MENTAL DIET: HOW TO GAIN EMOTION STABILITY (PART 6)

DEPRESSION

The seed of depression bears the fruits of discouragement, loneliness, inferiority complex, and misery. For the seed of depression to die, the seed of hope must be planted in the mind.

Hope-filled words nurture and nourish the seed or thoughts of hope in the mind. Hope-full thoughts and hope-full words are a double-edged sword that pierces through and destroys depression.

Depression means being deeply pressed down or deeply pressured. Depression is a sinking state which keeps thoughts and feelings burdened down in negativity. Depression is a state of self-pity; hopelessness and helplessness. It is being grounded in the victim mentality. Depression is a mental response to a perceived disappointing and seemingly defeating circumstances of life.

 Depression arises when the soul is imprisoned in the agony of painful traumatic experiences. Depression is a negative emotional response that is rooted in a negative pattern of a belief system that originates from a lack of self-worth, self-value, hopelessness, and undeserving feeling.

Depression could be linked to or associated with heart disease; thinning of the bones and cancer. Severe or acute depression tends to spiral down into suicidal death.

Depression could be categorized into:

–           Serious depression

Perpetual sadness, slow reaction of mind and body, morbid and bitter self-criticism.

–           Mild depression

Discouragement, loneliness, disconsolateness, feelings of inferiority, getting no fun out of life.

DEALING WITH DEPRESSION:

• To deal effectively with depression you must dictate the root cause of the depression.
• When you praise, you are raised from depression. Praise God for who He is in the midst of the problems of life and you will be raised above every situation.

• Hope is the antidote for depression; hopeful thoughts and words create a hopeful outcome. Greet each morning with hopeful words by saying, “This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. This is going to be a great day.”

• Fill your words with hope as you go through the day. Let your thoughts and words resound in hope and you will reset the entire spirit of your mind. Gloomy thoughts and words block the solution to life’s problems and deepen the depth of the problem. Pessimistic thoughts and words pierce the mind of its vibrancy and vitality and consequently crush creativity and initiative which dashes hope and deepens depression.

Negative thoughts and words negate all possibilities and positivity which handicaps the will to succeed in creating a failure-ridden state that deepens depression. You can talk yourself into any desired state of mind which creates the corresponding state of life.

• Hopefulness empowers the will and detoxifies the mind to feel better and act better; creating a better outcome. To be raised above depression, you must rise in your thinking; think right, believe right, and act right.

• Spiritual illumination dispels the despair of darkness over the cloud of depression in the mind. Meditating on the word of God stirs up faith; love and hope in the mind and keeps the mind aglow with light and peace, keeping out the darkness of depression.

• Eat right-it invigorates the body.

• Think right-it revitalizes the mind.

• Pray right-it enlivens your spirit.

• Act right-it produces a desirable outcome.

• The state of depression is the state of dwelling upon depressing thoughts in the mind. Therefore, substitute: hate thoughts with love thoughts; discouraging thoughts with encouraging thoughts; disappointing thoughts with expectant thoughts; fear thoughts with faith thoughts; negative thoughts with positive thoughts; pessimistic thoughts with optimistic thoughts, and depression will be nowhere to be found in your mind.

• Depression is only made possible when you focus on yourself; your pains and your problems. To eliminate depression, practice loving people. Forget yourself and your problems long enough to reach out and help someone who is hurting in whatever way you can.
• When you help lift others up you can never stay down in a depressed state. Love has curative value; it cures most of the maladies in the world. Love God, love self, love people and you will be lifted out of depression to an ecstasy of blissful living.