On Friday night my mom and I went to see Christian comedian Chonda Pierce. I’ve heard bits and pieces of her act and she is FUNNY! What I was not prepared for was how powerful a speaker she was.

She has battled depression, something she writes about in her book Laughing in the Dark: A Comedian’s Journey through Depression. Toward the end of the evening she began to share about her recent relapse into depression – one that got so bad that she was eventually hospitalized.

She talked about how much she loved going to group each day and that she finally figured out why. It was the one place where she could go each day and be 100% totally authentic.

She said, and I agree, that this is what church should be but so many times it is not. We see a friend we know and ask “How are you?” We get the typical “I’m great, how are you?” in return. But is that the reality. Is that the truth? Granted we are often picking up kids and “busy” but shouldn’t church be the one place where we can say in response “You know, it’s been a tough week.”

Why are we afraid to be authentic with one another? Are we afraid of rejection? That the other person is too busy? That once we start into our problems that we won’t be able to stop and will be emotionally overwhelmed?

She made one other comment that, given all the recent discussion about depression I would share. She was talking about how Satan can just fill our heads with all kinds of lies that will absolutely drag us down.

“If Satan is the author of lies, then depression is his cell phone!”

How true. Those of us who have suffered through depression know that there is no time when our mind is more easily accessed and where those lies are heard loud and clear. I just loved it.

I thought I would share my list of songs that have helped me through these times of discouragement and darkness. Some are new and so technically I didn’t listen to them in the midst of my depression, but they still speak to me.

While you may not be suffering from depression, everyone goes through a down period at some point in your life. Maybe these songs will be able to minister to you as well.

No One Else Knows by Building 429 (Lyrics) (Video)
The Real Me by Natalie Grant (Lyrics) (Video)
Praise You In This Storm by Casting Crowns (Lyrics) (Video)
Everlasting God by Lincoln Brewster (Lyrics)  (Video)
You Carried Me by Building 429 (Lyrics) (Video)
When the Tears Fall by Newsboys (Lyrics) (Video)
Psalm 73 (My God’s Enough) by Barlow Girls (Lyrics) (Video)
Amazed by Building 429 (Lyrics)

If you have other songs that you think should be on hear, leave a comment. I’d love to hear them.

Last week hubby was talking with me and one of the ladies in our church who is a counselor, in preparation for last week’s message on depression – getting ideas, etc.

Meloney used this awesome illustration of “The Well”. She said that some people are so far down in the well that they cannot see the light, they cannot imagine a way out and they have no hope. Those people need medication to help them begin to come up out of the well – to begin to see the light before other methods of treatment for depression will begin to work.

That was me. I honestly don’t think that I could have pulled out of the depression without medication. I know there is some controversy in Christian circles about medication for mental issues (don’t even get me started on Tom Cruise), but I don’t see how it’s any different than someone suffering from cancer. God has gifted individuals with skills to make amazing medical advancements. Who are we not to use every tool provided?

Along with the medication my doctor told me to start seeing a counselor which I did for a period of about 6 months. I did a lot of journaling during that time, a lot of examining of all the things going on in my life and I really did re-prioritize a lot of stuff.

A couple of other things that I either used at the time or have learned since then that help (besides prayer):

1. Exercise – I am bad about staying disciplined in this area but when I exercise regularly I feel so much better about myself, my energy level is up and research has shown a direct link between exercise and depression. It raises the seratonin levels in the brain which is what anti-depressants do as well.

2. Get Involved/Stay Involved – For me, I was already involved in other things when the depression hit. I was a church nursery coordinator, we hosted a home team, etc. My natural tendency was to pull back and withdraw from those things. But it was the times where I was doing something for someone else (especially the nursery) that I would forget about myself and the issues I was dealing with. So if you’re not involved in helping other people somehow, do it.

This is not to be confused with doing too much. I also pulled out of some less important things.

3. Journal – Specifically I did a lot of journaling about things I had to be grateful for – even small things. When I was worn out and overwhelmed with doing the umpteenth load of laundry I would stop and say “God, thank you for providing nice clothes for my family…and a washing machine and dryer.”

4. Talk About It – Reach out to those around you and let them know what is going on in your life. Your true friends will not judge you or turn their back on you. They may not know exactly what to do or what to say but just having people around you that can help carry the burden is a huge thing.

5. Worship Music – Music has always been a big part of my life and I love finding a song that I really connect with. There are so many great praise and worship songs out there. Tomorrow I’ll post a list of songs that have especially spoken to me.

If you’ve gone through depression and have other things that helped you, please share them.