You feel hopeless, helpless, and have no energy. You have lost motivation and interest in any activities, especially ones you used to love. Small decisions like choosing what to wear or what to make for dinner become totally overwhelming.

Your brain is a dense fog, and you have trouble concentrating. Your self-esteem and self-worth are nonexistent. You are irritable and angry. You sleep too much, or maybe too little. You experience painfully frequent headaches, inflamed joints, digestive problems, and backaches.

You trust no one because you have been hurt, and thus isolate yourself to the point of extreme loneliness. You want everyone to leave you alone.

You are not who you used to be, but you don’t know how to get yourself back.

Nearly half of those who suffer from depression do not receive treatment, which has now become the leading cause of mental disability in the United States. Yet depression is highly treatable. Know what it is, where it comes from, and what to do so you can heal and recover.

The Causes

• Those who have experienced childhood trauma, particularly with emotional abuse and neglect, are especially vulnerable to depression.

• Genetics play a role in how susceptible you are to depression, especially if anyone in your family has experienced symptoms.

• Serotonin (think mood stabilizer) and dopamine (think pleasure and rewards) are neurotransmitters that, when deficient, are highly correlated with depression. Various treatments such as medications and brain stimulation can help. Eating the right foods, exercise, and engaging in enjoyable activities can further alleviate symptoms.

• Grief plays a significant part in depression, especially as you travel through the different stages of loss such as the death of a loved one, a dream, a career, or a relationship.

• Guilt and shame are culprits of depression, rooted in negative core beliefs like “I’m never good enough” or “I’m unlovable.”  These oppressive thoughts cause you to look at life with negative perspectives.

• Chronic conditions such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease have a negative effect on your mental health. So, too, if you are a caretaker of someone with a chronic illness.

• Seasonal Affective Disorder, especially during winter, has a negative impact on your mood since you lack sunshine, vitamin D, and reduce your outdoor activities.

• Postpartum depression is problematic as post-pregnancy hormones become unbalanced, and the brain’s mechanisms take longer to adjust. Seeking both medical and therapeutic help is highly recommended for symptom management and recovery.

• Situational factors such as financial stress, legal problems, job difficulties, parenting challenges, and bullying can cause and worsen depressive symptoms.

• The crisis of comparison, particularly in social media, can lead you to feel depressed, especially when you compare your life to the illusion of others’ perfect posts. Excessive screen time as well adds to isolation and surface-level, shallow relationships that ultimately add little benefit to the quality of your life.

• The existential crisis occurs when you feel there is no meaning or purpose to your life. You don’t see the point, feel like you are taking up space, are a burden to others, and you wonder where God is.

• Suicide is an unfortunate and highly concerning risk for people who suffer from depression, especially because they want the pain to end and do not see a way out.

You’re In Good Company

Consider the stories of some of the godliest people in the Bible as you share in the human experience of our fallen world:

• Ruth grieved the loss of her two sons and husband. Her dreams of having a big family, being supported in her old age, and having a life-long partner were gone. She was in a foreign place, and she wanted to go home. She was financially destitute, bitter, and questioned God about the seeming unfairness of it all. She pushed away the only family members she had left, though determined Naomi refused to leave her side.

• Elijah, in the book of 1 Kings 19, suffered debilitating depression after killing 450 Baal prophets, and was full of fear that he couldn’t survive Jezebel’s murderous mission to kill him.  Elijah was exhausted from all the mental and physical fighting. It appeared no one was on his side, and he believed he was completely alone. He experienced overwhelming feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, and worthlessness. He isolated himself in the wilderness, and curled up under a bush, wanting to die.

• David, in Psalm 38, felt anguishing guilt, resulting in total physical, emotional, and spiritual brokenness. David felt pressed down, his flesh ached, his unhealthy bones were crumbling, his burdens were too heavy, he was greatly troubled, his joints were inflamed, he was feeble, and he was broken. David had no strength left in him. He continually sighed with no motivation, and the light of life had gone out of him. His friends and family stayed away because they couldn’t take any more. David was isolated and alone, and a shell of who he used to be.

Sound familiar?

Depression is a common human experience that is unfortunately part of our broken world, whether 2,500 years ago or today. Our bodies react, our minds shut down, and we feel completely stuck in the mire of our despondency.

The Prescription for Life

These biblical figures were able to overcome their depression by having hope and assurance in the darkest of times. God has thankfully given us the spiritually and scientifically proven prescriptions for healing and restoration:

Talking to someone. In Genesis 2:18, God specifically says that “it is not good that man should be alone” (NKJV). Ruth turned towards the companionship of Naomi. Elijah found that God had reserved 7,000 other people just like him. People who suffer from depression are, understandably, wary of trusting others because they have been hurt. However, building high walls of mistrust for your protection can also result in loneliness and isolation. God has purposefully put us in community with one another, and relationships are foundational to your health.

Look for a therapist who is specifically trained to help you recover from trauma and grief. Groups and social activities decrease your traumatic symptoms by reducing your isolation. Seek friends and family members whom you have been pushing away–they are waiting for your invitation.

Physical Health. In 1 Corinthians 6:19, Paul instructs us that we should treat our body as the “temple of the Holy Spirit.” When Elijah’s intense fear caused him to collapse under the broom tree with mental and physical exhaustion, God specifically told him that he needed to eat, drink, and rest.   

Eating healthy restores your brain’s ability to function and regulate your emotions. The adage that “you are what you eat” is real. The brain/gut connection is vital to your mental health, and its imbalance exacerbates your symptoms. Consider changing your diet, and view your food intake as your own personal medicine.

Eliminate substances such as alcohol and marijuana that are literally depressants to your body. They lower your mood and negatively affect your quality of sleep.

Exercise is just as effective as any pill, so choose something that you enjoy – pickleball, hiking, gardening, or walking your dog. Dancing happens to be one of the most highly effective activities to combat depression, so get down and boogie with it!

Spiritual healing. You may feel like there is no meaning or purpose to your life. You may feel like you are taking up space and are a burden to others. Yet you want to know that you matter.

Talking with a pastor or a Christian therapist helps to untangle the knotted threads of your faith by examining your complicated, personal relationship with God.

You have the tools to thrive, not just survive.

With both hands, grab ahold of the path for healing and restoration. There are people who are trained to help you, and you have the means to recover mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Experience true joy again rather than living in the shadow of your previous self!