Unshakable Depression

Written by Lela Gilbert

This article is courtesy of ParentLife.

Everybody knows about depression. We talk about depressing weather, complain about depressing news, and try to avoid depressing friends. But some people are depressed on a deeper level: The emotional low lasts for weeks, and they have a hard time climbing out of it. Other people require medical help to overcome chronic depression, which is a complex condition. Because a combination of fatigue, hormonal disturbances, and difficult circumstances all contribute to depression, it is not surprising that single moms are on the front lines of battle.

 

The RX
One of the best things you can do to alleviate the symptoms of depression is to engage in regular self-care.
• Maintain your walk with God. This can be challenging for single moms because depression can compromise your feelings about God. You may experience a sense of being abandoned by God or a deep mistrust.
Fortunately, your feelings do not determine God’s nature. At times you can do nothing but cry out to Him. At times you cannot pray at all. But God is powerful enough to look beyond your faults and see your needs.
• Take care of your health. Regular self-care means focusing on things such as nutrition, exercise, and vitamins.
• Make your home a haven. Take positive steps toward encouraging pleasant companionship among all of your family members.
• Live within your means. Seek wise counsel from someone gifted at financial management and work hard to avoid overspending.
• Invest in life-giving friendships. Friendships bring balance to life, give you necessary breaks, and help you overcome feelings of hopelessness.
• Spend time alone every day. Find a way to experience a daily retreat with yourself, nurturing not only your inner life, but also your relationship with God.
• Treat yourself once in a while. Envision a trip to a day spa or a night out with friends. Maybe it is a simple thing, such as a movie, a bubble bath, a CD, or a visit to an art gallery.
• Give thanks for the good. You have a choice in how you feel. You can cling to your misery, or you can carefully give thanks for the good things in your life.

Warning Signs of Chronic Depression:
Make an appointment with your doctor If you often experience many of the following symptoms.
• You feel miserable and sad.
• You are exhausted.
• You feel as though even the smallest of tasks is impossible.
• You seldom enjoy the things that you used to enjoy.
• You do not want to see people or hate to be left alone.
• You find it difficult to think clearly.
• You feel like a failure or feel guilty a lot of the time.
• You feel like a burden to others.
• You sometimes feel that life is not worth living.
• You have little hope.
• You feel that life is unfair.
• You have difficulty sleeping or you seem to dream all night long.
• You have physical aches and pains that seem to have no physical cause.

Lela Gilbert has authored or co-authored more than 60 books. Lela is the single mother of two sons and resides in Southern California.

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