There are many causes of depression, which malady can be very serious and totally incapacitating, leading to other complications. Suicide can be the most tragic result, when a person feels there is no longer anything worthwhile to live for. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
While depression can happen to anyone, it won’t happen if things are done properly. That’s where the grace and Law of God come in, He being the Supplier of all good things that tend to life.
What are some possible causes and solutions for depression?
Causes
Diet
Consider proper diet in all aspects and for many good reasons; eliminate refined sugars and grains, homogenized milk, foods grown or raised with chemical additives, denatured prepared foods, and genetically modified organisms. In other words, by any means possible, go organic. How can you expect to be in a good mood when you’re poisoning yourself?
Even organic foods, like whole wheat, can cause health and mood problems because of genetic manipulation that altered plants to maximize production and profits without concern about how the seeds we consume were being changed. Apparently the newer varieties are hard to digest and can cause serious problems for our bodies. So we need to go back to the older varieties of wheat, and back to basics in general in all things.
Water must also be considered part of a healthy diet. We can’t live without it, but we can hardly live with the water many are drinking today. Your body needs water free from chemicals and toxins, and not only that, but water brought back into a natural, healthy state by revitalization.
Revitalizing your diet and water will help revitalize you.
Vitamin and Mineral Deficiencies
Your body also needs certain vitamins and minerals to function properly, physically and mentally. For example, a deficiency of folate, one of the B vitamins, can be the cause of major depression and mood disorders.
Some people have been cured of depression by simply getting important minerals that were lacking in their diet. Anyone suffering from depression would do well to look into this. For example, changing from regular refined (white) table salt, which lacks essential trace minerals and is unbalancing to the body, to unrefined whole salt, which contains upwards of 70 trace minerals, will make a vital difference.
Certain herbs also help to alleviate stress and depression.
So, while depression is “in the head,” what’s happening or not happening in the body can play a big part.
Mind Matters
What you put in the body affects the mind, and what you apply your mind to produces substances that affect the body. That’s right; how you think has a direct effect on your body’s production of hormone-like substances that can powerfully impact your health and how you feel. Some have called this the mind-body connection. You can make it work for or against you.
“A joyful heart is good medicine, but depression drains one’s strength” (Proverbs 17:22 GW).
Environment
Several environmental factors may be a cause of depression, directly or indirectly. Are victims suffering from electromagnetic fields from wiring, appliances, computers, alarm clocks and radios, or plug-ins close to their beds? Are they working with industrial pollutants? Do they work in buildings using conventional fluorescent bulbs, which lack the full-spectrum light waves the body needs or one may suffer seasonal affective disorder?
Are there toxins in the home from deodorizers, housecleaning and laundry supplies, polishes, and so forth? Are you using a microwave oven for cooking? These all play havoc with mind and body.
Personal Care Products
What about cosmetics and toiletries? Unless they are organic, they can mess with your system because almost all of them – body creams, sunscreen, shave lotions, perfumes, deodorants, hair sprays and colors, and makeup – are highly toxic. What you put on your skin goes into your blood; what goes into your blood goes to your nervous system and brain.
Pharmaceuticals
Most medications and pharmaceutical remedies (so-called) are toxic, partially because they are synthetic, which means they are alien to the body, which means the body must fight to eliminate them. Some antidepressants actually do the opposite of what they promise – they cause depression. There are medications that drive people to suicide. If at all possible, get rid of those. We find that people on many medications often suffer nasty complications. When abandoning those that aren’t absolutely necessary (as in, directly life-saving), negative symptoms disappear and they soon feel better.
“Well, the doctor told me to take them for my….” Doctors aren’t God, contrary to popular misconception. People tend to believe everything doctors say because they are doctors. But they are also human, which makes them prone to bad judgment and error like anyone else.
What’s worse, modern-day doctors are trained and accustomed to treat symptoms, not causes, and are grossly ignorant and contemptuous of natural healing, God’s way of establishing and maintaining true health. They have been taught the way of maximizing profits for the medical industrial complex, which isn’t about maximizing your health.
