Does your thought life lead to depression?
Depression is something we don’t like to talk about, but most of us have either dealt with it personally or know of someone that has. Depression feels like darkness. It feels like all hope is gone. Sometimes it’s situational and sometimes it’s clinical, but whatever the case, I am a big proponent of seeking professional help. Could it be that our thought life could lead to our depression?
I have had my share of darkness and hopelessness. As a Christian, I have my own take on depression; the why, how, what helps, and what doesn’t. I am not a doctor or psychiatrist, and I am still travelling my journey, but I have come to realize how my thought life can lead to depression. I also realize each person’s journey is different. I want to share some things that have helped me.
First, seek professional help. Don’t be ashamed to go to your family doctor and tell them how you feel. Don’t leave it to “self-diagnosis,” and don’t feel like you are weak if the doc suggests medication. It may be the bandage that stops the bleeding, so the wound underneath can begin to heal.
Professional help also comes in the form of counsellors and psychologists. They can help you discover things about yourself and why you feel the way you do. And often you “feel” a certain way because you “think” a certain way.
I have been seeing a therapist off and on for the last number of years, and we talk a lot about my thoughts and feelings. This is a great alternative when your husband and or friends have exhausted all efforts. All kidding aside, speaking with an unbiased party is the best thing! You often end up answering your own questions. She has shown me how negative thought patterns influence our feelings and actions. In fact, they influence everything about life. We need to retrain our brains.
One of my “AH HA” moments was when I came across this model created by Brooke Castello, The Model Part 1 – The Life Coach School.
Circumstance – e.g.) I was not selected for an opportunity I had my heart set on
Thought – I am not good enough
Feeling – I feel worthless
Action – I withdraw/ stop trying/ bring others down to make myself feel better/ Lash out because I feel worthless.
Result – isolation, negative thought pattern becomes the highway of choice.
The circumstance is often something I have no control over. But I CAN change how I think about the circumstance. I AM in charge of my thoughts. Those thoughts create feelings, negative or positive, and then I act on those feelings. My action creates the results. I usually don’t even THINK about the progression my thoughts and feelings have toward my actions. And more often than not I skip from the circumstance to how I feel about it, forgetting about the thought that led to that feeling.
If we go to the above example, and instead of thinking “I’m not good enough” change the thought to “a better-suited opportunity will come along for me” doesn’t that change the whole trajectory of my inner dialogue? See how easily our thought life could lead to depression?
I love it when logic and the Word of God agree, and I believe they always do. The Bible has a lot to say about our thoughts.
“Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life” Prov 4:23
“…we capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ” 2 Cor 10:5
“Brothers and sisters, think about the things that are good and worthy of praise. Think about the things that are true and honourable and right and pure and beautiful and respected.” Phil 4:8
God desires for us to think in healthy, productive ways, not destroying ourselves with negative self-talk. The enemy of our souls wants nothing more than for us to continue believing the lies we tell ourselves about who we are and our inherent worth.
John 10:10
A thief comes to steal and kill and destroy, but I came to give life — life in all its fullness.
It took many years to train your brain in the negative pathways it has taken. It will take time to retrain the brain. One thought at a time.
You can’t stop a bird from flying over your head, but you can stop it from making a nest there!
I hope this will encourage you to seek your own help as you wrestle with thoughts and the feelings they bring. I believe it takes a combination of sources and resources to help with something as complicated as the mind. Use all that’s available to you and don’t be ashamed to ask for help. We all have weaknesses we try to hide behind our armour. If more of us were real instead of hiding, maybe more would receive the help they desire.
