Depressed?

If you're feeling depressed this holiday season, the last thing you want to do is get up and get moving but that's exactly what you must do. No matter how horrible a tragedy or season(s) that have lead to the depression and/or anxiety, staying secluded and focused on yourself, is not going to help. Yes, there is a time to grieve and nestle under God's Wing so He can heal your broken heart and build you back up. "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance..." Ecclesiastes 3:1,4 "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." Psalm 147:3 However, when we are simply curled up nursing our own wounds, we can get stuck in a pit of despair. I have learned this from first-hand experience, so I know how dark, alone and scared you can feel. During that long season I tried everything, from hiding away from everyone, to drinking, to jumping in and out of unhealthy relationships. The best thing I ever did for myself was realizing none of that helped and it always left me in a deeper dark hole, hiding longer each time. So it finally dawned on me, as hard as it was to get up and force myself to do something fun and productive when I didn't "feel" like it, was to quit letting my "feelings" control me. Each morning, I told myself, you have control over your feet, so put them on the floor and get going. I may not have been "happy" when I was doing things that I used to enjoy but over time the fog began to lift. I started going back to church and getting involved in the singles ministry and over the course of a year, I was joyfully attending events and making new, amazing friends! The most important aspect of that, was that we were serving others...local missions and foreign missions. If you're too busy caring for those who are hurting, hungry and hopeless, it's difficult to dwell on your own brokenness. So, I encourage you to put one foot in front of the other, climb out of bed, drop to your knees and thank God for the many blessings He has given you. Then, get up and get going. There's a whole world out there, filled with wonder, adventure and people whose life you can brighten! Micah 7:8 (If its more difficult than you can bear, seek out a good counselor, but make sure it is only in addition to seeking God through prayer and His Word. I had a really good counselor through the entire season, but it wasn't until I added God and fellow Christians to the mix, did I begin to get some real relief.)