Am I Depressed?
Depression (and its common sidekick, anxiety) are understood to be “mood disorders.” They affect your mood, your feeling states. In other words, they affect “how you feel.”
Is 'how you feel’ important?
YES. It is your experience of life!
Feelings are powerful. They are incredibly persuasive. In any given moment, our feelings yell the loudest. Dallas Willard likened them to little children, clamoring desperately for our attention, screaming, “Give me, give me, give me.” I have 4 young children. That’s a good analogy. Feelings are LOUD and COMMANDING.
Depression & anxiety travel together, working in tandom, commanding your feelings in ways that cause you to feel unable. Unable to rest, unable to enter into joy, often unable to sleep, unable to be present, unable to love others well, unable to think…
WHAT IS DEPRESSION?
Depression has been called “the dark night of the soul” or “the stubborn darkness.” It’s key feature is the absence of hope:
“That’s the thing about depression: a human being can survive almost anything, as long as she sees the end in sight. But depression is so insidious and it compounds daily, that it’s impossible to ever see the end. The fog is like a cage without a key.”
- Elizabeth Wurtzel
HOW CAN I TELL IF I’M DEPRESSED?
How can we tell if someone is depressed?
Motivation. Apathy, loss of energy and interest: things seem pointless, hopeless
Emotions. Low mood, emptiness, anger or resentment, anxiety, shame, guilt
Cognitive. Poor concentration, negative ideas about the self, the world and the future.
Behaviors. Lowered activity, social withdrawal, agitation or retardation.
Biology. Sleep disturbance, loss of appetite, loss of weight, changes in circadian rhythms, hormones and brain chemicals.
THIS ISN’T YOU. IT’S US.
When we talk about the struggle with depression, we are talking about a common struggle. This is so many of us.
1 in 5 of us will have a depressive episode (Bloem, 2005).
1 in 10 will have a full blown panic attack.
Both are understood to be low reflections, because of under-reporting. The stigma is real.
LET US WALK WITH YOU
If you have felt stuck, numb, down, unable, struggling with sleep, it may be that you are under the weight of depression. Depression is real, common, and often makes people feel that they are uniquely broken. So let us be the first to tell you: You are not broken. You are not unworthy of the love of God or others. And we would love to walk alongside you, support you, and in order that you might have someone to help until the weight lifts.
DEPRESSION: HELPFUL RESOURCES:
“Depression, Anxiety, and Hope” (2020) taught by Josh Loy. This class was offered online in the height of the 2020 pandemic, in order to ask, “How can we hear from God and have hope in the midst of depression & anxiety?”
My Name is Hope by John Mark Comer
If I’m a Christian, Why Am I Depressed? By Dr. Somerville