DEPRESSION AND HOW TO HANDLE IT

I walked towards him, as he sat on the bench under the tree. He was very downhearted and looked gloomy. He had not even touched the bottle of coca cola that he bought an hour ago and was absent-minded as i approached him. "Steve, is everything alright? " i asked. He sighed and said, " I swept all the awards on the day of my graduation. I was tipped for greatness.I have the best life can offer, name it, a sleek BMW 7 series, a four bedroom apartment at Trassaco, a loving and adorable wife who has given me two wonderful boys. I am still not happy." He wiped his tears briefly. " I still feel that there is something more to life. There is something i am missing. I feel emptiness within me and i do not know what to do to fill that space. If happiness is all about money, fame and reputation, i have them all.Why is it that i can´t still be happy?" We spoke at length and as i consoled him and walked him to his car, i realised that there is something that is eating up the lives of great men and women.

A lot of people are depressed, though they have it all in life. They have all that life can offer, like Steve, but they are still not happy in life. They do well in business, have a great home, a wonderful wife to go to, a loving family that even friends may envy, however, they are dying in depression. This is a state where life becomes empty and useless. You do everything possible to be happy but end up feeling dejected, rejected, unaccepted and deep within you, you see yourself as a failure. People end up doing things that they are not even used to, they smoke, drink offensively and get involved in drugs all because of  the quest to fill that gap that depression has created. Depression usually comes as a result of compounded reasons. Most people get depressed when they hear ill things about them. Employees get depressed when employers speak harshly to them and make life unbearable for them. Wives end up getting depressed when they do not receive the care, love and attention they need from their husbands. Husbands face depression when the wives make the home a living hell for them, quarrelling and causing misunderstandings. Students suffer from depression when they fail exams, face financial challenges, heartbreaks and rejection from friends etc. Parents are depressed because of the lifestyles of their children and a whole lot.

With these examples given, i ask myself only this question, " how can we handle depression?" 

1.  Be Positive.      Majority of the people who are depressed look down on themselves. They feel they cannot do much, they are not better than the other and always feel inferior. Mostly, it is because they have heard those negative comments about them over and over again. When they want to try, they receive flashbacks of these comments and they end up giving up on themselves. The treatment to this is simple, be positive. The only enemy in your life is your very self. You can do anything you decide on doing. Never allow the negative remarks people say about you deter you from doing what you decide on. Never accept that you are a failure. Never accept that you are ugly. Never accept that you don´t have the talent. You are really equipped with all it takes for you to be great. Depression will set in the moment you look down on yourself and accept defeat. Rise when you fall and you will see a different tomorrow.

2.  Check your Associations.    Mingle with people who make you feel appreciated and not depreciated. There are friends who will always look down on you. At the work place,there is always a sect who will see nothing good in you and will always mock you and make you feel odd. Connect to those who will correct you in the right way, those who will motivate you and renew your spirit even when things are not going well. Those you spend much time with have a greater influence on your life.The eaglet saw itself a chick because it was reared in the midst of chicks. Check your association. That might be the source of your depression.

3.   Change environment.    At times you need to change environment. Doing the same thing over a long period of time at times bring boredom. Looking at the same wall over the years might bring dissatisfaction. Change your environment, go to a different place for sometime to refreshen your spirit. Change the interior of your room, the colours of the walls, introduce sweet smelling fragrances to add touch to the atmosphere. What we see, smell, taste, touch and feel have direct impact on our emotions. Changing the environment helps a lot. Changing the environment does not mean change your wife if she is always the source of your depression. In that case, you will find out that she nags because of certain behaviours you put up. Learn how to live with her in a conducive atmosphere

4.    Desist from staying in the dark.  A lot of people get depressed when they stay in the dark. This is a reflection of their mood at that moment and they always withdraw from people. That does not help at all. Move out of the dark and see the beauty outside. Live in a lit environment  since it lightens up your thoughts. Research has proven that majority of people depressed love to be in the dark. Move out, switch on the lights, enjoy the sunlight and the ambiance nature brings.

5.   Be active.    It is good to be active when you feel depressed. Idleness brings depression at times. Get yourself involved in some activities. Enjoy some hobbies and those interactions will lift up your spirit. Never desist from exercising since it keeps the body busy. After those exercises, a cool shower will calm you down and that is also another remedy. You are mostly depressed because you have nothing doing for a long time. Exercising keeps you busy and those lonely thoughts vanish.

6.    Sieve your thoughts.   "Finally brethrens, whatsoever things that are true, whatsoever things that are honest, whatsoever things that are just, whatsoever things that are pure, whatsoever things that are lovely, whatsoever things that are of a good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."Philippians 4:8. This is the biblical approach to dealing with depression.The things we think about make us feel depressed most of the time. We think about things that add to our problems rather than solving them. We think a lot on ways we cannot make it more than ways we can. We forget that if there are ninety-nine ways things cannot be done, there is always one way fro it to be done. We think about why we are not accepted in the society, why we missed first class honours by just a decimal. We think always about our work and the problems surrounding them more than the solutions to those problems. We end up worrying for no reason. Paul shows us the way to move out of depression in Philippians. We should sieve our thoughts, avoid thinking on negative things and think about things that are only true, pure, just, holy, lovely and of good report.

Prayer is very essential to dealing with depression as you work with these laid down guidelines. It was depression that made Saul attempt killing David on several occasions. Saul was suffering from the spirit of depression. When this happens, it takes prayer to deal with it. You will also see in the scripture that Saul requested David to play soothing music for him whenever he was depressed. This means Saul had a hobby and that hobby was able to help whenever he felt depressed.

After talking to Steve on this subject, he realised that he was not thinking on the right things. He was always afraid that he would fail one day. The fear was always putting more pressure on him and he even not able to live the happy life he once had.

Like Steve, you can deal with your depression. There are times our healing is of a natural remedy other than medicinal. There is power in the blood to heal you from any depression no matter the level. If your depression has been tagged as the type where you need a psychiatrist, i am here to tell you that follow these and you can be better too.  Beneath psychological depressions lie a problem of anger. Deal with the root cause of your anger, know what makes you angry and learn how to react when angry. It will help you to snap out of your depression. 

You can deal with your depressions, it is never too late.