November 5, 2024 • 22 mins
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In this episode of 'Renew and Transform,' Mindset and Leadership Coach Moussa Mikhail addresses the complex issue of depression, discussing its three general causes: biological, relational, and circumstantial. He emphasizes the importance of acknowledging one's feelings, understanding that they are not permanent, and recognizing that no one is alone in their struggles. The episode highlights the significance of community support, self-awareness, and seeking help through various means. Moussa offers practical tips and biblical wisdom to navigate depression and renew one's mindset with hope and faith.
00:00 Introduction to the Episode
00:30 Podcast Introduction and Mission
01:32 The Stigma and Reality of Depression
04:31 Three General Causes of Depression
07:56 Three Key Reminders for Facing Depression
13:21 The Importance of Community and Support
20:42 Practical Steps and Final Thoughts
Join me on the journey to Renew and Transform your mind and Cultivate your leadership by subscribing, leaving a review and following me on social media!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Moussa Mikhail (00:00):
In this episode, I'm going to talk about one of the greatest issues
(00:05):
that has plagued humanity since existence,and that we've all faced, or will face
at some point, and that's depression.
I'm going to cover three general causesfor depression, as well as three things
to remember as you navigate depression.
And potential ideas that can shiftyour paradigm as you battle depression.
(00:27):
Stay tuned and let's get into the episode.
Welcome to Renew and Transform, apodcast to renew and transform your
mind and cultivate your leadership tolive a life worthy of your calling.
I'm your host, Mindset andLeadership Coach Moussa Mikhail.
Let the renewal begin.
Welcome to renew and transform a mindset
(00:48):
and leadership podcast.
Thank you so much for tuning in.
Please subscribe wherever you listento podcasts so we can reach more
people around the world and help themcultivate their mindset and leadership.
Also, please check out the donorbox link in the show notes.
And on my page, this is an opportunityfor you to support this mission, this
(01:10):
podcast, all funds that are donated, gointo the production and dissemination of
this podcast, so we can reach more peopleglobally, and I would so appreciate if
you want to join me on that mission,check out the donor box again, the link
is in my page on my Instagram and my shownotes, and in the details of this video.
If you're watching on YouTube,
(01:32):
And because this is a mindset podcastand our leadership is in a direct
representation of our current mindsetand our state of mind, I want to
talk about one of the things thatdiminishes our mindset, our leadership
capabilities, and our overalleffectiveness more than anything else.
(01:52):
And that is depression.
Some give their all to pleaseand to make everyone else happy.
But feel hopeless, feel exhausted,feel burnt out, feel bleak, feel alone.
More than ever it seems like welive in a disconnected and lonely
(02:12):
society facing more depressionthan ever, more suicide thoughts.
Than ever
we often see The success on the outside.
We can see the success of people's lives.
We can see their production We can assumethat they're doing great that they're
happy that they have it all together,especially with social media culture as
(02:36):
Henry David Thoreau said a lot of peoplelive quiet lives of desperation due to
the stigma of depression people can't evenfathom the darkness you or comprehend the
depths of the darkness that people arefacing day to day we only judge based on
the surface, but we never really spendthe time to communicate the terrors of
(03:01):
depression and how to navigate it whatcauses it and different mindsets we can
use and think about to battle and navigatethrough depression so we can get out on
the other side victorious Now we oftenhear, if you're sick, go to the doctor.
If you have a broken bone, youcan go to the doctor for that.
But if you're depressed, often culturetells you to suck it up and move forward.
(03:26):
Which can be what you need to do sometimesif it's completely out of your control,
and you don't need to stay in that spaceof depression, and you have things to do,
and you have people that depend on you.
Understand that sometimes you justhave to do your best to move forward.
But how do we do that?
I'm going to read a proverb thattalks a little bit about this.
Proverbs 12 (03:47):
25 Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression,
but a good word makes it glad.
And that is my goal for this podcastto be a good word that can encourage
you to begin shifting your mindset soyou can continue to battle depression
and ways we can do that together.
(04:07):
Now, depression, as youprobably already know and have
experienced, is very complex.
It's not one size fits all, and itdoes not discriminate to where you're
from, what you look like, your race,your ethnicity, whether you're male,
female, whatever it is, it does notdiscriminate, and it's bound to be upon
(04:28):
all of us at some point of our life.
