May 3, 2018

I’m so glad you’re joining me for this very important conversation today about depression. We’re bringing our pain into the light of God’s grace so we can begin to experience healing and wholeness.

My dear friend Marian Schulze joins me in this episode for a refreshingly honest conversation about dealing with depression.

Both Marian and I have battled depression and anxiety and have experienced the stigma and shame that can be projected toward those who suffer from mental health issues. I’ve asked Marian to share a bit of her story with the goal of providing hope and understanding. If you are struggle with depression or anxiety or any mental health issue, I hope this conversation let’s you know you’re not alone and inspires you to get the help you need.

And if you yourself are not depressed, you’ll gain perspective and practical tips and strategies for how to support someone who is.

Be sure and get your free copy of the 9 strategies I used to defeat depression. This guide will eliminate the overwhelm and help you step out of the darkness into the light of healing. Click here to get your copy. 

 

Discoveries Awaiting You in This Episode:

  • Sharing our journey through our pain and how we came out the other side and are coping in healthier ways now is being a good steward of our pain in the spirit of 2 Corinthians 1:3-4.
  • It is courageous to ask for help when you are in crisis and then doing the work of getting healthy. (See the Links & Resources section)
  • Self-care is unique to each person. Find what works for you to support you in getting healthy.
  • “Sometimes Jesus isn’t enough, sometimes you need Zoloft.” Now, when it comes to our salvation, Jesus is absolutely enough. And His grace is enough to sustain us through the hard work of getting well. However, it is not shameful or sign of a lack of faith to get medical help for mental health issues.
  • Not talking about our depression, anxiety or other mental health struggles is a barrier to getting help. Yet shame often keeps sufferers in silence. Mental illness is an illness like any other; we don’t shame those with cancer or heart disease, so don’t accept or put on yourself shame for struggling with psychological conditions.
  • Wearing the mask of pretending you’re okay leads to physical, mental, emotional and spiritual exhaustion. Be courageous and slip off the mask with a wise and trusted friend, loved one, or mental health professional.
  • How to support someone you love who is suffering from depression, anxiety or some other mental health challenge.

Marian’s favorite Self-Care Practices

Marian joined me in Season 3 for a more in-depth discussion of self-care. Take a listen by clicking here. Here are a few of her favorite ways to hold space for herself and create moments in which she nurtures herself. 

  • I love adult coloring books!  Mandalas are my favorite.
  • Reading, preferably in a hammock on a sunny day.
  • Fancy baths, including all sorts of salts and oils
  • Coffee or a glass of wine with a good friend.
  • Meditation.  Doesn’t need to be long, just enough time to practice awareness. Calm is my favorite app for relaxation and meditation.

9 proven Strategies to Defeat Depression

I know how overwhelming it can be to keep track of all the ideas for getting help. So I’ve put together a PDF of the 9 tactics I found essential in moving from deep depression back into living life with joy and peace (and good self-care). I hope you’ll use these as inspiration for your own journey out of the darkness and into the light again.

If it feels like its too much to figure out how to put all the advice and strategies into action, just print out this handy guide and take it along with you to your appointment with your mental health professional or coach. She can help you decide which strategies might be a good fit with your own recovery and help you take baby steps into the light of healing and wholeness. Click here and tell me where to send your guide.

SoulSpa Ah-ha moments:

  • “Pain is not to be numbed. Pain is not to be avoided and pain is not to be wasted.”—Glennon Doyle
  • Faith without works is dead. James 2:17. You pray and trust God to do His part AND you also have to do your part of the work of healing.
  • Talking to a safe person about what you’re feeling is the first step toward healing. If you don’t have a friend or loved one who will be supportive and help you get help, please contact one of the helplines listed below in the Links & Resources.
  • “When you know better, you do better.”—Maya Angelou
  • There is safety in all of our God-given emotions. There are not good or bad emotions. All emotions are good because they are gifts from God. Some are more uncomfortable than others, but they all are given to us by our Creator to serve us well.
  • The only way to have a true, honest, and authentic relationship with God (or anyone) is to be honest about our emotions. We can express all our feelings to God. He wants us to bring our authentic self to Him (even when we are angry, sad, or whatever).
  • Not talking to someone who you know is recovering from a mental health crisis creates shame. Asking questions, showing concern and listening is a way of removing the shame that so often is felt by sufferers.

Get Help… Links & Resources Mentioned:

Don’t forget…