Depression is a mental health issue that is characterized by persistent low mood, loss of pleasure in activities you once enjoyed, decreased self-esteem, and many other symptoms that cause prolonged sadness. To be clear, depression is more than feeling blue when you have a bad day. Clinical depression is persistent, spanning from months to years of chronic sadness. Some common signs of depression are:
Physical Signs: Changes in one’s appetite, sleeping too much or too little, fatigue, or weight change
Emotional Signs: Feelings of sadness, hopelessness, irritability, or anxiety
Cognitive Signs: Struggle to stay focused, indecisiveness, or excessive guilt
If you read the signs above and identify with several of them, know that you are not alone. There are many ways to break through the darkness and enjoy living again, and although we cannot guarantee it will be easy, we can guarantee that a clinician will come alongside you and walk through the darkness with you. Counseling has helped numerous people to learn new coping strategies, identify underlying issues, provide support, and offer clinically informed therapy to assist with the persistent difficulites of depression.
Counseling
One of the first ways a Fortify counselor can assist an individual when facing a challenge like depression is to offer a nonjudgemental, safe environment that fosters connection and a place to express deep emotion. The counselor will help you feel comfortable expressing your hopelessness and sadness to support and begin the process of healing.
Likewise, your counselor can assist you in identifying any underlying causes of your depressive symptoms. Things such as trauma, stress, unemployment, genetic predisposition, persistent negative thoughts, or isolation can be potential causes of depression. Inside the counseling room, the client and counselor can work together to understand and identify the cause of your symptoms to gain ground toward healing and change.
A Fortify counselor will also teach you new coping strategies to combat those depressive episodes. Through using empirically based methods such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), counselors can help clients identify their negative thoughts, which lead to feelings of low self-worth, which can cause adverse behaviors. Through CBT, clients can recognize their poor thought patterns and replace them with positive ones to reframe their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Furthermore, clients can use coping strategies like exercising, journaling thought patterns, connecting with others, engaging in hobbies, and relaxation techniques as tools in their toolbelt to help decrease some depressive symptoms.
Depression and a Biblical Lens
When I think of hopelessness, suffering, and despair, I think of the Book of Job. Job is an excellent example of someone who suffered greatly, was downtrodden, destitute, and deeply grieved. Because of this, I believe insight can be drawn as to how Job can be utilized in counseling for depression.
Job 1:21 says, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”
Job was stripped of everything in his life, yet he praised the name of the Lord. Despite his suffering, Job maintained his belief in God and his promises. He expressed his frustration and questioned God, but he never abandoned his faith. At times when it feels like you want to give up, are questioning God, and feel hopeless, Job is a reminder that even despite the deep suffering of depression, may God be praised. He reflects perseverance in the face of his destitution. In the same way, counseling can help you push forward past the darkness of your depression into the light of Jesus Christ. If you or someone you know is in need of help, please reach out to Fortify Christian Counseling, LLC today!
