Battling depression is extremely hard during any time of the year, but during the holiday season, it can be especially difficult. As someone who personally struggles with depression, I know how hard it can be to fight the feelings of depression every day. You are not alone by any means.
If you need to find a few resolutions for the New Year, here are five resolutions for the woman battling depression:
One resolution for the woman battling depression is to not be afraid of being honest and raw with God. Oftentimes, we feel as though we have to say the “right” words to God or that we have to hide our true feelings. In the church, we are taught to praise God, yet not many have been taught the truth that God is not afraid for us to come to Him in our despair, weakness, and depression. God doesn’t expect us to always be happy. He knows how much this world can lead us into deep sorrow and depression.
Don’t be afraid to be honest and raw with God in your prayers. There is nothing sinful or wrong about telling God your true feelings. God already knows how we feel, but he wants us to come to Him. No amount of pain, hurt, or sorrow is too much for Him to hold. God wants to help us carry these burdens and fill our hearts with His love. The Lord tells us, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
Once I started being more honest with God in my prayers, I was better able to grow closer to Him. Instead of masking my feelings or trying to be fake happy, I went before God and told Him all of my sorrows, pain, and distress. He isn’t afraid or deterred by our crying or our rawness. When we start turning to God in our pain, He always towers over us and keeps us safe. If you are battling depression, try to take up the resolution of not being afraid to be raw and honest with God.
A second resolution for the woman battling depression is seeking out a therapist. Therapy and therapists tend to be taboo subjects for many individuals within the Christian faith. While this topic tends to be taboo, it shouldn’t be. In fact, Christians should encourage other Christians to seek out a therapist if needed. I have personally been seeing a therapist for nearly two years now, and therapy can help. Though my depression hasn't been “cured,” therapy has been a safe place to express my feelings.
With depression, it is important to talk about your feelings and not be afraid to open up. Therapy is often one of the only places I feel I can be open with all of my depressive thoughts. Therapy is a nonjudgmental area, and it can help get a great deal of emotional distress off your mind and heart. Don’t follow the belief that you are less of a person or a Christian for going to therapy because it isn’t true. It shows great strength and bravery to choose to go to therapy and be consistent week after week.
A third resolution for the woman battling depression is to seek out a support system. If you have a therapist, then he/she would make a great start to your support system. Often, we feel our family, friends, or our partner would look down on us or think we are peculiar if we wanted to talk about our struggles with depression. Despite this way of thinking, our loved ones do care, and they want to understand what we are going through. If you’re similar to me, maybe you push others away or just want to be left alone while going through particularly difficult times. Even though we may push others away, what we truly need is for the person to stay.
Your support system can be your family, friends, or an online Christian group. Whoever you feel is most comfortable and the best at helping in your struggle is who you need to involve in your support system. Finding a support system can be difficult at times, yet when you finally have a solid support system, it can help you greatly in your battle with depression. Your support system will be able to help encourage you, be there when you need them, and simply listen without judgment.
A fourth resolution for the woman battling depression is to not tear yourself down. Generally, amid our depression, we tend to tear ourselves down rather than extending grace to ourselves. We call ourselves “lazy” or “unthankful” even though we are only struggling with depression. Instead of tearing ourselves down and saying mean things to ourselves, we need to build ourselves up with encouragement. Tearing ourselves down will only cause our depression to sink further into our bones. We have to resolve that we will not tear ourselves down.
Depression is a mood disorder that can be quite difficult to manage, yet it is treatable. Tearing ourselves down will make the process even harder. We need to try our best to show ourselves grace. We will all mess up at times, yet we must show ourselves grace because working through a struggle is never linear. There will be many ups and downs along the path. The important aspect to remember is that we need to build ourselves up and choose to stop the practice of tearing ourselves down.
A fifth resolution for the woman battling depression is to celebrate the little wins. Little wins through depression can be smiling, laughing, or simply getting out of bed in the morning. If you are personally experiencing depression, you know how hard it can be just to get out of bed each day. If we are honest with ourselves, most of us would rather stay in bed and hide from the world rather than face the day. Choose to celebrate each little win, even if that is just getting out of bed in the morning.
In actuality, no little win is actually little, but rather a huge win. Every single step we take each day can help us in our struggle with depression. While many of us aren’t accustomed to celebrating little wins, such as taking a shower, washing clothes, or washing our car, these are huge wins for someone who struggles with depression. Even if no one else will celebrate with you, know that God is celebrating with you.
There are many false views surrounding depression that simply are not true. If you know someone who is battling depression, choose to extend extra kindness, love, and support to them this year. Educate yourself on what depression actually is—it is not a sin problem, nor is it because they don’t know the Lord. Those struggling with depression often feel each day is a battle. Therefore, we must extend extra care to them. In the same way, if we are personally battling depression ourselves, we need to extend extra mercy, care, and kindness to ourselves.
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