There's three generalcauses for depression.
The first one is biological,the biological cause.
This could be a result of chemicalimbalance, stress, lack of quality
sleep, hormonal issues, deficiencies,sunlight, lack of sunlight, or
exercise, or lack of exercise, orjust poor health and fitness overall.
(04:52):
A lot of these factors, if notall of them, will contribute to
a depression if we're not takingcare of those specific things.
And some of those things may be out ofour control at certain times in our life.
The second general cause ofdepression is relational.
It's a relational cause of depression.
That includes isolation, which is oneof the biggest issues that we're facing,
(05:13):
even though we are the most connected withsocial media, we are often the loneliest
people, and that is what is causinga lot of people to spiral down into a
depression that ultimately can take lives.
It could be the lack of relationshipsor struggles in our relationships, our
marriages relationships with our children,strained relationships with our family,
(05:35):
and our kids usually are big leadingcause to a lot of this depression as well.
And the third generalcause is circumstantial.
A lot of this is outside of our control.
And you're going to hear me talk alot about this if you're listening
to this podcast, to focus on what'soutside and what's inside your
control, but not to ignore it.
That needs to be acknowledged.
(05:56):
That includes trauma thatincludes our certain finances.
It could be disasters, naturaldisasters could be accidents.
It could also be this sense of lack ofpurpose or lack of clarity in our life,
which allows us to not be fulfilled.
On our day to day life before I gointo the three things to remember
(06:17):
when you're facing depression.
I want to lead withLamentations 3 verses 22 to 24.
The faithful love of the Lord never ends.
His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness.
His mercies begin afresh each morning.
I say to myself, the Lord is myinheritance, therefore I will hope in him.
(06:40):
What a beautiful scripture to justremind us that we have hope in God,
that mercies are renewed every morning,that we don't have to continue to
relive the past and ruminate on thethings that we can no longer change
that spirals us into this depression.
I believe that a lot of depression is aresult of the pattern of thinking that we
(07:05):
developed during a hard time in our life.
Oftentimes, it's the perspective we giveourselves that continually loop this idea.
Loop these negative thoughts andkeep us focused on the things
that no longer can be changed.
(07:25):
If a serious issues happen orserious relationship ended or if you
experience something difficult, butyou continue to trigger these thoughts.
And then you feed these thoughts over andover and over, they continue to grow and
the experience, the emotional experiencethat should have ended continues and
(07:48):
you elongated it for a longer period oftime, which is more than unnecessary,
creating needless suffering in your life.
So here's three things to rememberwhen you're facing depression.
Number one, your feelings are valid.
What you're feeling, whatyou're experiencing, it's valid.
(08:09):
If you're sad, if you're lonely, ifyou feel pain, if you're just miserable
in the state of life that you're inright now, those are valid experiences.
If you're angry, that is valid.
You can acknowledge them.
They are real.
You don't have to ignore them.
You don't have to try to suck itup and keep your mind off of the
things that are really botheringyou, but truly confront them.
(08:32):
Take a deep look.
Reflect on those things and ask yourselfthe questions that are hard to ask.
Don't try to ignore it withother pleasures and video games
and TV and whatever you doto take your mind off of it.
Those may be healthy in some ways.
There's definitely healthy alternativesthan sitting there depressed, but at
(08:53):
a certain point you have to face yourfeelings, acknowledge them and ask
yourself, why am I feeling this way?
What is causing me to feel this way?
Why is that happening?
Why am I triggered by this?
And you start getting answers.
You start unraveling that grip.
(09:15):
Depression is like a tightgrip rope around your body.
When you start to ask the questionsand gain more understanding, you begin
to loosen that rope off your body.
You begin to breathe better.
You begin to see things more clearly.
But as long as you keep feeding thatdepressive thought, as long as you
(09:36):
keep feeding those negative emotions orignoring them, they'll still remain there.
They will not just disappearuntil you confront them.
Number two thing to remember when you'refacing depression is your feelings
are valid, but they are not Permanent.
(09:58):
Your feelings are valid,but they are not Permanent.
I'll say it one more time.
Your feelings are valid,but they are not Permanent.
There is always hope with God.
