Acknowledging the Onset of Depression

Unknown fear. A spate of inexplicable anxiety, an irrationally unpredictable inner rage of irritability, and an even deeper fear of incapability leave us racked with a bewildering preponderance of preoccupation.

No longer are we free. Our thinking state is bogged down. Our feeling state is vulnerable. Each and every moment requires courage. Each step is one of faith.

I know a thing that can arrest the onset of depression: the spiritual gift of awareness (acknowledgement) and the spiritual courage to design and execute cathartic change.

But, in the pit of the struggle, we are forgiven for not being able to see through the profuse fog in order to see through the rarefied air all around us.

Sure, there is a biochemical imbalance to be restored to aid physiological healing. Diet, too. But the spiritual side of depression cannot be undercut nor discounted.

There is an attack known to make its stand against us without warning.

It’s an attack of spiritual discord, and whether it takes place external to our being or within the finery of our soul matters little.

An article like this is not about burying us further in the mire; we must discuss what is primary to possibility in most everyone.

These are short paragraphs. They cater for a mind with limited attentiveness. When any given moment can’t be taken for granted, we are best fixing on salient principles.

Acknowledging the onset of depression is about doing an honest self-audit.

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 “Am I especially susceptible emotionally just now?”

“Does it seem that what we feel should be rational seems irrational to others (furthering our sense of estrangement to them)?”

“Am I overwhelmed either easily or routinely or both?”

“Is life a struggle, continuously or intermittently, to establish simple and satisfactory order?”

“Is life especially chaotic and, worse, irresolvable?”

“Are relationships very difficult to maintain?” “What about untold hurt?”

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Depression is such a portion of debilitated agency and visceral torment that it disables us. But recognition is also acknowledgement, which can be half the battle.

Feeling depressed is not the end of the matter; it’s the beginning of getting well again.

Helping ourselves can be as much about seeing through different eyes, surrendering our weakness to God, and being willing to bring in situations of catharses.

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Getting back to the sort of change that can arrest depression...

I’d design a change to my lifestyle that introduces aspects of health and vitality.

Implementing same is a case of planning, preparedness, and sheer guts – which is the sincerity of an open mind and the bravery of a heart ready for hope.

© 2015 S. J. Wickham.