What Is Depression?

Depression can be characterized by a general loss of vitality or purpose for living. Depression can affect a persons personality, physical well-being, alertness, sleep patterns, productivity and generally their ability to cope successfully with life. In severe cases, depression can lead to suicide.

What Causes Depression?

Anxiety
A person will find themselves with a problem in which they see no way of resolving, so they begin to 'shut down' emotionally to the things of life.

Resentments
Resentments are a common cause of depression. If you seek counsel from this website, be prepared to give us a list of all the people or organizations to whom you are resentful toward. We will help you work through these emotions by showing you the importance of forgiveness.

Self-pity
Self-pity is also a common cause of depression. If you seek counsel from this website, be prepared to give us a list of things about your life to which you feel sorry about. We will help you work through these emotions by showing you that is doesn't matter what happened to you or the things about your life you consider to be weaknesses. God can work around those things and help you feel like an overcomer. Overcomers are the kind of people God wants us to become. Don't let self-pity prevent you from being all you can be!

Guilt
It is obvious that guilt can stop us dead in our tracts. But for Christians, I regard guilt as the Non-Emotion. That's because the second you confess your error to God, He forgives you and even forgets it! We can help you forgive yourself by helping you see that God can and wants to rebuild your life and make you more than you ever thought despite the mistakes you've made!

Rejection & Shame
Often during our lives we come across people who reject us. If your self-esteem is tied to what people think of you instead of what God thinks of you, you can become enslaved by rejection. By constantly trying to satisfy this need to be accepted by everyone, you will cause yourself needless anxiety which can contribute to depression.

Grief
Grief is a common emotion, experienced most often when a loved one dies or moves away. For some people it can be totally debilitating. Why is that? Perhaps it is because they feel they could never be happy without that person. That is a total lie, but if perceived to be true, it will cause depression.

Oppression
There are times in our lives when it seems we are constantly hammered with problems, and over time if not responded to properly, this endless barrage of negatives can send us into depression. The way to conquer this is to give each situation to God as they arise, knowing that as you show God that you are placing Him in charge of resolving these issues, He will give you the strength and go through the this trying time with peace and dignity.
 

Depression and Christians
In the case of a religious person, depression can also be said to be a spiritual problem, in that a person loses faith. They lose faith in themselves, in their friends, in their future, and even in God. In short, depression is a crisis of faith. Because depression is basically a spiritual problem, you should be able to be helped by your local church. If your church is unable to help you, you may want to find a different church. To see some guidelines to finding a good church, click here.

To check out the different ways to receive coaching through this website, click here.

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