His mercies are made afresh eachmorning as we read in Lamentations.
(10:18):
But they are not permanent.
Acknowledge them, face them,recognize them, recognize how you
got there and allow yourself to moveforward with a plan, with intention,
with support, with the strengthof God to get you out of there.
Often you can comparedepression with a storm.
(10:40):
A strong storm can wreak havoc on an area.
It could be raining, it could bethundering, it could be flooding,
could be blowing things over,making a mess, and it's miserable.
You can't go outside.
You can't enjoy nature.
You can't do all the things unlessyou just really like being in storms.
Some people like that.
I don't know why, butthat's besides the point.
(11:02):
If you trust.
That the storm will not last foreverand you release your expectation on
there should not be a storm rightnow You give yourself some liberty.
You also have peace knowing well, thestorm's not going to last forever But I
also don't need it to end this moment.
(11:24):
I'd prefer it to be ended this moment Butbecause I trust god, I know the storm will
pass at some point and i'll see the sunagain I don't have to stay You in the dark
place believing that this is all life is.
Life is just stormy and thunderyand wet and flooded and a mess.
(11:44):
it could be some seasons,but they're not permanent.
Okay.
Number one, your feelings are valid.
Number two, they're valid,but they're not permanent.
And number three is you are not alone.
You're not alone.
I promise you as difficult,as challenging, as wretched
(12:06):
as whatever you've experiencedand what you are experiencing
right now is you are not alone.
Not saying that it's not unique andnot downplaying your experience.
But you're not alone.
You are not the only person who hasdealt with a similar issue, and you're
definitely not the only person thathas experienced serious depression.
(12:30):
Now, what can that do for you?
That can also give you hope that peoplehave gone through depression, serious
depression, even back to biblicalage if you read the book of Job.
Serious depression.
Serious depression has beenoutlined in the book of Psalms.
And different books in the Bible,A lot of time, it's our expectation
that things should be a certain wayright now that we can't acknowledge.
(12:54):
What is right now?
You are not alone.
Not only do you have God the creatorof all things on your side Waiting for
you to come to him and ask for help.
You have a support group You havepeople in your life who are willing
to help you if you open up if you takethe steps to invite those people into
(13:15):
your life in community we'll talk alittle bit about that in a minute.
One of the best things we can doto shorten our emotional experience
is by generally just naming them.
Naming your emotion.
Being able to point outand say, I feel empty.
I feel betrayed.
I feel numb.
(13:36):
I feel afraid.
I feel angry.
I feel hurt.
Hopeless.
Unappreciated.
Lonely.
Envious.
Once you're able to label them, that'sthe first step in self awareness
until you're made aware of it, youcan do nothing about it to change it.
(13:58):
Until you become aware, you don'thave the power to change anything.
Self awareness empowers us to shinethe light on those areas of darkness
in our mind and our heart and our soul.
And by shining that light, we canallow other people to see us, to see
(14:19):
what we're experiencing, to step in.
You also give opportunities forpeople to love on you, to love you,
to support you, to help you, whichis our greatest satisfaction in the
human race is to serve, love, and helpone another what we're called to do.
But most importantly, itinvites God into those areas.
(14:40):
reveals your need for God.
It opens you up.
To just say, God, come into thisplace, come into my heart, help me.
You don't have to do it alone.
Let's jump back to Lamentations.
One of my favorite verses in allof scripture, Lamentations 3:40,
let us examine our ways and testthem and let us return to the Lord.
(15:05):
Biblically, we shouldbe examining our ways.
We should be examining our thoughts,our actions, and our behaviors
that have led to this place.
A letting go of what is outof our control, what's in the
history of our life, and focusingin on what we can control.
That empowers us to take action.
(15:27):
Let us examine our ways and test them.
To test it.
That is the action piece.
We examine our ways, we reflect it,we had self awareness, we labeled
our emotions, and let me test it.
Well, if I share this with somebody,if I confess this, if I pray on it,
if I meditate to God about this.
If I go to a support group, if I talkto a coach, if I talk to a therapist,
(15:51):
if I keep listening to these podcasts,if I listen to music, if I do these
things, if I take action and test it.
Will it get better and let us return tothe Lord a reminder that in our deepest
Anguish in our deepest depression.
