Tag: hope

From Despair to Hope

Today I was feeling low again. I trudged my way through work in the morning, and then tried to be happy that I had the rest of the day to accomplish some tasks and do something that I enjoy. But even that wasn’t helping me feel any better.

So what do you do when you can’t seem to get out of that “pit” of despair?

Well, what I tried to do was to get out of the house. I had already taken my dog for a walk, so I had gotten some fresh air. But this just wasn’t enough. I felt like I needed to jump in my car and go somewhere new.

So I drove to a Starbucks that I’ve never visited before, and I brought a new book that I purchased recently. I ordered an Iced Cinnamon Almond milk Macchiato and slid into a comfy leather chair. I opened the devotional book, “All Things New” by Cherie Hill, to today’s date…and was blessed to find that the topic aligned with how I was feeling. I love when God does that!

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The title for today’s devotional was “Defeated and Powerless” – and that’s how I felt. But after reading the text and looking up some of the Scripture verses, I began to feel a little better. These are some of the things that I wrote in the journal section that accompanies the text:

  • I am surrounded with God’s shield of love – He protects me from any situation or experience that He hasn’t ordained for me! Therefore I can know that everything that happens to me is for my good…and His glory (Psalm 5).
  • Paul said He came to the Corinthians in weakness – timid and trembling…(1 Cor. 2:3) I need to bring my weakness to God and He will turn it into something great.
  • His grace is all we need! His power works best in weakness (2 Cor. 12:8-10).

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I can’t say that I felt completely better after my little outing, but it did reset my focus some – and that always helps. I was encouraged by God through His Word that even though I felt weak and defeated, I can find strength and hope in His presence. ❤

What do YOU do when you’re feeling low? Is there something you’ve found that works to help you climb out of the “pit” of despair?

Featured Photo: Ricardo Gomez Angel

Other Photos: Crystal Knauss

10 Things that People with Depression Want You to Know

  1. Depression is not just “being sad.” Yes, you feel despair and discouragement often when you struggle with depression. But you also feel a lack of energy, low motivation, irritability, and a host of other things. Sadness just does not encompass all of the emotions that you struggle with when you are depressed.
  2. We can’t just “snap out of it.” We did not “choose” to be depressed, and we can’t just force ourselves to feel better again.
  3. There isn’t always a specific reason for why we’re feeling depressed. People often think that our depression is linked to a devastating event in our lives – although sometimes that can trigger it. But depression is not as simple as feeling low because of something bad that happens (whether big or little).
  4. We may try to hide how we’re feeling so as to appear “normal.” Sometimes we don’t feel like we “fit in,” or we feel like we’re “strange” because of our illness. Please encourage us to be open about our emotions.
  5. Things that may be easy for you can take a huge effort for us. Many times, just getting out of bed in the morning drains all of our energy. So things like making meals, taking care of our families, and navigating the work world can be overwhelming. Help us to feel good about little victories.
  6. We just need you to listen. Oftentimes friends and family members want to give advice that might help us feel better. We appreciate this, but what we really need is a listening ear. Just like any other disorder or illness, it’s difficult for someone who has never experienced the illness to be able to understand. And that’s okay! Just knowing that you are there to listen is enough.
  7. We tend to isolate ourselves without realizing it. Our homes may be our safe places. It can be easy to stay indoors during the day – especially if there’s bad weather – instead of getting outside for some fresh air. And when we make plans to get together but don’t keep them…it’s not because we don’t care about you. It’s because interacting with others takes a lot of our energy – and energy is not something we have a lot of!
  8. We can’t just “take a pill” to make depression go away. Some people with depression take medication to help with the symptoms of their illness – I am one of them. However, I don’t believe that medication fully cures depression. Many times, it assists with controlling some of the symptoms, but also causes new symptoms (like making you feel emotionless).
  9. Just because we have a good day (or week or month) doesn’t mean we’re cured. Depression is complicated, and it can come and go. So please don’t think we’ve got this thing beat if we have a period where we feel better.
  10. We’re doing our best to fight this monster. We haven’t given in to defeat. Just because we struggle doesn’t mean that we’re not doing our best to live full lives. And we appreciate all that you do to help us!

I hope that this list has been helpful, and I encourage you to leave a comment with any thoughts you might have! ❤

I got my inspiration for this post from this website.

Photo Credit: Maria Victoria Heredia Reyes

 

A Change of Perspective

Today I started training for a new mini-job…and I liked it! It felt good to actually be doing something that is productive, and that will hopefully bring in a little extra money. And that gave me a tad bit of hope for tomorrow.

It got me thinking about perspective. I don’t often have a very good view on life. I focus on the things that I’m struggling with, instead of holding on to the joys and the blessings and the many things that I have to be thankful for. In any respect, my perspective could most definitely use an overhaul!

When I don’t feel motivated to do anything during the day, it brings me down. But instead of letting how I feel pull me into a pit of despair, I want to focus on taking a baby step towards accomplishing some goal, and thanking God when He helps me to take that step. When I feel alone and like no one understands what I’m going through, I want to focus on praising God that HE understands, and try to reach out to someone else who may be struggling. And when I want to give up because things are just too hard, I want to focus on the fact that the Lord has gotten me this far, and rejoice because He posesses an unlimited reserve of strength that is available to me for my journey.

I know that this change of perspective – this refined focus – is going to take time. But if I can apply this new outlook to even the smallest of everyday tasks, it will start to because more of a habit. And then it will become natural. And that’s the way I want it to be! I want to be a positive person.

Will you pray for me I seek to adopt a more positive perspective? I would greatly appreciate it. And what about you? Would you also like to change the way you look at life? Please feel free to leave a comment so that I can pray for you as well.

And remember…

Tomorrow is going to be amazing! ❤