Tag: Christianity

Living with Lethargy

Lethargy – noun, plural lethargies
1. The quality or state of being drowsy and dull, listless and unenergetic, or indifferent and lazy; apathetic or sluggish inactivity.
2. Pathology. an abnormal state or disorder characterized by overpowering drowsiness or sleep.
dictionary.com

I struggle a lot with lethargy. It’s been an unwanted companion of my depression for many years. I have to fight to get up in the morning. I have to fight to stay awake throughout the day. And I’m always very happy when bedtime comes around and I can tuck myself into bed for the night.

But it’s not just fighting against sleep. It’s an extreme lack of energy that inhibits me from accomplishing even small tasks. Taking a shower, preparing meals, and paying bills are a few examples of tasks that can be overwhelming to me.

Why is this such a struggle for me? Well, for one, it’s a symptom of my depression. And on top of that, it’s a side effect of several of the medicines that I take to help with my depression. Sometimes I feel like the medicines cause more harm than they do help…but looking back, I have been better on them than off them.

So what do I do to combat this lethargy? I try several different methods. One is that I aim to do everything in baby steps. By breaking down tasks into smaller chunks, it can be more manageable. A second technique is to give thanks for and to allow myself to feel good about the little tasks that I complete. This encourages me to keep pushing forward. Third, I make use of caffeine. I enjoy the taste of coffee and it contains the caffeine that I want, so you will often find me sipping on a cup of joe. And lastly, I have been doing a  Five Minute Energy Routine by Donna Eden on a daily basis. My therapist shared the routine with me, and although I don’t understand all of the science behind it, it does seem to help.

What are your tips for fighting lethargy? Do you have a specific idea or method that really works for you? I’d love to hear about it in the Comments! ❤

 

Photo by Vladislav Muslakov on Unsplash

Glory Through Tears

Tears –
Tears that I wish I could cry –
Fall into an empty bottle
Clasped in my Savior’s hand.
The tears fall quietly –
As if not to disturb;
But they also fall quickly –
As if each tear knew that
It must make room for the next.
Consumed with darkness
I let the teardrops fall,
And trust that my Father sees them.
He alone knows
The purpose for this darkness,
And He alone can shine His light.
So I wait, and I hope, and I trust…
Relying on Him to get through each day;
And knowing that although
My tears are filling His bottle,
My Father’s grace and love
Are filling my life
And He will display His glory
Through my tears.

“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” ~ Psalm 56:8 (NLT)

 

Photo by Cristian Newman on Unsplash

He Holds Tomorrow

I struggle a lot with anxiety.

Whether it be navigating a social situation, obsessing over something that I haven’t done perfectly, or feeling completely overwhelmed by an upcoming task –  my tendency is to rely on myself instead of looking to God for help.

But I know that this is not the right way to respond to life’s difficulties.

There is a song by Jason Gray called “Sparrows.” I like it because it helps me to put things back into perspective when my world feels like it’s spinning out of control.

Here are some of the lyrics:

You can’t add a single day by worrying
You’ll worry your life away
Oh don’t worry your life away
You can’t change a single thing by freaking out
It’s just gonna close you in
Oh don’t let the trouble win

You may feel alone
But you’re not on your own

If He can hold the world He can hold this moment
Not a field or flower escapes His notice
Oh even the sparrow
Knows He holds tomorrow

So how would it help me if I truly believed that my God holds tomorrow? If I trusted that He cares for even the sparrows – and that His love for me (and you) is so much greater? I should think that it would have a major, positive impact!

But it’s a little more difficult to flesh this out in daily life.

When you can’t pay your bills…
When a loved one is sick and there is nothing you can do…
When you fear for your safety…
When a relationship is falling apart…

It could be any number of things. But I think the important thing is that we try to bring each worry to God. He is the One who sees us and loves us and desires to take care of us.

So what is it that you’re worrying about? Why not give it over to the Father – situation by situation – and let Him handle today’s worries…along with the worries of tomorrow.

 

Photo by Przemyslaw Reinfus on Unsplash