(16:11):
Let us return to the Lord in spirit inheart and mind Because you did not bring
yourself to this earth your experiencehere on earth is a gift from God And how
we live that experience is our gift toGod, return back to the Lord, go back
(16:34):
to Him and find out what it is you'vecalled me to do that is making me live
in this such a lack of happiness and joy.
And here's one point I want you toknow, and I hope you're listening when
I say this, because it is not strongor spiritual to ignore your emotions.
(16:58):
It is not strong.
It's not manly.
It's not necessarily brave.
Now, there might be times where youhave to momentarily, depending on
what you're facing, you have to putyour emotions aside and you have to
tackle the problem in front of you,but you cannot ignore it forever.
(17:20):
Once you're done facing what'sin front of you, and you have
time to sit with yourself andreflect, you must acknowledge that.
Do not ignore it, because it willbuild up inside you, and cause
you deeper depression, and limityour ability to love and to give
the way God intended you to do.
Again, I want to remindyou, emotions are valid.
(17:42):
But they're not permanent, feelthem, but don't be ruled by them.
Don't let your fear, don't letdepression, don't let your suffering
and pain and sadness be your compasson the future, because then you'll
turn away, you'll turn away from God,you'll turn away from the people that
(18:03):
love you, and you'll turn away fromyour purpose and calling here on earth.
With God, there's always hope.
And since we've been readingout of Lamentations, let me
read this one I think sums
What it means to face depressionin a biblical, faith centered way.
(18:25):
Lamentations 3, 19 to 24.
The thought of my suffering andhomelessness is bitter beyond words.
I will never forget this awfultime as I grieve over my loss.
Yet I still dare to hopewhen I remember this.
The faithful love of the Lord never ends.
(18:49):
His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness.
His mercies begin afresh each morning.
I say to myself, theLord is my inheritance.
Therefore, I will hope in him.
Again, that scripture just opensour heart to say, I need help.
(19:09):
We're facing depression a lot inthis society because we don't want to
confront the brutal fact that You needhelp that I need help that we need
help and we're trying to do it aloneand it's causing us to grieve And to
be in this state of bitterness thatis beyond words that not only we're
(19:30):
experiencing But solomon in lamentationsthousands of years ago was experiencing.
It's not weak to ask for help.
It is wise It's a signof wisdom many councils
It is a sign that weneed counsel in our life.
Another example of why we'renot meant to do things alone.
(19:54):
When we have a community of people,when we have brothers and sisters who
can pray for us when we can't pray forourselves, who can sit with us when we
don't know what else to do, who can bein that dark space with us, who could
share and carry that burden with us.
Who can support us to not stayingthere, not being ruled by those
(20:18):
emotions, but encouraging us withlove and grace to move forward.
That is why we make it through the toughsituations in life by the grace of God.
We would have people in our livesthat encourage us and push us.
And if you don't have thatnow work on those things.
So you have that support system,that scaffolding in life.
(20:41):
Before you really need it.
And to wrap this up,what does that look like?
That could be a counselor, a coach,a mentor, a therapist, different
doctors, dietitians, physical trainers.
A life group, community group, churchgroup could be a recovery group.
It could be friends.
It could be family.
Could be books to expand the wayof thinking, music, podcasts.
(21:02):
There's a lot of things out there anda lot of people out there willing to
help you if you are willing to just ask.
Other things we can do, andyou probably heard this before.
It's nothing new, but exercising, praying,meditating, journaling, simply just
fixing our posture, straightening out ourchest, keeping our head up, our walking
(21:23):
in a way that exemplifies confidence.
Communicates to our mind that we're goingto be okay, Uplifting music, powerful
hobbies that give us joy, being outsidein nature, taking a hike, taking a walk,
pray did I mention, prayer, prayer isone of the biggest things we can do to
(21:43):
navigate this because it changes our mind.
It changes our focus, the thankfulnessand gratitude and humility.
That is a major thingthat prayer does for us.
Thankfulness, gratitude, and humility.
With those three things, wecan find peace in our life.
Surrender, control, to God.
And I'll end with this.
(22:04):
Whatever is a
challenge for you, God can handle it.
He is bigger than anything.
We can ever face or deal with
Jesus says this in John 16 33.
