Getting Help for Depression: Conventional and Unconventional Methods

If you’re looking for help for depression, you’ve come to the right place.

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. – Psalm 42:11

Struggling with depression is a common experience that many will encounter during their lifetime. On an annual basis, approximately 6.7% of the American adult population will be affected by Major Depressive Disorder, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. That is a staggering 16.1 million people.

Adults aren’t the only ones plagued by depression. The National Institute of Mental Health estimated that in 2015 alone, 3 million U.S. adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 had one or more major depressive occurrence.

One of the prominent symptoms of depression is feeling isolated and alone. Ironically, many individuals experience depression during their lifetime, which means you may be feeling alone while in the company of many others who are feeling lonely too. Irvine Christian Counseling offers support to help navigate these feelings and find connection.

What causes depression? Many things can trigger it such as going through a nasty divorce, the loss of a loved one or even medical conditions like mental illness or diabetes.

Depression can leave you feeling hopeless and in deep despair. That’s the bad news. Do you want the good news though? You are not alone. There is hope and there is help. A vast amount of research has been dedicated to depression because it is such a widespread problem.

It’s alright not to have all the answers but it’s important to find someone who can help you find them. A tiny ray of hope at the end of the tunnel can swallow the entire darkness.

Ways to Receive Practical Help for Depression

If you feel you are suffering from depression, here are some realistic solutions you can do right away that can help you cope with your feelings:

Talking Helps

Sharing about how you are feeling by talking to someone can be a very effective way to find help for depression. Whether it is with a family member, friend, spouse, co-worker or counselor, finding a support system is imperative. Depression overwhelms us with isolating thoughts and feelings. It lies to us and tells us we are worthless.

While vocalizing those things can be scary and the stigma of having such thoughts and feelings may even make you feel ashamed, it’s important to find someone whom you trust and with whom you feel it is safe to communicate. Depressive thoughts and feelings are things that no one should have to struggle with alone.

Diagnosing Depression

Depression takes shape in many forms. There are five diagnosable depression forms which are referred to in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders handbook: premenstrual dysphoric disorder, depression related to a medical condition, major depressive disorder, seasonal affective disorder, disorder due to adjustment with depressed mood, depression caused by postpartum and depression of an unspecified nature.

It is essential to properly diagnose your depression in order to know the type you are dealing with. With an accurate diagnosis, it is possible to understand the root cause, symptoms, and intensity of your situation.

Being informed about the signs and symptoms of your particular type of depression is beneficial. On many occasions after clients have completed the Feeling and Moods Questionnaire and have been able to point out specific things they are going through, they see that what they are battling with is completely explainable.

Imagine the relief they feel when they realize they are not alone in their struggles. Consider reaching out to a trained therapist today to find the help for depression you’re looking for.

Filling out the form allows the counselor to interact with the client using specific examples. One may feel they are to blame for bad things that have happened and are shrouded in shame and eaten up with worry. Another may be going through bouts of uncontrollable crying and have problems concentrating.

The results of the questionnaire open the door for clients to share their thoughts and feelings and lets the counselor figure out anything that might be at the root of the thoughts or feelings. The ultimate goal is always redemptive – reducing self-criticism, working through the tears to get to a better state, or whatever else is called for in order for healing to occur.

It Takes a Community

Depression is a baffling thing. It will lie to you and have you believing that you are worthless, alone, or hopeless. A support group has a lot to offer those looking get help for depression.

It is living proof that you are not alone. It provides stability, transparency, and accountability. Most of all, it is a way to make great friends and build your support network. It will help you navigate through the murky waters of mental health issues.

Reach Out to a Crisis Professional

If you have suicidal thoughts or feelings, it is crucial to know that there is someone you can reach out to who is ready and willing to talk to you. There are many people who don’t realize there are resources available to receive help and who don’t know that if they don’t feel they are safe, a hospital bed can be located for them.

If you need someone who will listen to you or who can make sure you are safe, here are some resources where you can find help for depression:

• Call the lifeline for suicide prevention at 1-800-8255 or go to their website at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
• You can also text the number 741741 to be in touch with a crisis expert. The service is free of charge and is an excellent resource for those who are more comfortable communicating via text. This method allows you to seek care immediately.

Reading Matters

What you put into your mind is what you will get out of it. It’s called “input-output.” It is very helpful to read quality material on the subject of depression.

Many articles, video, books, blogs, and testimonials are dedicated to assisting individuals in overcoming their depression. A number of the resources are authored by people who know firsthand what you are going through because they have been in depression themselves.

