How to Fight Depression
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Just a few weeks ago I was struggling with level eight pain it was unrelenting, and I confessed to a friend that I really had to climb my way up out of depression. And she said to me, “Come on, you’re Joni; you don’t get that depressed!”… well, I do. I mean I have to fight, I’ve gotta fight for my joy and my spiritual sanity. And the best way I fight off the blues is to give thanks for everything. I make my heart be grateful. I stir my spirit toward gratitude. I stoke my thankfulness.
God tells me to do that in First Thessalonians, so whether I feel like it or not, I compose a list of blessings and recite them out loud. And I encourage you to do the same. When you feel depression creeping in, occupy your heart with a list of blessings before it gets filled up with morbid thoughts. Mouth your thankfulness. Your heart will catch up and your spirit will come into alignment. It’s a great way to fight for your joy.
Depression and Anxiety When Life Is Going Well
“I went through a time where I lost who I was – a deep depression where everything felt so hard. It was a struggle just to get through the day and I was at a point where I was wishing that I wasn’t here anymore… because of how hard days felt, even though I wasn’t living a hard life. It was the mental health that I was struggling with.” -Emily Norton
