How do you keep the faith when depressed?

Question

I don't know if it can be called that , this is basically a self diagnose. But for about the last 6-7 months i've been having the worsts lows in the world. I cry out of nowhere and every single little thing seems to get to me and there are so many things on my shoulders. Once about a month ago in a job interview which I had to play off as me being up early in the morning my eyes literally teared up why i'm not sure. There's been alot of things thrown my way and it seems like when it rains it pours for me. I just need help. My situation is getting worse and worse and I don't want to end up hurting myself or anyone else. I thought about trying to get my hands on some xanax or something,but when I looked it up the side effects were worse than whatevers going on with me now. Although I am not religious I do pray only to seem like it was a lost cause. I'm trying hard to keep faith but i'm just tired of feeling this pain that does not seem to want to go away. I'm just at a loss.

Answer 1

There comes a time when not only is your spirit crying out for the Lord but also your whole outlook on life becomes one of despair. Despair because everything seems pointless.

I'm here to tell you that without the Lord, life really is pointless. With Jesus, there is always a reason to get up in the morning. Even when you don't want to, but a reason all the same. When you have Jesus, you know who you are and why you're living at all.

When you have Jesus, you have a friend for all eternity. A friend that doesn't back bite or spread rumors about you, a friend that sticks it out with you even when you curse Him, understands you better than anybody.

When you have Jesus, the world could fall apart and you still would stand strong.

When you have Jesus, fear of the unknown just goes away. Feelings of inadequacy just fade away. Your family expands to millions and you never feel totally alone.

When you have Jesus, you may not know if it will rain tomorrow but it won't matter any more. When you find yourself pinned in a corner, your friend will lead you away from it.

When you have Jesus, nothing is impossible, you feel strong and worthy.

When you have Jesus, unanswered questions fall into 2 catergories: answered or not important any more.

You can strive with depression or find out the answers. The choice is always yours. What you are experiencing is referred to as 'walkng in the dark'. With Jesus, you will 'walk in the light'.

I won't push Him on you. I don't have to. You already want to know Him. You may not realize that it's Jesus you're longing after but you will. All you have to do is talk to Him.

Answer 2

I used to work as a RN on psychiatric units in hospitals for 20 years. What you are experiencing is the illness Major Depression. Crying frequently, for no apparent reason, is a frequent symptom of Depression.

You do need to be on an antidepressant. You can just go to your family doctor, tell him/her what you are experiencing and he/she will prescribe one for you.

Don't worry about the side effects that you read about. They are only POTENTIAL side effects and the law requires that they be told to you even if people only rarely get them.

The doctor will prescribe what he/she thinks will work the best for you. He/she has to start out on a low dose that may not be effective. When it is certain that there are no significant side effects, the dose can be increased.

It often takes a week or 2 before you start to experience the antidepressant start to help you. Any side effects will start right away. Some side effects go away after you have been on the medication for a week or two. You may see an improvement in sleep or appetite before you see an improvement in your emotions.

It's possible that the first antidepressant the doctor tries may not be the best one for you and he/she might have to try another one. We humans are all a little different and medications act a little different for each of us. I don't say these things to discourage you but to let you know that getting on an antidepressant is a process.

I hope the antidepressant the doctor prescribes is the best one for you. If it is not, it is not because the doctor doesn't know what he/she is doing and do not be discouraged.

Besides 20 years of experience as a psych RN, I have been severely depressed and know from experience how bad it feels and how easy it is to get discouraged. Now that I am on the antidepressant that works best for me (the doctor had to try more than 1) I feel so much better that it is like night and day. It is worth it to be patient with the process.

My heart goes out to you. Please e-mail me at any time if I can be of help to you. My being depressed was the worst time in my life and a time that I got much closer to God, because I was aware that I needed Him so much. He did not let me down.

I assure you that God loves you and wants you to get well as soon as possible. Keep asking Him for everything that you need, even the little things. At times God answered my prayers for little things in such a miraculous way that it gave me hope that He was in the process of answering my bigger prayers as well.

Do not give up. When this process is over and you are back to normal, you will be a stronger person, and you will understand yourself and others more.

By the way, even though Xanax is listed as an antidepressant, it really is not. It is a tranquilizer (anti anxiety agent) that has been found to have some "mild" antidepressant effects. You need something more effective than that.

Also Xanax has an addictive potential and the best psychiatrists that I have known, would not prescribe it for that reason. The antidepressant should also relieve any anxiety that you have. If it doesn't, Buspar is a very effective anti anxiety medication and it has no addictive potential

God bless you. I hope that something that I have said has helped. If I were you, I would call my family practice doctor in the AM and try to get in to see him as soon as you can. You don't have to continue to feel as bad as you do. You can feel much better!

