Depression Lies Like No One Else Can
What I have found is that over the past decade, I have been equipped with tools to help me have a far higher quality of life than I had before seeking treatment.
You’re worthless.
Nobody cares.
It will never get better.
You’re a failure.
No one loves you.
It’s hopeless.
Or, as it pertains to me in my life…
Your ministry is worthless.
You’re not making an impact.
You’re wasting your time.
Other people are successful, but not you.
Other men preach well. You do not.
They had a good reason to reject you.
You might as well delete everything, quit, and hide because nobody cares what you have to say.
I could go on.
Let me say this loud enough for the people in the back…
Depression Lies Like No One Else!!!
Just in case you did not hear me the first time, let me repeat…
Depression Lies Like No One Else!!!
This post is for those who struggle with and are victims of varying levels of Depression. Mine is Major Depressive Disorder. I was diagnosed back in 2016. Trust me, I had it long before diagnosis. However, for far too long, especially in Christian circles, the Mental Health Pharisees have been allowed to sinfully disuade good Christians from seeking quality mental health treatment, causing many to suffer in silence, afraid to be judged by the Mental Health Pharisees.
Now that I have been receiving mental health medical treatment, including medication and therapy for a decade, I know firsthand that it does make your life better. It has not cured my condition any more than some physical diseases can’t be cured either. And no, faith healers do not exist. So, I have not sought out one.
What I have found is that over the past decade, I have been equipped with tools to help me have a far higher quality of life than I had before seeking treatment. Now, when I have a depressive episode, I can more readily recognize what is happening and put certain measures into place to protect myself from giving in to the lies.
Why is this important?
Because depression is a liar.
Depression lies to you.
Depression lies like no one else.
Depression does not care who you are.
Depression does not care if you have money.
Depression does not care how old you are.
Depression does not care if you seek treatment or not.
Depression does not care if you have the tools to fight it or not.
Depression is going to lie to you every time. It tells you all those things that you know down deep are not true, but your mind has to work overtime to learn how to combat the intrusive thoughts that depression causes one to think.
Nobody wakes up and wants to start thinking that they are worthless, unwanted, or unloved. Major Depressive Disorder causes one to think in these terms.
I can have depressive episodes that seemingly come out of nowhere, and other times, I can link them directly to a triggering event. Granted, in therapy, I have uncovered why I have the triggers I do, and I would encourage you all to do the same, as it has proven useful in my struggle with depression.
I have learned, when I feel a depressive episode coming on, to immediately begin telling myself, “Nope, that is a lie. No, you do not feel that way. No, you will not feel that way forever. No, that is not true.” I have to be proactive when combating a depressive episode. This does not make it necessarily go away. It certainly does not make it go away immediately. However, it can shorten the duration and intensity at times.
Then, there are those times when my tactics prove ineffective. It is in those times that I have to tread carefully. Since one of the lies my depression tells me is that my online ministry is useless and nobody cares, I have to avoid getting online almost entirely. I avoid logging into my various platforms to avoid the depressive temptation to quit and delete everything. I know, from past mistakes, that if I do give in to that lie and delete everything, I will feel better in that moment, but when I come out of the depressive episode and return to my clear thinking, I quickly realize that depression has lied to me and I have made a huge error.
This sort of thing may seem strange to a mind that does not suffer from depression, and I get it. I do. We all do things we otherwise wouldn’t do when we believe a lie.
And… trust me… depression is a liar.
If you suffer from depression, if you have suffered silently for whatever reason from depression, you are not alone, you are not weak, it is not failure to seek treatment, and it can and does get better. I am living proof.
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