08/16/2021
DEPRESSION…a topic that many feel is a personal “hush-hush” term. It is a topic, which, when discussed, is often about someone else, and rarely discussed from a personal point of view, from personal experience. For some, it is viewed spiritually as an attack of the enemy. Is it? After all, the Bible says in Isaiah 26:3 “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee…”
Let’s chat about depression. It appears this term, this condition, this illness has become a more common term as several public figures such as Simone Biles, Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams, Wayne Brady, and Dwayne Johnson, to name a few, have begun to openly discuss their battles with it. It makes sense, one would think, that these people, who are again, public figures, would experience depression because of constant public scrutiny and ongoing stress. However, depression can affect anyone; it has no respect of persons. It does not matter whether you are rich or poor, young, or old, employed, or unemployed, Black, or White, religious or atheist, anyone can be affected by depression. Like headaches, poor circulation, digestive problems, muscle pain, asthma, irregular heartbeats, kidney problems, etc., depression is an illness. An illness that no one should be ashamed of!
Have you ever heard the term, “smiling depression”? This term describes persons who are suffering from depression but appear to be normal. They are laughing and functioning as if they do not have a care in the world, but they are broken inside. They tend to hide their true emotions because they do not want to appear to be weak; they do not want to become a burden to others. What would people think if they knew a family member or a co-worker was depressed? What if a choir member, usher board member, teacher, or preacher in the church were to admit that they were depressed? How would you react? Would you look at these depressed persons differently? Well for the record, very prominent people in the Bible like Job, Elijah, David, Naomi, and Ruth experienced depression but found strength and hope in God.
Depression is more than sadness; it is not a mood one can just snap out of on their own. The cause of depression can be a myriad of life issues like loneliness or isolation, intense ongoing stress, physical and/or verbal abuse. Depression could be caused by medical and biological factors like hormonal imbalances, thyroid abnormalities, lack of Vitamin D, exposure to black mold, prescription drugs, and yes, spiritual problems like unconfessed sin and unresolved anger.
Know this, whatever the cause of one’s depression, it must be properly treated to be controlled or resolved.
There are trained psychologists, counselors, coaches, therapists, and psychiatrists who are skilled to care for emotional and mentally ill conditions. You are important! It is time to take care of YOU! Please, take that first step toward your healing by contacting your primary care doctor, who can refer you to the appropriate counselor. You may also send me a message and I will give you referrals from my resources. If you feel that you are suicidal or may harm someone, please contact 800-273-8255 immediately. There IS hope and help for you!
If you know of someone who would benefit from this blog, please, please share it!! Also, I want to hear from you! Have you personally experienced or are currently experiencing depression? How did you/are you managing it? Your response is confidential. Please let me know if you would like me to share your experience with others.
Peace & God Bless!
Mary C. Hayes
Guidance Toward Healing LLC- Owner
