Saturday, July 30, 2005

Depression

In my daily blog reading, I ran across a post in which an individual had been experiencing some personal difficulties. The situation, and the symptoms she described indicated that possibly she might be suffering from clinical depression.

I am not a mental health professional, but I shared some of my thoughts and experiences with her in her comments. I thought that I would relay them here as well:
It sounds like a tough situation that you find yourself in.

What I have found in my experience is that we can't always control the actions and attitudes of others. The only thing that we can truly control is how we react to the situation in which we find ourselves. Sometimes we can become so focused on our own difficulties and trials, that we forget to look outward, and forget to see the bright side of things.

When I get in that frame of mind, I have learned that I must look outward. Look for opportunities to forget myself, and serve others. Not only does it get my mind off of my own troubles for awhile, it can help me be more grateful for what I do have, as I serve those who may be less fortunate.

I also have come to realize that I cannot do it all on my own. I seek for help and guidance in reading the scriptures, and in prayer, and with the help of the Divine, I am able to get thorugh.

Another thing you might want to consider is whether or not you might be suffereing from clinical depression. I say this not because I am any kind of a health care professional, but because I deal with it in my own home.

My wife sufferes from Depression, and I have come to know the signs of when she is about to crash. For her, she gets a great sense of being overwhelmed by the day to day struggles and challenges of life. In addition to feeling overwhelmed, she also has a greatly reduced ability to cope with any kind of stress as well. Combined, these two symptons form a dark cloud over her.

I have come to know and dread that dark cloud. I have given it a name: "The Thief of Joy".

This thief steals away the joys and happiness that one should experience from life. An objective observer, given all the facts, would see that she has much to be joyful about. But when that dark cloud is upon her, she has a difficult time seeing the light, and feeling the warmth and joy that should be hers.

For my wife, medication has been a great help in dealing with this problem. It's not a cure-all, and it has its side-effects too. But all in all, it helps her to cope with life and face her challenges rather than wanting to run-away and hide.

This may not be the answer for you. Your situation may be quite different. I am just saying what has been helpful in my home.

I wish you the best.

I share these thoughts here, in case they may be of use to others as well.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I don't know if you'll see this since it's so far back, but thank you for sharing this with me. I know that the Father and Son are there. I know they listen. But when that could is so dark, it's hard to remember. I'm not sure how you found my blog, but thank you for reading.