallen world and things go wrong, but a great way to beat depression is to give thanks to God. This is how King David came out of his depression. David did not write all of the Psalms, but when you read the Psalms that he did write, you’ll find that they often start out with David being in sheer agony, hopelessness, and even in a state of depression — but keep reading. David usually ends his Psalms by giving thanks to God: for His salvation, for His faithfulness, for His certain deliverance, for His protection. We have a hope and a future that the world doesn’t have. I often feel empathy for those in the world who are not saved. They have no security in their tomorrows. They don’t know where their deliverance will come from. They do not have a God that is watching their back.