Turn the Page

There is a myriad of Christian books that embrace the subject of overcoming depression. Two that come highly recommended are:

Zack Eswine’s Spurgeon’s Sorrows: Realistic Hope for Those Who Suffer from Depression

John Piper’s When the Darkness Will Not Lift

Tending to Your Temple

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. – Isaiah 41:10

It is easy to become overwhelmed when you are depressed. Depression is a battle that wages war from within. It can be magnified if we don’t tend to our physical bodies and their needs. In my own personal struggles, I was fortunate enough to have a family member who gave me some great advice. I was told there were only five things I needed to do daily: sleep, exercise, eat, read my Bible and pray.

In my depression, the last thing on my mind was tending to my body. I had so many struggles internally, my external needs were basically nonexistent. The status of our diet and exercise has been proven to significantly relate to the chemicals that are found in our brain. The extent to which we exercise (or don’t) and the food we put in our bodies can help or hinder our every mood.

Write It Down

Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. – Deuteronomy 11:18

Journaling is therapeutic. It can also be an eye-opening source to discover thoughts and feelings we may not even realize we have. Furthermore, it gives us a chance to include God’s Word in our writings as is instructed in the verse above.

Journaling dates back thousands of years. It helps you recognize and pay attention to your feelings and thoughts which helps us gain control over them, thus taking them captive as the Bible tells us to do.

With Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) we are encouraged to wonder and explore our specific methods of thinking and to realize how certain things can influence our feelings and thoughts. Journaling does the same thing. It gives us the chance not only to recognize and acknowledge our thoughts and feelings but to edit or delete them as well.

When you see your thoughts and feelings written down on paper, you become aware of self-loathing or self-critical tendencies you may be experiencing. You are also able to identify cognitive distortions which are thoughts which have to do with catastrophizing (thinking the worst about things), believing everything is black or white (all good or all bad), negative projections (focusing on only bad thoughts and feelings) and over-generalizing (thinking because one situation is bad, all situations are bad).

Journaling gives you the power to take charge of your thoughts so you can change and re-write them. You are no longer in bondage to your thoughts. It also allows you to have a way to express what is going on inside of you which is a very healthy thing to do, especially as a means of help for depression.

Give Yoga a Try

Once primarily a practice of the Eastern culture, Western civilization has recently become receptive to the benefits that yoga provides. It is an exercise that is wonderful for you emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually too.

Yoga began in India and was a discipline of the spiritual kind. It has developed into a discipline that is physical in nature and is useful to help you control your thoughts as well as your body through exercises that focus on perseverance, strength and positive change.

Mindfulness is a practice that concentrates on being in tune and in touch with your thoughts. Yoga takes exercise a step further. It integrates your physical body, your soul, and your mind. Research proves that yoga significantly fights off feelings of stress and anxiety through slowing your heart rate, aligning posture, and setting the pace for our very breath.

Music Lifts Your Mood

Studies show that music has the ability to move you. It can make you happy or sad, can remind you of the past and can set your motivation for the future. Through listening to music that is conducive to lift your mood, you can promote healing within yourself from your depression.

Speak to a Professional about Medication for Depression

If you have tried the methods above to no avail and are still suffering from depression without relief, I usually recommend that you take medication as a last option. The typical medicines that are used to lift away depression are inhibitors (selective serotonin reuptake or SSRI) which have few if any, side effects.

Reach Out for Prayer

The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. – Psalm 34:17

The Bible tells us that there are spiritual battles that go on in the unseen world. A war is being fought within us where powers of light and powers of darkness are vying for our minds and our souls. When you reach out in prayer you are actively taking a step to defeat the dark powers by the powers of light. Through prayer, you can stop the spiritual battle for your mind.

When self-critical thoughts plague our minds we experience low moods. We are more apt to stay in a depressive state because we feel down. It is difficult to rise above the situation. But when we are able to share feelings and have someone who can make sense out of them, the depression begins to lift.

Sympathy is when someone put themselves in your shoes and understands. Compassion, however, actually takes some of your burden and carries it for you.

Writing down the things you are battling with is one thing, but it can be freeing and validating for someone to actually review specific things you are feeling and thinking. When you have someone who will listen and won’t hesitate to talk to you about the specifics of your depression, it is priceless.

Turning to God in your time of need offers relief that passes all understanding for he not only understands your suffering and pain more than any human ever could, he loves you more than anyone ever could too.

Please get in touch to schedule an appointment with a counselor if you don’t already have a counselor or therapist who is working with you. Remember, you are not in this alone. Irvine Christian Counseling is here to support you on your journey.