Stress
Some stress is good, a lot is not so good; some kinds are good and some kinds aren’t; some of the good stresses are only good for so long. Try to face your stress, identify the cause and, if possible, make arrangements to alleviate or eliminate it, which will go a long way to dealing with depression. And eat foods high in Vitamin C, which is consumed so much faster by the body when in stress.
Menopause
Menopause can be a source of depression. While you may not be able to do a lot about it, you can do some. Again, watch your diet, get your rest, exercise, and sunshine, and you should weather the storm more easily. Even just knowing what the problem is helps a lot. Being in the dark about it adds more stress; it helps to have the assurance your feelings won’t last forever.
This brings us to…
Solutions
Alternative Healthcare
Get a naturopathic or homeopathic doctor or some alternative health practitioner who cares about doing things the natural, healthy way, and who will deal with the root cause of the problem, instead of treating the symptoms and creating more trouble. We have had many good experiences and much success with alternative healthcare, as opposed to conventional medicine.
Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic care has done the trick in some cases. I once suffered terrible bouts and prolonged periods of fear, anxiety, and depression. For years, I thought the root cause was spiritual and spent much time calling on God to forgive my sins, whatever they were, and heal me. I would examine myself over and over to find the issue within.
Then I went to a chiropractor because I came to the place where my neck was bothering me so much I could no longer live a normal life, unable to stand, sit, or lie in certain normal positions. After the first few treatments, my anxious moments and bouts of depression were gone! All it took was simple neck adjustments by a competent chiropractor.
I marveled at how the physical and spiritual are so tied together that one may not tell which is which, and how dealing with a physical problem makes such a difference, mentally and spiritually.
Exercise
Get some exercise! Getting a physical tune-up definitely makes a difference in energy and mood. Your spirit is often “out of shape” because your body is out of shape. Spend time in some gardening or yard work or sport, some outdoor activity, or just go for a brisk walk.
For consistency, start a short exercise routine that includes bursts of strenuous activity you can handle without injuring yourself. Those have been shown to provide big benefits with a small investment of time, like 12-20 minutes a day.
Fresh Air and Sunshine
Are people getting enough sunshine? Sunshine is very important – and not harmful, as many ignorant experts want you to think. Natural vitamin D is crucial for your health and wellbeing. Pull back the curtains! Don’t withdraw to the dark. Get outside!
Are you getting enough fresh air? How important is that? Amazing what a good walk in the fresh air and sun, especially in the country or a park, can do for you, even in a matter of minutes. A walk in the sun is a mood lifter, for sure.
Rest and Relaxation
Just making sure to get enough rest will solve the problem in some cases. Sleep is very important. And you’d be surprised how a quick 10-20 minute catnap in the middle of the day can recharge your batteries.
Avoid Negative Influences
Turn off the TV with all its negative content, especially before bedtime. We’ve discovered that getting to bed early and not watching the evening news or some stimulating program before we retire makes a difference in mood, quality of sleep, and peace of mind. A good rule to follow: If there is a general trouble or problem discussed, and it isn’t your business or in your power to do anything, avoid contemplating or troubling yourself about it. Television and the internet are prevalent sources of such pests.
If you spend too much time on the computer every day, especially late into the evenings just before bed, you’ll have problems, which can lead to depression.
Tie Up Loose Ends
Another important, effective way to help people with depression is to instruct them (if they are teachable) in taking care of the things in their lives for which they are responsible, including and especially the small things they may be neglecting, like cleaning the house and getting rid of junk. It’s certainly depressing to be buried under undone chores and a pile of useless clutter.
Laziness and negligence are good fertilizers for depression. It’s amazing how far completing some little unattended chore will go in improving mood, like washing up dirty dishes piled in the sink. From there, energy increases, mood improves, and you go on to the next little chore… one at a time. Watch your self-worth, peace, joy, and satisfaction begin to grow.
Read The Link Between Clutter and Depression.
Increase Interests and Diversify
One can read some good books. By “good,” I mean constructive, wholesome, interesting books – maybe autobiographies and nonfiction stories, that sort of thing. Ask around about some uplifting books to expand horizons and capture your attention.
Hobbies help – in other words, diversify your interests. People can read at The Path of Truth – that stimulates a few people, for better or for worse! There you learn how to live, which is what our website is all about.