Answer 3

My first thought is always to Yam cream when I feel that way. Hormonal imbalances can be super hard to deal with. Here's a link to the cream I use: http://www.mynsp.com/carole/products/guide.aspx?stockNum=4936

My second thought would be SAMe was a great natural supplement I took for a while and I couldn't believe how quickly I was able to feel better. It was amazing - here's the link: http://www.mynsp.com/carole/products/guide.aspx?stockNum=1845

My third thought is that the eclipse cycle going on right now is messing with a lot of us recently - and we are just on the brink the next exclips (happening 9/11). After that I think stuff will settle down - it will also help that Venus turns direct tomorrow.

Finally, I suggest yoga and intentioning. The more you can do to keep yourself calm and focused on what you do want can be the only thing you can do sometimes - and it beats the hell out of hurting yourself.

I know 10 women who could totally identify with your statement - you are not alone. Hang in there and take it easy - really take care of yourself. Things will change and it will stink if you are sick or hurt because of it. Be open to peace and love and release the negative - that will do more good than anything else.

Peace!

Answer 4

In order to fight, or at least control this, try observing from the moment you wake up, what kind of mood you're in. Do a mood check mid-day and if you feel any better or worse, think about what took place that made you feel that way. Sometimes a simple thing like someone cutting you off on the road can make you cranky. Then someone else honks, curses at you and gives you the finger. This is enough to make it almost a bad day. Try writing or typing down the things that are making you unhappy, and the things that make you happy. Think about how you can resolve the unhappy items, and do more of the things you do like. If you like to let's say play piano, dive in. Sometimes sadness can motivate you to move forward towards better things. When you live to do the things that you love, it will automatically enable you to be strong enough to handle the ugly things that come your way. Have you ever taken one day off from everything, no school , no work, no nothing, just staying home and just focusing on you? Its a good thing to try if you havent done so already. Well, I don't know what your situations are, so I can't specifically give my opinion, but I do hope that this helps.
Good luck!

Answer 5

Hey I can relate, I have dealt with depression. It is not fun. I found out I have ADD, and one of the symptoms is depression. It is not something that you can fix yourself, and if you don't get an instant miracle today...I suggest you go to a dr. and ask for medication to help you. I prayed and did all I knew to do, and finally I realized I could not fix myself and my miracle was not going to be right away and I had to get on with life...I was in business college at the time...finally finished after quiting twice...only with God's help did I finish.
I went to a dr. got some meds. took them faithfully. The first ones I tried, didn't help enough. So I had to try something else.
Right now I take about 5 mg.of citalopram (1/4 of a 20mg tab)
it takes the edge off of things. I can't say that I am completely free of depression but I don't cry at the drop of a hat anymore. Now I am dealing with anger...if only there was a pill for that too...yes I wish there was an easy way out but
life is hard...and heaven will be worth it all.

Answer 6

Depression is a medical condition and should be treated by a doctor just like any other illness. Counseling and personal medication specific to your needs will help. That said, faith can be found best through art during depression. Art in the form of uplifting music (I love Stevie Wonder's Positivity), good movies (my all time favorite is Paul Newman in the Verdict or Finding Nemo), and painting, crafts, sewing, or anything which helps to get your mind elsewhere. Depression sufferers have a hard time relating to their spiritual and nontangible sides, but your soul will soar if you can tap into great beauty, music, acting, craft and design. Remember what Tom Hanks said during his time on that deserted island all alone - "The sun will come up tomorrow and who knows what the tide will bring in."

Answer 7

From the sounds of it you are out of balance. Proverbs about balance...

Proverbs 11:1, 16:11, 20:23

While this applies to their economy it also applies to life. We unfortunatly live in a fast paced and non-stop world. There never seems to be an end in site, and that is part of the problem. We don't take the time for God. We just keep going about OUR OWN business and leave God out of it. You may just need to slow down.

I do want to help you with the most important issue though...check out this link...It has answers for the most important question there is.

http://hediedforme.com/

Answer 8

I was depressed and finally talked to my doctor about it and got on antidepressants (not like xanax which is addictive) Within a week or two life was like1000% better. When you're depressed, you can't think straight. I believe God is holding on to you, even when you feel you can't hold on to Him. Keep praying and see a doctor.

Answer 9

The way it was for me is that I had to hit my lowest point before I finally gave God a chance on me. If you think that you would want to know God, then I can help you with that. If you are not even interested in knowing God, then you'll have to make some time for talking to me. I help people here sometimes.

Answer 10

In all honesty, when you are depressed, you not using your faith. I am not saying that when life throws hardballs we're not ever going to feel bad, we are all human but, when you are saved, you realize that it is not you that is holding you, it is God. Sometimes that is hard to fathom but, we have to keep that in mind and not get so discouraged in life. PRAY to God and ask Him for forgiveness and to restore you back to Him the way that you need to be. If you ask this with a sincere heart, God will do it.