I've told you all this so that you canhave peace in me here on earth you will
have many trials and sorrows, but takeheart because I've overcome the world.
(22:27):
Try to give it to Jesus.
You have nothing to lose and all to gain.
God bless you
Thank you for tuning in.
Be a light and share this withsomeone you love and care about.
And please subscribe and leave areview so we can reach more people.
And remember, do not conform tothe pattern of this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind.
(22:50):
Then you will be able to testand approve what God's will is.
His good, pleasing, and perfect will.
In this episode, I'm going to talk about one of the greatest issues
(00:05):
that has plagued humanity since existence,and that we've all faced, or will face
at some point, and that's depression.
I'm going to cover three general causesfor depression, as well as three things
to remember as you navigate depression.
And potential ideas that can shiftyour paradigm as you battle depression.
(00:27):
Stay tuned and let's get into the episode.
Welcome to Renew and Transform, apodcast to renew and transform your
mind and cultivate your leadership tolive a life worthy of your calling.
I'm your host, Mindset andLeadership Coach Moussa Mikhail.
Let the renewal begin.
Welcome to renew and transform a mindset
(00:48):
and leadership podcast.
Thank you so much for tuning in.
Please subscribe wherever you listento podcasts so we can reach more
people around the world and help themcultivate their mindset and leadership.
Also, please check out the donorbox link in the show notes.
And on my page, this is an opportunityfor you to support this mission, this
(01:10):
podcast, all funds that are donated, gointo the production and dissemination of
this podcast, so we can reach more peopleglobally, and I would so appreciate if
you want to join me on that mission,check out the donor box again, the link
is in my page on my Instagram and my shownotes, and in the details of this video.
If you're watching on YouTube,
(01:32):
And because this is a mindset podcastand our leadership is in a direct
representation of our current mindsetand our state of mind, I want to
talk about one of the things thatdiminishes our mindset, our leadership
capabilities, and our overalleffectiveness more than anything else.
(01:52):
And that is depression.
Some give their all to pleaseand to make everyone else happy.
But feel hopeless, feel exhausted,feel burnt out, feel bleak, feel alone.
More than ever it seems like welive in a disconnected and lonely
(02:12):
society facing more depressionthan ever, more suicide thoughts.
Than ever
we often see The success on the outside.
We can see the success of people's lives.
We can see their production We can assumethat they're doing great that they're
happy that they have it all together,especially with social media culture as
(02:36):
Henry David Thoreau said a lot of peoplelive quiet lives of desperation due to
the stigma of depression people can't evenfathom the darkness you or comprehend the
depths of the darkness that people arefacing day to day we only judge based on
the surface, but we never really spendthe time to communicate the terrors of
(03:01):
depression and how to navigate it whatcauses it and different mindsets we can
use and think about to battle and navigatethrough depression so we can get out on
the other side victorious Now we oftenhear, if you're sick, go to the doctor.
If you have a broken bone, youcan go to the doctor for that.
But if you're depressed, often culturetells you to suck it up and move forward.
(03:26):
Which can be what you need to do sometimesif it's completely out of your control,
and you don't need to stay in that spaceof depression, and you have things to do,
and you have people that depend on you.
Understand that sometimes you justhave to do your best to move forward.
But how do we do that?
I'm going to read a proverb thattalks a little bit about this.
Proverbs 12 (03:47):
25 Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression,
but a good word makes it glad.
And that is my goal for this podcastto be a good word that can encourage
you to begin shifting your mindset soyou can continue to battle depression
and ways we can do that together.
(04:07):
Now, depression, as youprobably already know and have
experienced, is very complex.
It's not one size fits all, and itdoes not discriminate to where you're
from, what you look like, your race,your ethnicity, whether you're male,
female, whatever it is, it does notdiscriminate, and it's bound to be upon
(04:28):
all of us at some point of our life.
There's three generalcauses for depression.
The first one is biological,the biological cause.
This could be a result of chemicalimbalance, stress, lack of quality
sleep, hormonal issues, deficiencies,sunlight, lack of sunlight, or
exercise, or lack of exercise, orjust poor health and fitness overall.
(04:52):
A lot of these factors, if notall of them, will contribute to
a depression if we're not takingcare of those specific things.
