Dealing with Depression

Its a little booklet that someone passed to me. It has a few titles under the series called "Managing Your Emotion Series" by Benny Ho. Its quite good and practical.... here is a short note of what i read...

Managing Your Emotions Series

Dealing with Depression – Benny Ho

Lamentation 3:21-23

• One of the worst enemies of abundant living is depression
• An example is from Elijah where he went to a time of depression (1Kings 19)
• Most cases of depression are connected with some form of physical and emotional stress or pressure.
• Three Symptoms of Depression:
• A drained out condition
• One feels drained out, exemplified by the feeling of “I have had enough”
• We need to beware that we do not take on more than we can chew
• God gave us Sabbath day to rest
• Physical, emotional and even spiritual exhaustion can generate moods that lead us to quit easily.
• There are biophysical reasons for depression
• Some are due to chemical imbalances, nutritional deficiencies or even lack of sleep
• Lack of sleep makes one edgy, diminishing ones concentration levels and causing them to be prone to depression.
• Death mentality
• Suicide thoughts
• Life is a sacred gift from God and no man has the right to take it away.
• What depressed people are looking for are the listening ears of compassion people who will give them the permission to feel the way they do. They need people to understand and accede to their right to feel down, but at the same time, are able to help them control the actions they need to take in order to come out of their depression. (Eg: Job 6:14)
• A distorted perspective
• When a person is down, his focus shifts from the real to the perceived, from God to self.
• What we see depends on who we are. If we are doubtful, we will see hopelessness. If we are full of faith, we will see great potential.
• Three Cures for Depressions
• Physical restoration
• Rest, eat and sleep
• 10 keys to better sleeping habits
• Keep regular sleeping and waking hours
• Avoid the adrenalin rush after certain hours
• Reduce the amount of light early in the evening
• Stay away from all types of stimulants
• Do not force yourself to sleep
• Choose a quiet place to sleep
• Establish regular exercise in your routine
• Unclutter your heart and mind before you go to bed
• If you wake up in the night, stay in bed unless you really have to get up
• Invest in a good mattress
• Emotional restoration
• Talking is therapeutic. It brings out a sense of release
• When a person is down, do not give him a lecture but let him express his own feelings.
• Cliches may be true but they are not what a depress person need when they are in the depths of depression.
• Encourage them and help them fight the urge to isolate themselves.
• The depressed person must seek out fellowship. And the people around must reach out with understanding and encouragement.
• How we think will determine what we do.
• Spiritual restoration
• Realign ourselves with God spiritually
• Get into a quiet moment with Jesus and let Him left you out of your discouragement and restore you spiritually