Take Care of Unfinished Business and Indebtedness
Is your conscience troubling you? Many are the cases of depression caused by both conscious and unconscious guilt. Have you done wrong somewhere and can’t get rid of that nagging feeling? Did you borrow and not pay back, steal, lie, deceive, hurt, cheat, or offend in any way, whether openly or secretly? It won’t do to try to hide or forget it. It’s there in you and will remain there, festering and collecting compound interest, until you either honestly and fairly deal with it, or destroy yourself.
Wow, the burden lifted when you correct the wrong and do the right! You’ll want to run to your psychiatrist and tell him the good news! You won’t even be angry with him for not solving the problem for you, he being quite unable to do so. In these things, you are your own caregiver.
Moving On
Are you clinging to unpleasant memories? Are you longing for your departed son or daughter or spouse? Will you gain anything by trying to hang on to that which is gone forever? Would your loved ones want you to do that? If so, that would be very selfish of them.
If someone you love deliberately left you and won’t return, start looking at what is, not what was. What will be depends on what is, but if you mess with what is by what was, there goes your past, present, and future. How bad is that?
Get on with the rest of your life, which can be full of purpose, rewards, adventures, and accomplishments. All is not lost. There may be a whole universe in one person, but one person is never your universe, not even close, no matter how great they were; so why live as though they are?
King David made that mistake for a short while. His son, Absalom, was killed in rebellion while trying to seize the throne from David. Though his son was his enemy, David’s heart was broken for him and he fell into great sorrow, a prelude to depression, if allowed to continue:
2 Samuel 19:1-8 MKJV
(1) And it was told to Joab, Behold, the king weeps and mourns for Absalom.
(2) And the victory that day was turned into mourning to all the people. For the people heard it said that day how the king was grieved for his son.
(3) And the people went up secretly into the city that day, as people who are ashamed steal away when they flee in battle.
(4) But the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!
(5) And Joab came into the house to the king and said, You have today shamed the faces of all your servants. For they have saved your life and the lives of your sons and your daughters today, the lives of your wives, and the lives of your concubines.
(6) By loving your enemies and hating those who love you, you have declared today that there are neither commanders nor servants to you. For I know that today if Absalom had lived and all of us had died today, then it would have pleased you very much!
(7) And now get up and go out. Speak to the heart of your servants. For I swear by the LORD if you do not go out, not a man shall stay with you tonight. And that will be worse to you than all the evil which has come to you from your youth until now.
(8) Then the king arose and sat in the gate. And they told it to the people, saying, Behold, the king sits in the gate! And all the people came before the king. (For Israel had fled, every one to his tent.)
David had the wisdom to receive Joab’s counsel, understanding that if he lingered at the tragic loss he had, he could lose everything else. He knew he had to snap out of it, and he made the decision to do so. That’s all it took. As a result, he retained what he still had and went on to more.
Nothing More to Lose? Think Again!
Do you think you have nothing more to lose? Do you know that? Do you know the future?
King David eventually received much more than what was obvious in the present. He became known as the father of the Messiah (Jesus was known as the Son of David). What kind of loss would he have suffered if he had remained in sorrow and bitterness over his dead son?
Life must go on, and it does, with or without us or our children, parents, spouses, businesses, homes, riches, reputations, or anything else.
Now for another example: If anyone had great opportunity and justification for bitterness, unforgiveness, and depression, it was Joseph, whose brothers, without cause, suddenly caught and cruelly sold him into slavery. Had he hung onto bitterness and even the hope of revenge, would he have become second ruler over Egypt, the superpower of that day? Listen to his reaction to his brothers years later, when he had the full opportunity to get even with them:
“And Joseph said to his brothers, Please come near me. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be grieved, nor angry with yourselves that you sold me here. For God sent me before you to preserve life” (Genesis 45:4-5 MKJV).
“And he kissed all his brothers, and wept upon them. And afterwards his brothers talked with him” (Genesis 45:15 MKJV).
(His brothers hadn’t apologized to him before he forgave them.)
Genesis 50:18-21 MKJV
(18) And his brothers also went and fell down before his face. And they said, Behold, we are your servants.
