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LINKS WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYIN THE DEPRESSION TOOL KIT contents/disclaimer I know it's hard. Depression steals your will to do anything including the very things you most need to do to fight back. Your dragons may look like windmills to those who don't get it but you still have to be your own Don Quixote to win your war. Every day engage in the battle for your wellness. Tenacity for your cause is a necessary weapon. I'm not talking “just get over it.” We both know that won't happen. I'm talking dig in your heals and fight with all you've got. YOU'RE worth it. previous next contents top Being bipolar doesn't exempt you from situation issues. You will probably cycle in spite of environmental events but these have the potential to act as triggers. Effectively managing your world can help reduce symptoms improving overall wellness. previous next contents top I know I've been harping on forgiveness. That because this is so vital for emotional wellness. Forgiveness means to let go of your need for revenge or justification. It doesn't mean what happened was okay. You're just going to free yourself of the active feeling that you need retribution of some kind. This includes the concept of “I'll never forgive,” which operates in the subconscious as a type of revenge. In actually this neither accomplishes revenge nor does anything to improve your wellness. In fact you put yourself in the position of punishing yourself over and over for the perceived wrong perpetuated against you. Better to refuse to be ruled by your anger and just trust God for justice. previous next contents top How do I forgive? Forgiveness begins with a choice. Make a willful choice. The emotion won't just instantly go away. You will need to rehearse the choice when ever the emotion rises up. Remind yourself, I have chosen to forgive. Jesus said to forgive 70 X 7 times (Matt. 18:22). When you choose to forgive you have taken back control of your response from the offending issue which hijacked your emotional wellness. If possible make peace with the offender but if you can't you can still make peace with yourself by releasing yourself from holding on to the issue. previous next contents top One way to responsibly deal with anger is to choose to forgive. In that anger is commonly the root of clinical depression this is important. One of the common statements I heard when I did peer counseling was, “I'll never forgive them.” That's a choice you have but if that's the way you want to go be prepared to pay the price. While they're off living their life blissfully unaware of your relentless wrath you're perpetuating damage to your own emotional well-being. Wonder whose getting the short end of the stick in this arrangement? previous next contents top Unresolved anger is considered the greatest cause of clinical depression. A lot of people don't think they're angry but the truth is we all experience anger. You may say, “I'm not angry just frustrated...” or hurt,etc. These are all forms of anger. Anger in itself is not necessarily wrong. Anger is a signal that something has gone wrong in your world. Failing to address anger responsibly and/or effectively is where the problem arises. "Be angry and sin not. Don't let the sun go down on your wrath." Ephesians 4:26
There's a difference between accepting constructive criticism and embracing every negative commentary. Some input may be good advice. Some not so much. Be sure your critics are motivated by your best interests, have a grip on what is true and have wisdom. And ultimately the only opinion that counts is Gods previous next contents top We can work to improve our self talk/thought life and strive to chose a good behavioral response but nothing is an absolute. We can only do our best to improve with practice. The challenges are these: Much of our disposition is born in us. Secondly we can not control everything that happens to us. The good new is that much of our disposition is also learned based on environment and choices. We can improve our situation with effort and practice but t hose inborn propensities will continue to rear their ugly heads and will challenge our wellness, A good tool is to distract the mind from the unhealthy thought processes by engaging in activity that occupies the mind. Also don't underestimate the power of prayer. You may not always succeed but that's a battle lost not the war. You only lose the war when you give up trying. previous next contents top Remember that your symptoms impact more than yourself. Everyone around you is at risk of consequences both emotional and circumstantial. Protect your well-being for the sake of all. If you are highly symptomatic don't be surprised if people begin to withdraw from you. This is their survival instinct kicking in. Cherish those who can stand with you through it all but be careful not to abuse their compassion. Lack of due consideration may leave you by yourself in the end. previous next contents top Intoxicants such as alcohol and illicit drugs work by messing with brain chemistry. They can have an underlying impact that extends beyond the high and affects emotional well being. Abuse can cause long term or even permanent changes and the cost in the end may not be the best deal you ever made. previous next contents top A cleansing cry can be medicine. I'm not talking about being a crybaby over every triviality but there are times when the pressure of our emotions builds to the point that our emotional and/or physical well being is about to explode. A good cry can act as a pressure release value. It won't make our issues go away but it may make the difference in being able to cope a little longer. previous next contents top
The mind demands resolution. Failure to meet this demand will result in undesirable emotional repercussions. This can manifest as anger, depression and anxiety. Decisiveness can reduce such effects and promote well-being. This doesn't preclude responsible consideration and investigation. A bad decision can be equally disastrous. But get the homework done and give your mind a break. previous next contents top Sometime ago it became popular to describe certain psychiatric disorders as a chemical imbalance. The bottom line is all psychiatric disorders involve a disruption of brain chemistry. The difference between what may be considered biological/genetic depression and situation/clinical depression is whether symptoms are caused by a pre-existing chemical imbalance or if the imbalance been caused by environmental circumstances. Clinical depression is the latter and is caused by failing to cope effectively with issues. Thus clinical depression can be cured by resolving the psychology of the precipitating issues. “Biological” conditions such as bipolar disorder are treatable but not curable short of a miraculous healing. It should be noted that severe untreated depression can become a permanent chemical condition. previous next contents top The brain is an incredible biological computer and whatever you download to it must be processed. It's not necessary to interface with every input source that passes through your world. It's okay to shut off the news, read a different book, find a more uplifting conversation, etc. It's not possible to avoid every negative thing but lean toward those things that lend to wellness and away from those that induce despair and anxiety. Every now and then reboot. previous next contents top Global statements are always wrong. Did you catch me? “Global statements are always wrong” is a global statement. A truer statement is that they are usually wrong. This is the problem. When we see our world in global statements (i.e. "things will never get better") we may be speaking epitaphs on our future outlook. Not only can we build a permanently depressive perception but we rule out things that may improve wellness and happiness by never considering them. God is an absolute. Most other things in our world are not. previous next contents top You may say, “What if this or that had been different?” What has been has been. You can't change the present by belaboring the past but you might just change the future by recreating the present. With God all things are possible. Matt. 19:26 previous next contents top Depression and anxiety are conjoined twins. If you have one the other is also present. The difference in diagnosis is which has the greater observable presentation. That being said, what you feed either one will nourish the other and both will increase. previous next contents top Be careful not to use your diagnosis to excuse your every behavior. There may be times when the ability to control one's behavior becomes handicapped. Taking responsibility for the behaviors you can is a shot to the face of your disorder and may save you future regrets. Neither let others use your diagnosis to dismiss your every thought, word and action. While at times your thoughts and actions may be influenced by your disorder, other times these will be responsible and not symptomatic. The difference needs to be carefully discerned. previous next contents top
The world is a constant ocean of events, both good and bad. Good and bad exist simultaneously. Depression causes you to cover your eyes and cast your net blindly landing it in a school of melancholy perspective. Then you say, “The world is truly as awful as I thought.” Better to hunt down and spear that fish of bright, colorful glory which is the good that hides from your net. Then you will have a real trophy. I didn't say it was easy. You don't win trophies for easy. previous next contents top Remember that your disorder is something you have- not who you are. Who you are is made up of character and willful choices. What you have is an alien at war with who you are. A step toward victory is the determination not to surrender the who to the what you have. next contents top
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