I really don't know where to begin on this topic. I also don't have any answers... just experience. The constant headlines of school shootings, and suicide have become almost the norm the hear about in our daily life, so what do we do?
First I think we need brave people that have gone to battle with depression and anxiety to talk about it. Not kidding when I say I have laid face first on the floor crying out to God begging for him to deliver me, many times.
I fought the battle behind closed doors with just me and God for the first 10 years of my marriage. 10 YEARS!! In all reality, my whole life, but my depression, anxiety and OCD was probably the darkest and ugliest those first ten years of marriage. Looking back it amazes me the things I accomplished and the beautiful life we built all while fighting this dark all consuming battle.
It was only by the grace of God!
I will never talk about mental illness without also magnifying the spiritual aspect of it. It is truly a battle of light and dark and every form of mental illness comes straight from the pits of hell.
The thought of counseling was probably the most terrifying thing to me. I was terrified to share my irrational fears. I can only call them irrational now. Keep in mind that to someone suffering they are not irrational. They are as real as real can be. I was also afraid I would find a counselor that would make things worse and not better. Lets be real... not all counselors are godly and they don't all know what they are doing.
It wasn't until a completely unrelated issue came up in our life that I was led to an amazing godly counselor. You better believe that when I went to this counselor I had NO intention of making it about me.
God had other plans.
To make an extremely long story short, the counseling sessions quickly became about me and thats when I started down my road to freedom. It took my counselor a really long time to convince me to try medication. She was so patient, loving, and kind. She knew what I needed and bless her heart week after week she would listen to me and never be pushy. FINALLY the weight of a lifetime of battling in my mind and the hormone changes from my last pregnancy I agreed to give medicine a try... but not before I exclusively nursed that baby for a full year. Apparently I tend to take the long way around.
Finally a few months after my babies first birthday I went to my OB for my yearly and we talked about medication.
That choice was after two years of counseling and looking for any other way possible. I really wrestled with taking medicine. As a believer I thought that it meant that I didn't believe that God could heal me and in my mind it was choosing medicine over faith. Now that I can see things so much more clearly I see what a BIG FAT LIE that was!
Sometimes God does just say the word, and we are healed, but in my experience, most often he allows us to walk through things. He wants to teach us and like any good father he doesn't just do it for us. He helps us, he walks with us, he gives us tools.
It has been a very long hard fought battle for me but God is faithful. He has never left or forsaken me.
I am now walking in more freedom than I have experienced my entire life. There is hope, and healing is possible. FEAR IS A LIAR.
If you are in a dark place some of the best advice I have been given is this...
Feelings don't define truth and sometimes you just have to ride out the wave. Our feelings are not reliable.
In my personal experience these things are imperative for success.
* Do not neglect your spiritual life.
*Exercise (weather you feel like it or not)
*Don't be an island. You need relationships even when you don't feel like it.
* Find a godly counselor.
* Prayerfully consider medication.
Medicine was the final piece of the puzzle for me. It has truly been a powerful tool given to me from God.
Just know that no matter how dark of a place you are in, you are not alone. There is hope.
I pray that you will find peace that surpasses understanding and that God will lead you to freedom.
It is a long hard battle, but "It's the low that makes the high so sweet" :)
Blessings,
Christina
First I think we need brave people that have gone to battle with depression and anxiety to talk about it. Not kidding when I say I have laid face first on the floor crying out to God begging for him to deliver me, many times.
I fought the battle behind closed doors with just me and God for the first 10 years of my marriage. 10 YEARS!! In all reality, my whole life, but my depression, anxiety and OCD was probably the darkest and ugliest those first ten years of marriage. Looking back it amazes me the things I accomplished and the beautiful life we built all while fighting this dark all consuming battle.
I will never talk about mental illness without also magnifying the spiritual aspect of it. It is truly a battle of light and dark and every form of mental illness comes straight from the pits of hell.
The thought of counseling was probably the most terrifying thing to me. I was terrified to share my irrational fears. I can only call them irrational now. Keep in mind that to someone suffering they are not irrational. They are as real as real can be. I was also afraid I would find a counselor that would make things worse and not better. Lets be real... not all counselors are godly and they don't all know what they are doing.
It wasn't until a completely unrelated issue came up in our life that I was led to an amazing godly counselor. You better believe that when I went to this counselor I had NO intention of making it about me.
God had other plans.
To make an extremely long story short, the counseling sessions quickly became about me and thats when I started down my road to freedom. It took my counselor a really long time to convince me to try medication. She was so patient, loving, and kind. She knew what I needed and bless her heart week after week she would listen to me and never be pushy. FINALLY the weight of a lifetime of battling in my mind and the hormone changes from my last pregnancy I agreed to give medicine a try... but not before I exclusively nursed that baby for a full year. Apparently I tend to take the long way around.
Finally a few months after my babies first birthday I went to my OB for my yearly and we talked about medication.
That choice was after two years of counseling and looking for any other way possible. I really wrestled with taking medicine. As a believer I thought that it meant that I didn't believe that God could heal me and in my mind it was choosing medicine over faith. Now that I can see things so much more clearly I see what a BIG FAT LIE that was!
Sometimes God does just say the word, and we are healed, but in my experience, most often he allows us to walk through things. He wants to teach us and like any good father he doesn't just do it for us. He helps us, he walks with us, he gives us tools.
It has been a very long hard fought battle for me but God is faithful. He has never left or forsaken me.
I am now walking in more freedom than I have experienced my entire life. There is hope, and healing is possible. FEAR IS A LIAR.
If you are in a dark place some of the best advice I have been given is this...
Feelings don't define truth and sometimes you just have to ride out the wave. Our feelings are not reliable.
In my personal experience these things are imperative for success.
* Do not neglect your spiritual life.
*Exercise (weather you feel like it or not)
*Don't be an island. You need relationships even when you don't feel like it.
* Find a godly counselor.
* Prayerfully consider medication.
Medicine was the final piece of the puzzle for me. It has truly been a powerful tool given to me from God.
Just know that no matter how dark of a place you are in, you are not alone. There is hope.
I pray that you will find peace that surpasses understanding and that God will lead you to freedom.
It is a long hard battle, but "It's the low that makes the high so sweet" :)
Blessings,
Christina
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