(19) And Joseph said to them, Do not fear. For am I in the place of God?
(20) But as for you, you thought evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save a great many people alive.
(21) And now do not fear. I will nourish you and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spoke to their hearts.
Nothing Lasts Forever
Remember that all things change. Nothing lasts forever in this world, except the Lord. You can’t have anything in this world forever, no matter what. That’s the way it’s set up. And are you aware that there is a future beyond this world, and that one day God will restore everything and reconcile all things to Himself? It’s true! Read in our section, The Restitution of All Things.
Have the Right Attitude
A right attitude is so important. Be positive! I have found that whether I’m positive or negative about something, I’m right – any situation has both negative and positive elements. If I take a coin and look only at the tails side of it, I see what is there and there truly is what I see. Who can argue?
But you can also look at the heads side and be right, too. It’s your choice as to which side you focus on. There are always two sides.
Depression and fear can overtake you if you focus on the negative. Hard or easy, look on the positive side; steel yourself to look at the heads side of the coin more than at the tails side, and you’ll soon find yourself feeling much better.
More on attitude in various ways, starting with…
Forget Entitlement
You may have been poisoned with the notion that you are something special, that you are entitled to certain advantages, benefits, and positive treatment. Then when things don’t go your way, you pout and become resentful and depressed. You may resort to revenge and violence. Many even commit mass killings and suicide because they don’t get their way. You better get over this attitude, which is prevalent in society today.
Think again! The world owes you nothing. You are nothing special. You need to grow up and get wise. Be advised that you are really nothing, nobody owes you anything, and it’s time you began to think and act in terms of giving, instead of receiving.
Realize that all that has happened to you has happened because you had it coming and needed it. Got that? It’s true! When you begin to realize this truth, you will experience a marvelous change for the better.
In Canada, we have the Charter of Rights. We would be much better off with a Charter of Responsibilities. Shortsighted and unwise men formed our Charter of Rights and have caused no end of grief for this nation. We need wise men to lead us, lest we perish, destroying ourselves in selfish thinking and expectations. We all need to turn to God, our Maker, for His fear and wisdom.
Get Away from Self-Absorption
How about getting your mind off yourself? It’s easy to get overwhelmed with your own needs and troubles, not realizing how those go away when you start helping someone else with their needs and troubles. Before you know it, you’re feeling much better.
Give and it will be given you. Solve someone else’s problems, and soon you’ll reap what you have sown; your problems will begin to be solved. To battle depression, keep in mind that you get what you give. You can’t be self-centered and live a good life.
Just be careful about dealing with others, however. Some negative company can drain and depress you, too. Choose your company carefully. Seek out those who are positive and helpful or who are willing to be helped.
Identify Your Depression
Sometimes we need to identify or specify depression. There can be different forms and degrees of it, not recognized or called “depression.” There are feelings of being defeated, deflated, sad, pessimistic, anxious, angry, hopeless, useless, unwanted, bored, desolate, fearful, listless, or lonely. One needs to identify where those feelings began, and instead of physiological causes, we may find social and attitudinal origins in events, either subtle or otherwise.
Trace your steps back as far as you can. It could be something someone said to you that hurt, maybe someone you know, someone very important to you, perhaps too important. Talk it over with that person, if you can. Tell them how their words impacted you. For all you know, you misunderstood what they said or why they said it. Perhaps they had no idea and would be sorry for what they said. If it’s impossible to communicate with the person, it’s up to you to determine to let it go on your own. Whether it was true or false, you can choose to keep it or let it go (forgive).
Was what they said true, even if delivered with a negative attitude? Be thankful for the heads-up, face it, and deal with it. You needn’t be insulted; take it as a gift, an opportunity to improve and be freed from something that shouldn’t be allowed to remain in your life.
Did you know that our enemies can often be our very best friends? Take advantage of everything that comes your way, the negative as much as the positive, the evil as well as the good – they both have a purpose for eventual good. Read The Purpose of Evil.