And some of those things may be out ofour control at certain times in our life.
The second general cause ofdepression is relational.
It's a relational cause of depression.
That includes isolation, which is oneof the biggest issues that we're facing,
(05:13):
even though we are the most connected withsocial media, we are often the loneliest
people, and that is what is causinga lot of people to spiral down into a
depression that ultimately can take lives.
It could be the lack of relationshipsor struggles in our relationships, our
marriages relationships with our children,strained relationships with our family,
(05:35):
and our kids usually are big leadingcause to a lot of this depression as well.
And the third generalcause is circumstantial.
A lot of this is outside of our control.
And you're going to hear me talk alot about this if you're listening
to this podcast, to focus on what'soutside and what's inside your
control, but not to ignore it.
That needs to be acknowledged.
(05:56):
That includes trauma thatincludes our certain finances.
It could be disasters, naturaldisasters could be accidents.
It could also be this sense of lack ofpurpose or lack of clarity in our life,
which allows us to not be fulfilled.
On our day to day life before I gointo the three things to remember
(06:17):
when you're facing depression.
I want to lead withLamentations 3 verses 22 to 24.
The faithful love of the Lord never ends.
His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness.
His mercies begin afresh each morning.
I say to myself, the Lord is myinheritance, therefore I will hope in him.
(06:40):
What a beautiful scripture to justremind us that we have hope in God,
that mercies are renewed every morning,that we don't have to continue to
relive the past and ruminate on thethings that we can no longer change
that spirals us into this depression.
I believe that a lot of depression is aresult of the pattern of thinking that we
(07:05):
developed during a hard time in our life.
Oftentimes, it's the perspective we giveourselves that continually loop this idea.
Loop these negative thoughts andkeep us focused on the things
that no longer can be changed.
(07:25):
If a serious issues happen orserious relationship ended or if you
experience something difficult, butyou continue to trigger these thoughts.
And then you feed these thoughts over andover and over, they continue to grow and
the experience, the emotional experiencethat should have ended continues and
(07:48):
you elongated it for a longer period oftime, which is more than unnecessary,
creating needless suffering in your life.
So here's three things to rememberwhen you're facing depression.
Number one, your feelings are valid.
What you're feeling, whatyou're experiencing, it's valid.
(08:09):
If you're sad, if you're lonely, ifyou feel pain, if you're just miserable
in the state of life that you're inright now, those are valid experiences.
If you're angry, that is valid.
You can acknowledge them.
They are real.
You don't have to ignore them.
You don't have to try to suck itup and keep your mind off of the
things that are really botheringyou, but truly confront them.
(08:32):
Take a deep look.
Reflect on those things and ask yourselfthe questions that are hard to ask.
Don't try to ignore it withother pleasures and video games
and TV and whatever you doto take your mind off of it.
Those may be healthy in some ways.
There's definitely healthy alternativesthan sitting there depressed, but at
(08:53):
a certain point you have to face yourfeelings, acknowledge them and ask
yourself, why am I feeling this way?
What is causing me to feel this way?
Why is that happening?
Why am I triggered by this?
And you start getting answers.
You start unraveling that grip.
(09:15):
Depression is like a tightgrip rope around your body.
When you start to ask the questionsand gain more understanding, you begin
to loosen that rope off your body.
You begin to breathe better.
You begin to see things more clearly.
But as long as you keep feeding thatdepressive thought, as long as you
(09:36):
keep feeding those negative emotions orignoring them, they'll still remain there.
They will not just disappearuntil you confront them.
Number two thing to remember when you'refacing depression is your feelings
are valid, but they are not Permanent.
(09:58):
Your feelings are valid,but they are not Permanent.
I'll say it one more time.
Your feelings are valid,but they are not Permanent.
There is always hope with God.
His mercies are made afresh eachmorning as we read in Lamentations.
(10:18):
But they are not permanent.
Acknowledge them, face them,recognize them, recognize how you
got there and allow yourself to moveforward with a plan, with intention,
with support, with the strengthof God to get you out of there.
Often you can comparedepression with a storm.
(10:40):
A strong storm can wreak havoc on an area.
It could be raining, it could bethundering, it could be flooding,
could be blowing things over,making a mess, and it's miserable.
You can't go outside.
