Help! I'm Depressed and Don't Know What to Do!!! Part I

Depression used to be a taboo, but now it seems quite prevalent. It is something everyone seems to struggle with in today's modern era. I must be honest with you, depression is something I have rarely faced throughout my life. However, things have changed. For the first time, I have been feeling that looming monster of depression creep up behind me like an encouraging stocker. It is a very ruthless master, for once in has you stuck in its snare it is almost impossible to overcome. Emphasis on almost.
I have recently faced this well renowned enemy called depression. I felt like I was being dragged down into a dark, bottomless pit. It’s very cold down there, very lonely. Nothing I did seemed to matter and everything was a monotonous rat race from one scheduled event to another. Everyone was smiling on their Facebook pages while I'm stuck in my pit wondering if my ambitions are worth pursuing, if this life has any meaning, and if I am even worth fighting for. 
I would like to share with you how I overcome depression. I am not a physiologist. I am not trained in this field. I am not diagnosed with clinical depression. I’m a fantasy write who has lived life, been beaten down, and learned how to rise up again. I am by no means trying to force my views on you, I'm simply giving you an option of how to make a ladder to climb out of your own pit.

1. Admit I am depressed.

I am the queen of denial. It is very difficult for me to admit defeat. When I finally suck it up and lay down my pride, I acknowledge I’m depressed. I can never change unless I know something is wrong. I don't think I'm a prideful person, but when it comes to admitting my faults I see how prideful I truly am. I'll be honest, admitting this isn't fun or easy. But nothing in life worth fighting for comes easily.

2. I Don’t Ignore the Problem

I usually do this really "logical thing" and instead of dealing with the problem I saturate my days with things that make me feel good. It sounds quite fun, but the pain never leaves. That's not how you would treat a broken arm, ignoring the pain until you are so familiar with it, it is now numb and not a nuisance. However, that’s what I do with my emotional pain. It just hurts too much to face it. Way too much. But ignoring a broken arm won’t fix it. In fact, it will make more problems that would hinder me in the future. So, after I find out, once again, that feeling good does not erase pain it simply buries me deeper in the pit of depression, I decide to do something about it.

3. Discovering Depression Roots

Next, I need to discover what brought about my depression. What happened to make me think these dark and dreary thoughts? How was I hurt? Who and/or what hurt me? For me, most of my despair and depression comes from intense emotional pain I experience.
I'm a devout Christian. (Again, I am NOT trying to impose my values on you. I am simply stating what has helped me.) As a Christian, I have been taught to “give my anxieties to God because he cares for me.” (1 Peter 5:7) That’s very good and healthy, but sometimes I’m buried by such a big mountain of pain I’m not strong enough to left it up and give it to God. I simply get press down by more and more pain.

Understand, it’s not that God has failed me, it is because I don't trust him to take care of the pain for me.

But why would I give my pain to God? What’s He going to do for me when it feels like He’s not saving me? Well, He draws near to the brokenhearted, binds up their wounds, heals them, and saves them. (Psalms34:18, 147:3) Isn’t that what we’re all looking for? 

A comforter? (. . . God of all comfort, who comforts us in our affliction - 2 Corinthians1:3-5) 

A healer? (I [God] will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant pace and security - Jeremiah 33:6) 

And someone to rescue us? (Do not be afraid - I [God] will save you. I have called you by name-you are Mine - Isaiah 43:1)

4. Let Myself Feel

After I discovered what the cause of my pain is, I can more efficiently deal with my depression. This is when I try and suck it up and ask God for help. I'd like to say I humbly get on my knees as angels start singing and a light from heaven shines down on me. What really happens is because I'm so scared, mad, and confused I scream horrid cuss words, hoping no one’s around to hear me, and that I'm not ticking God off too much. I will admit, I do not swear in real life, but I sometimes pray like a sailor so to speak. God is the Savior of my soul, the reason I live, therefore he should see my ugly, unpleasant side in vivid picture. 

There's a fine balance between respecting God by being humble at his feet and being uncensored, messy, and lost. He likes to hear form us, even the gorse, ugly things. Because of this, we can confidently approach God. "If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that He ears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of Him." (1 John 5:14-15)  He wouldn't have been tortured and killed on your behalf just to let you suffer and trudge through the grime of life without Him there protecting you and fighting for you.

After turning to God and admitting I can’t do life alone, I seek help from someone who is not emotionally imbalanced and who is wiser than myself. Or, just a friend who I can vent to and we can sort through my off-the-handle emotions together. This is the time to feel all the feels, to cry all the tears, to scream whatever needs to come out. Let go. Be real. Be broken. It’s messy, so be with someone you trust in a safe environment. Trust me, it’ll be okay.
This is half the steps I take when facing depression. Now is the time for you to sit back, consider what you've just learned, and act on it if you're so inclined. I strongly encourage you to. I'll post Part II next Wednesday. Until then, be brave and dare to admit you are depressed, don't ignore the problem, discover what caused the depression, and find an adviser/trusted friend to cry/scream with. Don't forget to ask God for help, He's the only one who really can heal anyways.
Hang in there. Its not over yet. 

:)