Ask Anything - How do you deal with depression?
Ask Anything, Question 2: How do you deal with depression?
Another great question! Before getting into this too much, it's important to recognize the difference between depression and normal sadness. Sadness is a natural emotion that comes with grieving loss of any sort. Depression is when you experience prolonged periods of loss of joy in the things that normally bring you joy. This is often accompanied by a decrease in feelings of self-worth and negative thoughts about who you are.
So, the first step is to determine whether you are experiencing normal sadness as a result of loss or life transition, or if you are dealing with something a little deeper. If you are grieving, it's important to know that this is a normal and healthy part of the process! Allow yourself time to grieve and talk with someone to help process through your emotions. If you are dealing with depression, this is also normal! You are not weird or broken, any more than the rest of us are! Give yourself permission to be where you are emotionally and find someone to talk to about it. The worst thing you can do when dealing with depression is to isolate yourself because you feel bad about being depressed.
It will be difficult, but trust in the promise that you are loved and take the step out to find support in community--whether that means talking to a friend, talking to your parents, or seeking help from a counselor, it is totally worth it to find joy! Remember, our God has a history of loving people while they are lost and dismayed: "In a desert land he found him,in a barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him;he guarded him as the apple of his eye..."--Deuteronomy 32:10