Okay, Yesterday, I gave you some very basic tips on beginning to establish your defense against depression and anxiety. You may have even chuckled at the seeming simplicity of it all, but for those of you who have already descended deeper into the abyss, you probably weren’t laughing. Sometimes even getting out of bed can be a challenge for those who find little to hope for.

Anyway, I can assure you that part two is a little more challenging, but for those who are committed to recovery. It is a valuable list. If you want to start from the beginning, please check out yesterday’s post for steps 1-5. So, here we go:

6. Volunteer Service, Help Someone Else

Get out and help someone else, volunteer for something, do something good for someone else, you need to think beyond yourself, greater than yourself.  Admittedly a challenge at the moment, given the “stay in place” restrictions many of us are under right now, but a proven principal, none the less.

It seems like recently, you can’t throw a rock in any direction without hitting someone holding a sign asking for help on the side of the road.    And of course we’re not actually throwing a rock at anybody so relax, it’s just a metaphor, but why not find out what they might need and meet their need.

If that makes you uncomfortable, go down to the soup kitchen and see if you can do something as simple as serving meals.  Perhaps one of the local retirement communities is looking for someone to just come and visit with some of their residents.   If you give them a chance, old people have great stories, and it sure helps you realize that your problems might not be so bad after all, especially if you have the incredible opportunity to talk to someone whose lived through the great depression, or has seen things in life that will make your problems seem more manageable in comparison.  If you think your life is bad, try getting some perspective from one of these seniors who has lived through hard times and is still alive to talk about it.  

How about a down and out family member, or a friend?  This might be the best option right now as you might be limited in your ability to get out, but I can assure you this is not going to last forever. So pick up the phone and call someone, and rather than vomit your struggles on them, practice concern and empathy for what they might be going through. Ask them how they are doing and listen. Facetime or Facebook them and resist the temptation to dominate the conversation with your problems and see what happens.

The world is filled with all kinds of volunteer opportunities and if you want to feel better about yourself and your circumstances, help someone less fortunate than yourself and watch purpose flow back into your veins. 

Blessed are those who have regard for the weak; the Lord delivers them in times of trouble. The Lord protects and preserves them— they are counted among the blessed in the land— he does not give them over to the desire of their foes. The Lord sustains them on their sickbed and restores them from their bed of illness. -Psalm 41:1-3 (NIV)

7. Call Family or Friend, Get Out of the House

This may seem like a blinding flash of the obvious, but it seems like the one thing we rarely do when we’re feeling bad is reach out to someone.  Friends and family can be a great source of frustration at times, but they can equally be a great source of comfort if we’ve surrounded ourselves with the right ones. 

Now obviously you can’t pick your family, but typically, most people can find at least one member of the family that has some redeeming quality or something positive to say.  Latch onto that one and visit them, either virtually, or in person once travel restrictions are lifted.  It was a distant aunt that helped my dad the most when he was a kid struggling through the loss of his own father during the great depression. 

8. Watch an Inspiring Movie or Listen to Inspirational Music

Now this is a recommendation with a caution as it is not an out of your apartment or house activity and it can lead you to further isolation if you decide to binge watch 10 episodes of some random Netflix series.  I’m talking maybe one film with a message about overcoming some obstacle.  Secretariat, Warrior, Remember the Titans, Breakthrough, or something along those lines.  Maybe listen to some motivational soundtracks or positive religious music. 

While not the most preferred methods of breaking the funk, it was the 1976 Rocky film that often inspired me in my early life to keep moving and training even when the chips were down.  There is some value to watching or reading about others overcome obstacles and win even if it is fiction.  There are plenty of true stories out there as well that might give you the little push you need to keep on moving.

Now up until this point these first eight steps to the battle plan have been pretty generic, non-religious, and basically anyone can engage in them, and they do work…, for a season.  However, the next two, even though more spiritual in nature are the most important of the ten and will ultimately give you a greater chance of defeating this most formidable opponent.   And you don’t necessarily have to leave the house or be a believer to engage them, (I will explain).

