Share Your Depression Story

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Share Your Depression Story

Amanda Pelser — October 30, 2011 — 7 Comments

This is day 30 of 31 Days of Finding Joy in Depression. Yesterday, I shared about double depression days. Today, I’m talking about sharing your story!

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Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4

I love this verse. We walk on this road together. Everyone has a story to tell. God has allowed you to experience various things in your life in order to comfort others.

So, what’s your story? If you deal with depression, share your story so someone else can find comfort!

If you’re a blogger, write a post sharing your journey to find joy in depression. Use the button and code below in your post. Then add a link to your blog post in the linky below. I’m leaving the linky open long-term so you can come back and add your story whenever you’re ready.

In 31 Days of Finding Joy in Depression, Faith, Motherhood/Women/Homemaking 31 Days, depression, faith, joy

Double Depression Days

Amanda Pelser — October 29, 2011 — Leave a comment

This is day 29 of 31 Days of Finding Joy in Depression. Yesterday, I shared about scripture and depression. Today, I’m talking about double depression days.

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What is double depression? For those who deal with minor chronic depression like dysthymia, these are those extra low days that last for a short period of time. These aren’t just the blah days. Double depression days are the really bad days where everything seems completely out of control and hopeless. It could be just a day or two, but it could be a slightly longer period of time.

God allowed me to experience one of these this week, just before I had schedule to write about double depression. My double depression day – thankfully just one day – was triggered by extreme stress on several fronts: oversleeping, a cranky baby and a situation that was completely out of my control that went completely wrong.

What did I do?

Because I do so many of the things that I’ve mentioned in this series regularly, I could recognize my low for what it was. Double depression. I could think semi-rationally knowing that it was a temporary low. I let go of trying to be in control of the situation. I let Jonathan watch the same movie over and over again. Jacob went down for his afternoon nap. I verified with myself that I’d taken my medication. Check. I let myself grieve. I prayed for comfort and peace. And then I took a nap. When I got up, I felt better, thought not 100%. The next day I felt much better.

Double depression days are tough, but they don’t last forever.

Have you experienced double depression? What does this look like for you?

If you deal with depression, please comment and share your journey too. If you’re a blogger, you can use the button and code below to share your story and link back on your blog. Feel free to leave links to your posts in the comments area.

I’m linking up with The Nester and others who are writing 31 posts this month on various topics. I?m not a doctor or a counselor and this is not intended to be medical advice. This is simply the story of my experience with depression.

In 31 Days of Finding Joy in Depression, Faith, Motherhood/Women/Homemaking 31 Days, depression, double depression, faith, joy

Scripture and Depression

Amanda Pelser — October 28, 2011 — Leave a comment

This is day 28 of 31 Days of Finding Joy in Depression. Yesterday, I shared about prayer and depression. Today, I’m talking about scripture and depression.

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Reading scripture goes hand in hand with prayer. This is how God speaks to us. Scripture tells us the truth about who God is and who we are. This is vital to managing your depression. You must know how God sees you!

Here are a few of my favorite resources for reading and studying scripture:

GoodMorningGirls.org – Bible study and accountability with other women
YouVersion.com – Wonderful online Bible and community notes
Logos – Desktop and mobile apps for further study

I’m currently going through 1 John with Good Morning Girls. I love connecting on Twitter and through blogs with other ladies who are reading 1 John with me. I use the SOAP method in a notebook along with You Version and Logos to really dive into the passage each day.

How do you read scripture? How does scripture affect your depression?

In 31 Days of Finding Joy in Depression, Faith, Motherhood/Women/Homemaking 31 Days, Bible, depression, faith, joy, scripture

Prayer and Depression

Amanda Pelser — October 27, 2011 — Leave a comment

This is day 26 of 31 Days of Finding Joy in Depression. Yesterday, I shared about coffee and depression. Today, I’m talking about prayer and depression.

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Prayer and depression can be a touchy subject. I think this stems from people thinking that you can “pray away” depression. Like with any illness or situation, sometimes God immediately heals or removes the thing, but more often he walks with us through it.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

The real importance of prayer and depression is relationship and attitude. God is our comforter and that comes from talking and walking with him. At the same time, focusing on God rather than your depression helps elevate your mood.

Remember that prayer is not a one time thing. We don’t pray and walk away. It is an all the time thing. Prayer is an ongoing conversation.

Do you pray? How does prayer affect your depression?

In 31 Days of Finding Joy in Depression, Faith, Motherhood/Women/Homemaking 31 Days, depression, faith, joy, prayer

Indulge – Coffee and Depression

Amanda Pelser — October 26, 2011 — Leave a comment

This is day 26 of 31 Days of Finding Joy in Depression. Yesterday, I shared about chocolate and depression. Today, I’m talking about coffee and depression.

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I was never a coffee drinker until after I had Jonathan, but I still have to have a lot of milk, flavorings, and sugar in order to drink coffee.

There is a study that shows a correlation between drinking coffee and lowered risk of depression in women. This seems to be another issue of boosting serotonin in the brain like with chocolate and depression. Seems like coffee could be a good thing in moderation.

Just like chocolate, you need to be careful of the sugar that you add to your coffee. I like making my own homemade vanilla syrup and chocolate syrup so I can control the amount of sugar. One of my best ever Christmas gifts was an espresso machine from my husband a few years ago. I love steaming my own milk, making the espresso, and experimenting with flavorings.

Maybe my inner barrista is trying to get out? Or maybe it’s just the simple pleasures and simple indulgences that can boost my mood.

Do you drink coffee? How does coffee affect your depression?