EXHALE Getting Outside of Self to Obliterate Depression
Come
quickly, LORD,
and answer me,
for my depression deepens.
Don't turn away from me,
or I will die (Psalm 143:7).
for my depression deepens.
Don't turn away from me,
or I will die (Psalm 143:7).
When
I was trapped in what I thought of as the “quicksand” of
depression, a friend invited me to take comfort in Psalm 143. She
thought I might identify with David who was also in a deep state of
despair at that time he wrote the Psalm.
Unfortunately,
when I was up to my eyeballs in the “quicksand” of depression, I
found it impossible to see clearly. What I saw in the Psalm was a
healthy (even robust) man, surrounded by people who loved and
respected him enough to help him hide from a KING. I saw David as a
guy, enduring (or enjoying) adventure and intrigue. David's life was
a pony ride compared to my (feeling-sorry-for-self) life of
unbearable nerve pain, imprisonment in my home, and heart-breaking
loneliness.
Depression
shifted my focus inward and the more I looked at ME, the more pain
and depression I felt. When I tried to look outside of myself, I
felt afraid; the anxiety and fear overwhelmed me, so I stopped; I
retreated into the pit – the quicksand, the bricked-walls of my
ever- increasing depression.
How
did I get out? I'd like to say that I just pushed my way out of my
house and never looked back. After all, “with God all things are
possible” (Matthew 19:26). Believe me, I have heard of people who
have taken hold of God's hand and stepped right out of depression and
left anxiety behind. With me, it took prayer, and a daily dose of “a
good Word” as well as shifting my focus from an inward
concentration to an outward focal point.
Proverb
10:25 says, “Anxiety
in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it
glad.” Grabbing hold of this verse, I awoke daily singing praises
to the Lord. In fact, when pain awoke me at night (every couple
hours), I would put earbuds in and listen to my favorite Christian
Praise music while walking laps in my house – usually belting out
songs whether I knew all the words or not. Once my heart felt light
and my focus was UPWARD instead of inward, I slept a few more hours.
Praise
is STILL part of my daily routine. It draws my focus outside of me.
Praise helps me remember that my pain, as well as other trials that
drive nails into my depression, are temporary; God's love is eternal.
Also, when thoughts badger me: that person who betrayed me, the time
my partner neglected me, my friend who talked behind my back, others
who have ignored me, or belittled me; I realize they are just as
flawed as I am, and I am so VERY far from perfect; they are human
beings who deserve forgiveness and grace.
I
encourage you to step out of your depression one day after another.
Each time you feel a wave of depression pull you down or pulling you
INWARD, take that DEEP BREATH. Next, play that praise music as loud
as you can and SING along until you feel yourself rising ABOVE the
pain of resentment and depression. Consciously forgive those who have
hurt you, (you might have to do this several times before you're able
to let them go). Finally, get out and go somewhere; do something! Try
a hobby or pursuit that you've always wanted to try. Invite a friend
or go alone, but DO IT...and...most important
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