Five Favorite Escapes from Depression by guest blogger Jeanette Levellie
Meet today’s guest blogger, Jeanette Levellie. You can read more about Jeanette at her blog ‘Wings of Mirth’.
When depression knocks on my heart’s door, do I run away? You bet. These are the places I run to, where I find my best weapons for overcoming despair:
1. I run to the Bible, especially the Psalms and the New Testament epistles. Although King David was referred to as “a man after God’s own heart,” he often asks the Lord to deliver him from his misery. I find it comforting that even the most spiritual of leaders fought with depression. But he knew where to go to find comfort and wisdom. I enjoy the letters such as Romans, Philippians, and Colossians written from Paul to early churches because they are full of hope. They also tell me what God thinks of me. And that helps me gain a more positive perspective.
2. I hop on my exercise bike and put some praise music on. As I pedal away my sorrows and listen to songs about how good God is, those endorphins start working. Within a couple of miles, my mental state gets a vitamin shot. My energy is renewed and my thoughts gain clarity.
3. I find a place to pray. It might be the bathroom, my car, or my journal. I pour out my heart to Jesus and ask him to fix me and my problems. I often say, “Lord, I need some encouragement today. However you want to send it to me is fine—a person, a book, a song, whatever.” I try not to put high expectations on people to lift me up, but look to the Lord for help. He knows why I’m broken inside, and how best to fix me. He often surprises me with a unique answer to my prayer of “Help me!”
4. I rummage through my movie cabinet and pull out a funny or romantic movie. Losing myself in someone else’s nutty or convoluted problems is a great way of escaping a sometimes harsh reality. Laughter releases the same endorphins as exercise, so it’s a wonderful way to overcome pity and anguish. I prefer movies with happy conclusions, so I can feel satisfied and hopeful when the story is done.
5. I reach out to others. I can always find someone going through a worse time than I am. Always. I might visit a nursing home and talk with a few residents—even if I don’t know them—send a card to my widowed mom, buy a gift for a my husband, email a friend, anything to get my mind off myself and my problems. It amazes me how therapeutic helping others can be. And most people are so grateful; I end up feeling like a princess when I show love and generosity.
The fact that I’m a humor writer doesn’t exempt me from depression. Many writers and artists of all kinds fight that dark demon. But I’m learning that I don’t have to live in a pit of despair. With God’s help and some healthy habits, I can gain victory!
Thanks Jeanette! These are five worthy escapes. Thanks for sharing them with us. And here’s a plug for your book. If you want to know more about this delightful book, check it out on Jeanette’s blog.
WHAT ABOUT YOU? Do you have somewhere to run to or someone to run to in order to escape from you depression?
I am so glad you dropped by today!
Join me again at ‘Depression Getaway’ and together we will…
…live, care, laugh, share, learn, discover, forgive and recover.
Don’t give up, I’m praying for you!
Wendy Love
Posted in depression
Hi, Wendy! Thanks so much for asking me to guest post for you today. Of course, I’m preaching to myself more than anyone else!
Grace,
Jen
These are good destinations for getting help we need. Just this morning, a dear friend called me and asked me to pray with her about an ongoing (soon be 4 years) circumstance one of her grandsons has. Before we hung up, I said something that got her to laughing. Later, I was behind her in the foyer at church (Ash Wednesday Service). She told our friend and Pastoral Assistant about how I had helped her through her melt-down.
Cecilia,
I am so glad you dropped by and left a comment. Wonderful to hear about christians supporting one another. Laughing is certainly one of the best tension breakers ever and so I am glad you left your friend on a happy note.
Jeanette,
Great having you share with us. I would love to hear you speak sometime if I was ever in the neighborhood. Keep up with those wonderful messages of encouragement.
One of the hardest things for a Christian to do when they are really depressed is to reach out to God. Faith can often disappear during an episode of depression. And yet it is even more important than ever to reach out to God during those dark times. That is when it is handy to have a support system in place, even one friend, even just me.
When I hit a really low point I email two or three people who I know will pray without questioning me, or pressuring me to ‘snap out of it’. I just email “doing badly, please pray….” and they do. And I believe that those prayers make a difference.
If there is anyone out there reading this who doesn’t have someone to pray for them, just email me, and I will!
Hi Jen –
Great post! You’ve reminded me that I’d better get back to the gym. After dealing with a nasty virus for several weeks, I’ve run out of those endorphins.
A minister friend of our always said to reach out to someone else when you’re going through a tough time. That advice has pulled me out of a down mood quite a few times.
Blessings,
Susan
Cecelia: Thanks for commenting today. I’m so happy you were able to help your friend up out of her hole of despair by making her chuckle.
Wendy: You’re right; prayer from others can lift us faster than just about anything. I’m glad you have friends to pray for you when you’re down. We all need those kinds of friends.
Susan,
So delighted to have you drop by Depression Getaway! Yes, reaching out to others can be a worthy distraction.
And yet when we are depressed that is often the hardest thing to do. Because depression can make a person feel of so little value, they can therefore feel that they have nothing to give. And yet, just callilng someone on the phone and saying ‘hi, I was thinking about you today’ can be a powerful thing for the people at both ends of the phone.
I love the image of running TO something when depressed. And I love your list of things that you do to getaway from depression. I, too, have found that reaching out to others–getting busy helping them–takes my mind, at least temporarily, off my own darkness.
Tina,
So glad you dropped by. Glad you enjoyed Jeanette’s post. You make a good point that some things can give you a getaway from depression, even if it’s only temporary. Temporary getaways are significant too. I believe that some getaways can make only a little difference, but a lot of little differences could potentially add up to a big difference!