- You Are Not Alone (with Depression & Anxiety)
- Depression Does Not Define You
- What Does Depression Look Like?
- 10 Encouraging Bible Verses to Ease Depression
- Navigating Tough Parenting of Teens: When Your Daughter Wants to Dye Her Hair Blue
- How to Manage Depression and Chronic Pain
- Truths About Depression: Stuff You Don’t Want to Hear
- I Got Punched in the Face This Weekend
- Straight Talk About How to Survive Heartbreaking Grief
- For a Day When You Need Motivation
- Sometimes Grief Comes From Unexpected Places
- For Parents of a Teen Who Had a Near Miss
- 10 Simple Ways to Bring Creativity to Your Life
- A Depression Solution: Speak!
- Q & A with a Therapist about Depression
- 4 Realistic Steps to Motivation When You Are Depressed {Based on Research!)
- 101 Ways to Get in a Good Mood When Depressed
- Is it Okay to Avoid Pain?
- How Can I Serve If I’m Depressed?
- Do You Have Angry Depression?
- A Room Full of Love: Thoughts After a Loved One’s Suicide
- Top 5 Offbeat I’m Depressed and Nothing’s Gonna Stop Me Now Movies
- What You Need to Know about Postpartum Depression
- Why You Need More Mental Flexibility
- How To Stop Stress Eating
- How to Exercise When You Don’t Feel Like It – 10 Workout Motivation Tips
- A Cure for Panic Attacks: The Potato Chip Method
- Can’t Sleep? Read This at 3:00 AM (When Depression Causes Insomnia)
- Secondary Traumatic Stress: How I Found Healing
- You Were Set Free For a Reason: A Daily Devotion about Freedom in Christ
- If You Write, Please Read This. (Plus, a FREE GIFT for All!)
Depression Does Not Define You
Depression Does Not Define YouIt’s 4:52 AM on Tuesday morning. I’m sitting at my kitchen table. The house is quiet except for the occasional stirrings of one of the cats. I hear a frog’s rhythmic burb somewhere distantly, far outside.
I’m staring at this blinking cursor and pondering the question, “What makes me qualified to write a series about depression?”
I’m not a therapist or a professional.
Even though I’ve dealt with depression off and on throughout my adult life, I have never considered myself a depressed person.
I’m not sad most of the time. I’ve never been suicidal.
I’ve a mostly optimistic person. I’m enthusiastic.
I don’t read books about depression or join support groups on Facebook about depression.
The truth is, I really don’t think about depression much at all.
After all 3 of my children were born, I struggled with postpartum depression. Two of the times were rough, one was mostly smooth.
My mom deals with debilitating clinical depression that has seriously affected her life for the last couple decades. Looking back, other extended family members surely were dealing with depression, too.
I’ve cared for a number of children and teens with depression — including anxiety and suicidal thoughts, and with our foster and adoptive experiences, other very serious mental health disorders.
My husband went through a period of depression, and as a pastor shared this news publicly to our congregation. I was standing beside him during the worship services when he announced this news.
I go to therapy. (In the past I went a lot. Now I go more with my kids, but I still go for me on occasion.) I journal. I take medications. I go see my doctor.
I have boundaries I didn’t have before. I exercise. I eat better.
Most of the time, all of this is effective in creating a wholeness and mental flexibility that keeps me joyfully — not always happily, but joyfully — bobbing up and down mostly well along the trials of life.
Sometimes it doesn’t. Then I deal. We deal.
Depression does not need to define you.
Did you here me say that? Because I think this is super, incredibly, really extremely important.
Depression does not define you.
Depression has been a part of me, and a part of my life and surrounding my life for as along as I’ve known, but it’s NOT ME. I don’t think of it as being me.
You don’t have to define yourself with it, either.
The Hope Toolbox
Throughout this series, each of us is creating My Hope Toolbox, your own personal list of resources you can use for the bad days. Whether it’s go for a run, listen to music, or sit in the sunshine, we all need activities we know will help move us toward healing, even when we don’t FEEL like doing them.
What will you add to your Hope Toolbox today?
Today’s Bible Memory Verse:
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God,who loved me and gave himself for me.
Galatians 2:20
Today’s Journaling Prompt:
(Use Your My Hope Toolbox Printable Kit — get yours here — or a journal of your own.)
How do you see and define yourself?
Helpful Resources:
Blessed (But Stressed) — Don’t Be Like Me. Get Help!
The Feeling Good Handbook by Dr. David Burns — This book is considered a classic in the field of depression, panic, and addictions. It’s practical and down-to-earth in style. Written by a psychologist, this edition has lots of space to take small quizzes and work through your process. This book helped me a great deal when I was first in therapy.
- You Are Not Alone
- Depression Does Not Define You
- What Does Depression Look Like?
- 10 Encouraging Bible Verses to Ease Depression
- When Your Daughter Wants to Dye Her Hair Blue
- How to Manage Depression and Chronic Pain
- Truths About Depression: Stuff You Don’t Want to Hear
- I Got Punched in the Face This Weekend
- Straight Talk About How to Survive Heartbreaking Grief
- For a Day When You Need Motivation
- Sometimes Grief Comes From Unexpected Places
- For Parents of a Teen Who Had a Near Miss
- 10 Simple Ways to Bring Creativity to Your Life
- A Depression Solution: Speak!
- Q & A with a Therapist about Depression
- Research Shows 4 Keys to Motivation When You Are Depressed
- 101 Ways to Boost Your Mood Immediately
- Is it Okay to Avoid Pain?
- How Can I Serve If I’m Depressed?
- Do You Have Angry Depression?
- A Room Full of Love: Thoughts After a Loved One’s Suicide
- Top 5 Offbeat I’m Depressed and Nothing’s Gonna Stop Me Now Movies
- What You Need to Know about Postpartum Depression
- Why You Need More Mental Flexibility
- How to Eat Healthy When You Don’t Feel Like It
- How to Exercise When You Don’t Feel Like It
- A Cure for Panic Attacks: The Potato Chip Method
- Can’t Sleep? Read This at 3:00 AM
- Do You Have Secondary Traumatic Stress?
- You Were Set Free For a Reason
- If You Write, Please Read This. (Plus, a FREE GIFT for All!)
Improve Your Mood!
Stressful holiday season?
+Improve your mood in 10 days.
+Reduce stress, anxiety, & panic.
+Daily, practical ideas to get you moving one small step at a time.
+Free printables.
+Find joy & purpose.
This is such a thoughtful post. I for one do feel my mental illness is par tof my identity, but then again it isn’t all there is to me. I also want to highlight that, as you say, you’re an optimistic person most of the time. The truth is, depression doesn’t discriminate. I read this book by a comedian who was clinically depressed and it showed how even the most humorous people can be hit with this illness.
Really good points Astrid. I think the death of Robin Williams brought home to all of us how mental illness and depression can be part of every personality, like the book you are talking about, maybe even more so those who make us laugh. Thanks for the sharing you do on your blog, which has been really interesting for me to read.
Depression is something I’ve dealt with nearly my whole life. When I’m in the throes of an episode, it’s hard to remember that depression doesn’t define me. Having a tool kit is helpful. And it takes practice to know what will work. Knitting seems to help me a lot. I can accomplish something by getting a project done, and I don’t have to think for a couple of hours. My hands do the work.
That’s so great you’ve found something helpful with knitting. I think that would make me more depressed — haha! But seriously, I agree it’s really helpful to find what works for us. It is definitely good to find a project that gives a feeling of accomplishment.