9 Tips for Dealing with Depression as a Christian

Depression and Christian in the same sentence don’t seem to go together. At the beginning of my relationship with Christ, I had a very skewed perspective of what being a Christian meant or looked like. Following Christ meant that you lived this blessed magical life of ease. So to hear someone dealing with depression as a Christian seemed strange. As if, being a Christian somehow excuses one from the emotional roller coaster of life.

Do you find yourself questioning if God exists? And if He is, does He care and love you the way the scripture says? I was right there with you! So if you or someone you know may be struggling with Depression as a Christian, then you’re in the right place. This isn’t medical advice, I’m just sharing what helped me overcome.

There are countless reasons why someone could be dealing with depression as a Christian. I don’t know your story, and only you know your why. If you don’t, hopefully by the end of this post you will. What you can get from this post is a list of tips that I found helpful when I was dealing with depression.

This post is all about Dealing with depression as a Christian

Time to Dig and Reflect

Unfiltered. Complete honestly. Do not overthink write the first thing that comes to mind.

How often have you spent time with God and in the word lately?

Nothing to feel shame or guilt about, so just follow me. Everyday? A couple of times a week? Once a month? Let’s just say, it’s been too long.

Chances are you’re not spending enough time. And I say that with love! I can’t remember where I heard it, but, “It’s kinda hard to be depressed and be in the Word DAILY.” Which was a complete eye-opener and game-changer. But we’ll touch more on that a little later on.

Looking back during my time of dealing with depression as a Christian, I remember every time I’ve felt sad, overwhelmed, or just outright being too hard on myself, I remember not reading my bible for days on end, and I felt every bit of that spiritually. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to, it wasn’t the first thing on my list of things to do. My thought life occupied most of my days, so reading my bible fell at the waste side.

During those times when we are the furthest away from God, we’re in the tug of war with our flesh. Our flesh pulls us in one direction, and our heart for God in another.

We are spiritual beings so when we feed on worldly trash, it leaves us feeling drained, depleted, and hungry for more; only to be left feeling empty. The world can only take from you.

But when we feed on the scriptures, on God’s breath scriptures like Psalms 81:10b (NLT) “Open your mouth wide and I will fill it with good things.” Only the Lord can satisfy the hunger, and thirst and fill that void that you’re feeling.

So, are you at war with your flesh?

I understand that not everyone has the luxury of hiring a therapist and that’s okay! So, I want to ask you some of the challenging questions that I had to sit with myself and answer with my therapist. I do want to mention, that I am no therapist but I do believe there’s nothing wrong with trying to do the work yourself in the healing process. Why? Because for some it can be quite hard to open up to a stranger.

Doing the Work

Let’s take it a step further, and start by putting your feelings and emotions into words. What comes to mind when you ask yourself,

How am I feeling at this exact moment?

Make a list of things that you enjoy, now when was the last time you did something on your list?

You know that you enjoy these things, so what’s stopping you?

What may I be feeling depressed about, and why?

Again don’t overthink, write what comes up

Next,

How is my self-talk?

How do I view myself?

How’s my mind, how have my thoughts been lately?

This will get the gears going as you start to put your feelings into words while dealing with depression as a Christian.

Has any traumatic events have recently taken place?

Do you find that you’re comparing yourself to others?

Do you find yourself focusing on worldly things?

Am I feeling inadequate in any area of my life?

What are some of the distractions I’m facing?

Who or what am I allowing to influence me?

There are several reasons, and again nobody knows you better than yourself and the way you feel. You owe it to yourself to express those feelings out loud and on paper because your feelings matter. Yes, it may trigger some old wounds to open back up to the surface; remember we’re here to do the work, right?

And if this is what it takes to get to the other side, then it must be done. So we’re rolling up our sleeves and getting to the root.

I’ve opened up NOW what?

PRAYER CLOSET | Meetings with Jesus

We tend to always be on the go and our brain is always receiving tons of information, whether it’s the TV, music, podcasts, the kids, social media, etc. and we’re unable to not only process our thoughts and feelings but hear from God.

One of the best ways found that helped me was sitting in my closet on the floor, I’d pray, and then I’d listen. By no means am I saying sit on the floor and ommmm, no.

Turn off all the noise and just allow yourself to just be, sit in complete silence. You can sit or lie down. But your focus is to tune your heart and ears to God. “Thank you, Lord” During that time of silence allow all of those feelings and memories to come up. “Breath” I came with an expectancy to spend time with God and to hear from Him.

Talk to Him; OUT LOUD as if He were sitting right in front of you. Release it, cry and cry some more if you have to, get mad, whatever you need to do. It’s okay to be vulnerable with God and tell him how you are feeling, He already knows, he’s just waiting for you to come and lay it at his feet.

Matthew 11:30 says, “Cast your care upon me for my yolk is easy and my burdens are light”…He wants it ALL!

During this process, PAUSE and LISTEN for what the Lord has to say to you about what you’re surrendering and laying at His feet.