Forgiveness, the Antidote for Self-Pity, Resentment, and Bitterness
Depression can be caused by unforgiveness, which will manifest as bitterness. Who won’t you forgive, and why? Was the thing said or done deliberately to do you evil? If so, why give the evildoer the pleasure of victory? Let it go, forgive. Your reaction of resentment and bitterness amounts to siding with your enemy against yourself. If the enemy intended hurt for you, why help them?
We can be in prolonged self-pity, a form of depression. What good will that do? Forget it!
If you have a fault, handicap, loss, failure, disappointment, or defeat, learn from it. There isn’t a successful person alive that didn’t get there without all of those things, yes, all of them. Those are all needed to form and direct a person in life. Talk to successful people and they’ll tell you that. Losses, failures, defeats, and disappointments are appointments in the right direction to success.
Are you resentful or bitter toward anyone? Many are and don’t realize it. They get treated for depression and take medications that only compound the problem. Forgive those who have offended you. Read Forgiveness, The Bane of Bitterness, and Offendedness.
We recently came across these words:
“Holding a grudge is letting someone live rent-free in your head.”
“Resentment is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die!”
Prayer and Thanksgiving
The very best people can do in their state of depression is to obey God and His Laws; they must pray and give thanks to God for their situations. How good it is to give thanks and never quit! Yes, you may hate your circumstances; they may be pure evil to you, and you certainly won’t feel like giving thanks, but give thanks anyway. As you give thanks, you will begin to experience thankfulness. Believe it!
Ask God what He wants of you, and keep asking until you receive an answer. But you better be prepared to obey when He speaks, which may not be easy. Better still, thank Him for the answer He hasn’t given you yet, as though He has given it, and don’t quit thanksgiving until you have the victory. By that time, you may not even need or want what you originally asked for.
If you don’t feel better right away, your genuine thanksgiving to God, accepting your circumstances as from the hand of God for good, and recognizing Him as Lord of all, will eventually lead you to the final solution needed, guaranteed. Whether this solution is physical (like getting necessary vitamins or trace minerals, diet adjustments, sunshine, or exercise) or whether it is mental (like changing your attitude or approach towards life or towards people) or whether it is spiritual (like forgiving those who have hurt you), God will provide. He will always make a way for those who honor Him:
“For the LORD God is a sun and a shield. The LORD will give grace and glory. He withholds no good thing from those who walk blamelessly” (Psalms 84:11 HNV).
Do you believe those words? Do you believe them enough to impress them on others? People all around us need serious help.
Jesus Christ the Ultimate Answer
The Lord Jesus Christ came to give mankind life, which we can affirm because He has specifically done this for us:
“The thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy [depression being one way of many]. I have come so that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10 MKJV).
He turned us away from our destructives. He has been teaching us how to live for many years now. So we know firsthand that the best thing anyone can do is to look to Him, not just because He is the Answer to all our problems, but because He is our Lord and Savior, to Whom we owe everything.
He paid the ultimate price for us, which in turn has made us eternally indebted to Him. Understanding and embracing this great gift of His life, along with recognizing the necessity for obedience to God is the way to peace, joy, and happiness, because servitude to God is the way to life. And He supplies the grace (ability to please Him), if we humble ourselves before Him.
But if we only live to serve ourselves, depression is one of the many forms of death that we may suffer, because we don’t come to God and have life in the Son.
“He who believes on the Son has everlasting life, and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides upon him” (John 3:36 MKJV).
That’s what The Path of Truth is all about, teaching people and instructing them from God in how to have life. This true teaching includes tearing down the false teachings that have been presented to the world as from God, but are the evil and ignorant imaginations of men. To this day, the Devil subtly continues his lie to Eve that your eyes would be opened to be as God and you would live, not die, as a result of eating from the Tree of Knowledge.
Eat from the Tree of Life, instead. Go directly to Jesus Christ. Know the Truth, Which He is, and the Truth will make you free. And when the Son of Man makes you free, you will be free, indeed.
Other writings on our site that may help with depression (and everything else):
Back to Basics
Christian Physical Diet
God Heals Today, His Way
On the Question of Suicide
Is Your Profession of Faith Vain, Christian?
You can also peruse our farm and health website, where we provide solutions to various harmful aspects of this world, which have a bearing on our state of mind: www.HarvestHaven.com.
Victor Hafichuk