9. Prayer

Prayer in its most basic explanation is communication with God.  Now even if you are not a believer, or have your doubts, just try it.  You don’t need to know any specific prayer to engage God.  In rejecting prayer, people frequently say that they don’t know what to say or who to say it to, so perhaps you could just start by acknowledging that.   “God, I don’t know who you are, or even what to say, please help me, I’m suffering here and I don’t know what to do.” 

Jesus said in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.”  Notice the use of the word “all,” and the lack of any exclusions.  He did not say all you Christians, or even believers for that matter.  His invitation is open to all who are weary and burdened.  That’s a pretty wide net, especially at this time, but this is why he came.  Jesus also said of himself in Luke 19:10, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

I think deep down we all instinctively know there is a God as evidenced by a couple of different things:

1. The Bible states that our knowledge of Him is apparent by His creation, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. Romans 1:20
2. The Bible also states that God will come to the aid of the needy in Psalm 72:12, “For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.”
3. History books on library shelves and news stories throughout televised history are filled with documented accounts of people having acknowledge in their most desperate hour, using some version of the phrase, “God please save me!” And having been shouted out, these raw, honest prayers of desperation have been answered, time and time again.

This reminds me of Kevin Hines, a man who survived a suicide attempt of jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge.  He told People Magazine in a 2016 article that his regret was instantaneous.   “I said to myself, ‘What have I done, I don’t want to die, God please save me,” (People Magazine, Apr 2016, Herbst). Although, sustaining severe injuries on impact, and at risk of drowning, Kevin was literally buoyed at the surface by a sea lion that just happened to be in the area of impact. 

No, God did not miraculously whisk him out of the 220 ft fall to be safely placed upon the shore by some winged angel, but rather allowed Kevin to feel the full weight of his free will decision while using His creation to answer the honest and desperate plea of one of his suffering  Children. 

After all, don’t you think it was kind of strange that some random sea lion just happened to be in the neighborhood, and was not scared off by some chance human raining from the sky into the surf. 

For those who are truly not in a hurry to exit this world, I believe crying out to God in a crisis instinctively comes as natural to us as breathing and I further suspect it takes more effort to resist this compulsion, leaving only the hardest of hearts to reject seeking God’s help in their most desperate hour. 

10. Reading Scriptures from The Bible

And finally, grab a Bible, if you don’t have one, find one. Today, we routinely here about the Bible being criticized as no longer being relevant for our times, but typically it is by those who have never actually read it.  

If you’re not a Christian, start reading some stories about Jesus in the New Testament.  You just might be surprised by His compassion and understanding for those who are suffering, and find His intolerance mainly reserved for religious hypocrites and unrepentant legalistic Pharisees, (you’ll have to read it to find out just what exactly a Pharisee is if you don’t already know).    

If you are a Christian and find yourself in this struggle as well, this book should be your faithful companion and probable step 2 right after you get out of bed.  I’m always surprised by the number of self-professing Christians I run into who’ve spent very little time actually reading the Bible.  One of your greatest defenses against the darkness is being left out of the fight.  Not making any judgements here, but might be part of the reason why you currently feel powerless against this adversary. 

Some Scriptures to get you started:

Matthew 11:28-30                                                    Matthew 11:1-6

Luke 2                                                                         John 8:1-11

Matthew 5:1-12                                                         Isaiah 9:1-3 (O.T.)

Matthew 4:16                                                            John 3:16-17

The Psalms it seems to me is poetry for the broken hearted, and God specializes in comforting the broken hearted. 

Some Psalms to start with are:

Psalm 6                                                                       Psalm 77

Psalm 88                                                                     Psalm 94

Psalm 94:19 – In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul.

Next will talk about the top Ten Things to Avoid in your Battle Plan against Depression! Stay Safe!