Depression is a mental health condition that causes sadness and loss of interest. It can affect your thinking and also the way you feel. it can affect the quality of your daily life.
You can find yourself keeping to yourself all day long without communicating with people around you. You lock yourself up in the room and keep thinking. This is a symptom of depression.
Other common symptoms of depression include:
- Feeling sad or having a depressed mood
- Changes in appetite
- Weight loss or gain unrelated to dieting
- Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
- Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed
- Thoughts of death or suicide
- Loss of energy or increased fatigue
- Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
- Feelings of worthlessness or guilt
Causes
There are several things that can cause or trigger depression in a person. It is thought to be caused by a combination of genetic, biological, environmental, and psychological factors.
But I’m of a strong opinion that it is spiritual. We live in a world where there are spiritual operations whether you believe it or not.
A good example of someone who had depression was King Saul in the Bible. He disobeyed God several times and because of his disobedience, God sent an evil spirit to torment him.
Short Story
King Saul of Israel was a great warrior and leader, but he also suffered from deep depression. The Bible tells us that his depression began after he disobeyed God’s command and spared the life of King Agag of the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15:1-33).
Saul’s depression manifested itself in a number of ways. He would often become withdrawn and sullen, and he would sometimes fly into fits of rage. He also had trouble sleeping and concentrating. As a result of his depression, Saul’s ability to lead Israel was severely impaired.
One day, Saul’s servants suggested that he find a skilled musician to play for him in the hope that the music would soothe his troubled spirit. Saul agreed, and David, a young shepherd boy who was also a gifted musician, was brought to the king’s court. Whenever David played for Saul, the king would feel better and his depression would lift.
However, Saul’s depression eventually returned, and this time it was even worse than before. One day, while David was playing for Saul, the king threw his spear at David, trying to kill him (1 Samuel 18:10-11). David narrowly escaped, but the incident showed how far Saul’s depression had taken him.
Saul’s depression continued to worsen throughout his life. He became increasingly paranoid and distrustful, and he even turned against his own son, Jonathan, who was one of his most loyal supporters. In the end, Saul’s depression led to his downfall. He was defeated by the Philistines and committed suicide (1 Samuel 31:1-4).
Saul’s story is a tragic one, but it also teaches us an important lesson about depression. Depression is a real illness, it is an evil spirit that can affect anyone, even the most powerful and successful people. It is important to seek help if you are struggling with depression because there is no shame in it. With the right treatment, it is possible to overcome depression and live a full and happy life.
How to overcome depression
Here are some tips you can use if you are depressed and want to get out of depression.
Advice for people with depression
Talk to people around you
One of the ways you can overcome depression is by talking to people around you. You can talk to your family and friends. When you share the burden in your heart with them, you might be surprised that they have passed through the same challenge in the past.
And they can easily advise you on what to do based on their past experience.
Meditate daily
Read and learn new things every day. When you do this, you will get your mind occupied with interesting topics. You will engage your mind and this will help divert your attention from whatever makes you depressed.
One of the ways I meditate daily is by reading and studying my Bible daily.
Pray to God
Prayer simply means communication with God. You can share your deepest thoughts with God and ask him for help.
God is always willing to answer our prayers and help us when we are in need. So, it is a good thing to pray to God whenever you feel burdened in your mind.
You can be free with God and tell him all your problems. You will notice that as you pray to God, you feel a peace come upon your heart. That is a sign that God is with you and He is hearing you.
Exercise daily
Exercising your body makes your body active but aside from that it makes your mind sharper. If you want to be fit physically, emotionally and mentally, you will need to exercise your body daily.
When you exercise your body it also helps you divert your thoughts from worrying. It will help free up your mind and put you in a lighter mood.
See a professional
You can’t have all the knowledge in life and you can’t help yourself do everything all the time. We are meant to live interdependent lives, which means you will help other people and other people will help you.
It is not wrong to go see a professional when you feel depressed, it is the right thing to do and you should do it because it will help you.
You can see a doctor, a psychologist, a therapist or a counsellor.
Do activities you enjoy
Whenever you feel you are depressed, take time to do activities you enjoy and you will see that you will experience relief.
You will notice that people who take life too seriously and don’t find time to enjoy are those who fall into depression. But people who live a balanced life, work hard and play hard are those who do not have depression.
So, you can see that it is important to set aside time to do activities you enjoy. The world won’t end if you take time to relax, you will only become a better person when you do that.
Watch sound therapy to reduce depression and anxiety
Conclusion
Don’t let anything get you bothered to the extent whereby, you will get depressed and weighed down.
You should work on the things that you have control over and leave the once you don’t have control over.
You can’t control everything in life, so don’t try to be a control freak. Do the things you can do that are within your capacity and be optimistic about getting positive results.
Don’t waste your worrying because when you worry, it changes nothing. Learn to think progressively, thinking of how you can solve problems in future. Think of how you can achieve your goals.
If you want to avoid or overcome depression, you need to censor the things you think about. The things you think about can make or destroy you.
Life is a choice, choose to live.