Have you ever discussed a significant problem with friends and felt lighter? Like you just got a weight off your chest? That’s the therapeutic power of reaching out to friends, family, or counselors when you sense depression.
James 5:16 (AMP) says, “Confess to one another therefore your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) and pray [also] for one another, that you may be healed and restored [to a spiritual tone of mind and heart]…”
Although the Scripture above refers to confession of sins, the healing effect of such heart-to-heart disclosures is still potent in other cases. It’s crucial for people experiencing depression to confide in others concerning their situation. Sometimes, a different perspective, emotional support, or counseling is all you need to overcome the negative thoughts and emotions. Depression is thick darkness that isolates its victims. This is why most people who are depressed don’t want company. Therefore, you can defeat depression by reaching out to others. When you seek help from others, you expose the darkness to light.
Fear, self-hatred, pessimism, unworthiness, heartbreak, loss, and anxiety are only powerful in the dark. When you bring them before the light of genuine love, concern, knowledge, and comfort, depression loses its power over our minds.
Do you know how many suicide case situations could have seen a brighter outcome if people had sought help or had the present hope of another person present with them? So, don’t fight alone. Often, depression leads to self-sabotaging behavior, and you need to be accountable to a group. This must not be a large group of people like what you see in rehabilitation centers. It can be a network of three or four persons you call when you notice yourself going down the rabbit hole.
In her book, “HEALING YOUR DEPRESSION,” Apostle L’Tanya C. Perry, MDiv. said, “People choose to suffer alone because they feel no one is willing to bear their pains with them and watch them walk into healing. Other times, when a person causes the pain, it is tough to open up to another person for healing, and so, in a bid to avoid pain, people put themselves into more pain. Amidst all the supposedly evil people we have on earth, some people could help you out of your situation and
brighten you up again. And until you share your challenges with them, they may not know just how much they can be of help.”
Beyond having someone ready to listen or offer a shoulder for you to cry on, getting help from others puts you in their prayers. (James 5:16) includes prayer in the healing process. Yes, your situation gets less dark when others know about the problem. But through prayer, your loved ones (righteous individuals) carry that burden with you and ask for God’s intervention. So, talk to someone today.
Do you want to learn more about how to overcome depression and live a life full of laughter and fulfillment? Then get this life-transforming book, HEALING YOUR DEPRESSION by Apostle L’Tanya C. Perry, MDiv.