You can't enjoy nature.
You can't do all the things unlessyou just really like being in storms.
Some people like that.
I don't know why, butthat's besides the point.
(11:02):
If you trust.
That the storm will not last foreverand you release your expectation on
there should not be a storm rightnow You give yourself some liberty.
You also have peace knowing well, thestorm's not going to last forever But I
also don't need it to end this moment.
(11:24):
I'd prefer it to be ended this moment Butbecause I trust god, I know the storm will
pass at some point and i'll see the sunagain I don't have to stay You in the dark
place believing that this is all life is.
Life is just stormy and thunderyand wet and flooded and a mess.
(11:44):
it could be some seasons,but they're not permanent.
Okay.
Number one, your feelings are valid.
Number two, they're valid,but they're not permanent.
And number three is you are not alone.
You're not alone.
I promise you as difficult,as challenging, as wretched
(12:06):
as whatever you've experiencedand what you are experiencing
right now is you are not alone.
Not saying that it's not unique andnot downplaying your experience.
But you're not alone.
You are not the only person who hasdealt with a similar issue, and you're
definitely not the only person thathas experienced serious depression.
(12:30):
Now, what can that do for you?
That can also give you hope that peoplehave gone through depression, serious
depression, even back to biblicalage if you read the book of Job.
Serious depression.
Serious depression has beenoutlined in the book of Psalms.
And different books in the Bible,A lot of time, it's our expectation
that things should be a certain wayright now that we can't acknowledge.
(12:54):
What is right now?
You are not alone.
Not only do you have God the creatorof all things on your side Waiting for
you to come to him and ask for help.
You have a support group You havepeople in your life who are willing
to help you if you open up if you takethe steps to invite those people into
(13:15):
your life in community we'll talk alittle bit about that in a minute.
One of the best things we can doto shorten our emotional experience
is by generally just naming them.
Naming your emotion.
Being able to point outand say, I feel empty.
I feel betrayed.
I feel numb.
(13:36):
I feel afraid.
I feel angry.
I feel hurt.
Hopeless.
Unappreciated.
Lonely.
Envious.
Once you're able to label them, that'sthe first step in self awareness
until you're made aware of it, youcan do nothing about it to change it.
(13:58):
Until you become aware, you don'thave the power to change anything.
Self awareness empowers us to shinethe light on those areas of darkness
in our mind and our heart and our soul.
And by shining that light, we canallow other people to see us, to see
(14:19):
what we're experiencing, to step in.
You also give opportunities forpeople to love on you, to love you,
to support you, to help you, whichis our greatest satisfaction in the
human race is to serve, love, and helpone another what we're called to do.
But most importantly, itinvites God into those areas.
(14:40):
reveals your need for God.
It opens you up.
To just say, God, come into thisplace, come into my heart, help me.
You don't have to do it alone.
Let's jump back to Lamentations.
One of my favorite verses in allof scripture, Lamentations 3:40,
let us examine our ways and testthem and let us return to the Lord.
(15:05):
Biblically, we shouldbe examining our ways.
We should be examining our thoughts,our actions, and our behaviors
that have led to this place.
A letting go of what is outof our control, what's in the
history of our life, and focusingin on what we can control.
That empowers us to take action.
(15:27):
Let us examine our ways and test them.
To test it.
That is the action piece.
We examine our ways, we reflect it,we had self awareness, we labeled
our emotions, and let me test it.
Well, if I share this with somebody,if I confess this, if I pray on it,
if I meditate to God about this.
If I go to a support group, if I talkto a coach, if I talk to a therapist,
(15:51):
if I keep listening to these podcasts,if I listen to music, if I do these
things, if I take action and test it.
Will it get better and let us return tothe Lord a reminder that in our deepest
Anguish in our deepest depression.
(16:11):
Let us return to the Lord in spirit inheart and mind Because you did not bring
yourself to this earth your experiencehere on earth is a gift from God And how
we live that experience is our gift toGod, return back to the Lord, go back
(16:34):
to Him and find out what it is you'vecalled me to do that is making me live
in this such a lack of happiness and joy.
And here's one point I want you toknow, and I hope you're listening when
I say this, because it is not strongor spiritual to ignore your emotions.
(16:58):
It is not strong.