Now let me be honest when I first started doing “Meetings with Jesus” I didn’t hear from Him right away. Sometimes I would and other times wouldn’t. But I made it a part of my daily routine to stop and make time for Him. And in my dedication and obedience, his presence became so strong as if I were on a coffee date with a friend. Dealing with depression as a Christian doesn’t have to feel lonely because Jesus calls us friends.

(9) Tips I use to Refocus My Heart and Mind when Dealing with Depression as a Christian

1. Clean up your Space:

Take a look around at your space, does it look neglected? Is the clutter starting to pile up? Could your space be a reflection of how you’re feeling on the inside?

I know this to be true for myself, that every time I start to feel overwhelmed and stressed my space reflects just that. When I start first cleaning the space around me, I almost instantly start to feel lighter and calmer. I know cleaning wasn’t the first thing you thought that could help with dealing with depression, but trust me, try it.

2. Sleep:

Prioritize sleep like a newborn baby! Hustle culture prides itself on “all work no sleep” but if you’re sleep-deprived you’re no good for anybody. I don’t know if you know it or not but over time with a lack of sleep our bodies could show signs of potential problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attack, heart failure, or stroke. Other potential problems include obesity, DEPRESSION, reduced immune system function, and lower sex drive. I know I know I was just as shocked as you when I learned that the two are linked.

Read the full Article: Here’s What Happens When You Don’t Get Enough Sleep

3. Move Your Body:

The WebMD article Exercise and Depression states that “when you exercise, your body releases chemicals called endorphins. These endorphins interact with the receptors in your brain that reduce your perception of pain. Endorphins also trigger a positive feeling in the body, similar to that of morphine.” Get some fresh air, and Vitamin D, and get your body moving at least 20-30 minutes a day and release all of those feel-good hormones.

4. Silence is Golden:

Am I saying “find” time to get some alone time and have the entire house be quiet? No! Because if you’re a mother, especially of littles isn’t always possible. But what I am saying is in all on daily rhythms and to-do’s, cooking, cleaning, driving aka prime time to turn on a podcast or music, etc. do it in silence. Pray and talk to God but mostly just listen. Tune your ears to begin to hear what God has to say or teach you. When you’re intentional, He’ll speak!

5. Listening to Worship Music:

Music is sprinkled throughout the Bible which makes me believe that there is healing found within it. It’s just something about listening to worship music and allowing it to minister to our spirit, that leaves us in a much better state than before.

The first story that comes to mind is when King Saul’s spirit was troubled and he ordered for a musician to come in a play the harp to soothe him.

“Then I will hold my head high

above my enemies who surround me.

At his sanctuary, I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy,

singing and praising the Lord with music.” Psalms 27:6

No matter what you’re facing hold your head up high and cry out to the Lord in praise.

6. Prayer Journal: Journaling in general:

We kinda touched on this a little earlier when we talked about therapy. Even if you don’t have someone to talk to, you can almost get the same effect with writing. Journaling is borderline-free therapy if you ask me. This allows for the release of once pint up feelings and emotions by putting them into words, and out of your mind and body.

Have you ever felt pain in your head, neck, or shoulders whenever you’ve felt stressed or anxious about something? You get my gist. Get it out on paper. I’ve even heard of people setting their timer for five minutes, on a sheet of paper doing a brain dump then afterward destroying it.

7. Self-Care when Dealing with Depression:

Self-care doesn’t always have to be physical things, ie. hair, mani, pedi. Sometimes it could be doing something that’ll bring you joy; reading, baking, or painting. Remember the list you made earlier of things you enjoyed once upon a time, now’s the time to get back in your groove and love on yourself.

Take yourself on a date, go see a movie alone, go to the beach or the park for a journal sesh and people-watch. Doesn’t have to be anything fancy or break the bank.

8. Soul-Care Check-in:

It may feel weird at first but whenever you find yourself in a little funk, stop and check in with yourself as you would with a friend or someone you love. Ask yourself out loud, yes! OUT LOUD. “What does (insert your name) need right now? Think about it, if your children are having a moment, as parents we may ask them “What do you need?” Or if a friend calls and tells you an issue they’re having, we offer one of two things, we either are a sounding board and just listen, or we listen and then try and help problem solve.

“What does (Insert your name) need right now?”

“I’m feeling a little _______ and I need ________ right now.”

With that, you’re getting in the habit of putting your feelings and emotions as a priority!

9. Armor Up!

Praise. Repent, Pray the Full Spiritual Armor of Protection and Pronounce the blood of Jesus over my mind body and soul DAILY! Ask the Lord to send His war Angels into your home while you’re sleeping to cover and keep you.

I’ll leave you with this to remember, your sword is your greatest weapon don’t ever let the enemy make you feel powerless. If you’re reading this then there’s still breath in your body. Get up and begin again to walk in the authority The Lord has given you. The war is over and the fight is fixed in your favor. Victory is yours.

Say it with me, VICTORY IS MINE!

2 Sam 22:3-4 says, “My God is my rock, in whom I find protection.

He is my shield, the power that saves me,

and my place of safety.

He is my refuge, my savior,

the one who saves me from violence.

I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise,

and he saved me from my enemies.”

I advise you to read the full chapter and may it minister to your heart as much as it did mine. God bless you. I love you and Jesus loves you more!

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