It's not manly.
It's not necessarily brave.
Now, there might be times where youhave to momentarily, depending on
what you're facing, you have to putyour emotions aside and you have to
tackle the problem in front of you,but you cannot ignore it forever.
(17:20):
Once you're done facing what'sin front of you, and you have
time to sit with yourself andreflect, you must acknowledge that.
Do not ignore it, because it willbuild up inside you, and cause
you deeper depression, and limityour ability to love and to give
the way God intended you to do.
Again, I want to remindyou, emotions are valid.
(17:42):
But they're not permanent, feelthem, but don't be ruled by them.
Don't let your fear, don't letdepression, don't let your suffering
and pain and sadness be your compasson the future, because then you'll
turn away, you'll turn away from God,you'll turn away from the people that
(18:03):
love you, and you'll turn away fromyour purpose and calling here on earth.
With God, there's always hope.
And since we've been readingout of Lamentations, let me
read this one I think sums
What it means to face depressionin a biblical, faith centered way.
(18:25):
Lamentations 3, 19 to 24.
The thought of my suffering andhomelessness is bitter beyond words.
I will never forget this awfultime as I grieve over my loss.
Yet I still dare to hopewhen I remember this.
The faithful love of the Lord never ends.
(18:49):
His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness.
His mercies begin afresh each morning.
I say to myself, theLord is my inheritance.
Therefore, I will hope in him.
Again, that scripture just opensour heart to say, I need help.
(19:09):
We're facing depression a lot inthis society because we don't want to
confront the brutal fact that You needhelp that I need help that we need
help and we're trying to do it aloneand it's causing us to grieve And to
be in this state of bitterness thatis beyond words that not only we're
(19:30):
experiencing But solomon in lamentationsthousands of years ago was experiencing.
It's not weak to ask for help.
It is wise It's a signof wisdom many councils
It is a sign that weneed counsel in our life.
Another example of why we'renot meant to do things alone.
(19:54):
When we have a community of people,when we have brothers and sisters who
can pray for us when we can't pray forourselves, who can sit with us when we
don't know what else to do, who can bein that dark space with us, who could
share and carry that burden with us.
Who can support us to not stayingthere, not being ruled by those
(20:18):
emotions, but encouraging us withlove and grace to move forward.
That is why we make it through the toughsituations in life by the grace of God.
We would have people in our livesthat encourage us and push us.
And if you don't have thatnow work on those things.
So you have that support system,that scaffolding in life.
(20:41):
Before you really need it.
And to wrap this up,what does that look like?
That could be a counselor, a coach,a mentor, a therapist, different
doctors, dietitians, physical trainers.
A life group, community group, churchgroup could be a recovery group.
It could be friends.
It could be family.
Could be books to expand the wayof thinking, music, podcasts.
(21:02):
There's a lot of things out there anda lot of people out there willing to
help you if you are willing to just ask.
Other things we can do, andyou probably heard this before.
It's nothing new, but exercising, praying,meditating, journaling, simply just
fixing our posture, straightening out ourchest, keeping our head up, our walking
(21:23):
in a way that exemplifies confidence.
Communicates to our mind that we're goingto be okay, Uplifting music, powerful
hobbies that give us joy, being outsidein nature, taking a hike, taking a walk,
pray did I mention, prayer, prayer isone of the biggest things we can do to
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navigate this because it changes our mind.
It changes our focus, the thankfulnessand gratitude and humility.
That is a major thingthat prayer does for us.
Thankfulness, gratitude, and humility.
With those three things, wecan find peace in our life.
Surrender, control, to God.
And I'll end with this.
(22:04):
Whatever is a
challenge for you, God can handle it.
He is bigger than anything.
We can ever face or deal with
Jesus says this in John 16 33.
I've told you all this so that you canhave peace in me here on earth you will
have many trials and sorrows, but takeheart because I've overcome the world.
(22:27):
Try to give it to Jesus.
You have nothing to lose and all to gain.
God bless you
Thank you for tuning in.
Be a light and share this withsomeone you love and care about.
And please subscribe and leave areview so we can reach more people.
And remember, do not conform tothe pattern of this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind.
(22:50):
Then you will be able to testand approve what God's will is.
His good, pleasing, and perfect will.
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