We’ve all experienced discouragement. Discouragement means losing hope, feeling less confident, or an action that stops us from trying. Depression and discouragement are heavy emotional states that often overlap, defined by a loss of enthusiasm, deep sadness, and low energy. While discouragement isn’t the cause of our depression, it can intensify it. For those of us who struggle with depression, discouragement can lead us to that dreaded downward spiral. The thing is discouragement is a normal part of our everyday life. We can’t avoid it. It lurks around every corner. Because of this we need to be able to recognize discouragement when it presents itself. Our downward spiral is an indicator of where our trust is. What or who are we trusting our lives with? 

Depression is complex with many different contributing factors. Conflict could possibly be one of those factors. I’m not talking about conflict with others, although that also could impact our depression. I want to talk about internal conflict. The battle that is within us that we fight every day. The war between who we are and who the world wants us to be. We want to fit in and be accepted, and this at times creates an internal conflict. We have a choice of who or what we conform to. The world, or Jesus?

Can glory being placed in the wrong direction contribute to our depression? We all want glory and honor and power, but what if we don’t receive it? Or what if we do but we discover it isn’t satisfying? I believe that when we seek glory and honor and power from people we set ourselves up for disappointment, which can lead to depression. Glory and honor and power doesn’t promise us satisfaction. Once we realize it isn’t satisfying our mood is depressed. However, we continue to seek these things. People do not have the ability to provide us with lasting satisfaction. If we are honest we will agree that there is only one who is worthy of all glory and honor, and power.

Our self-esteem is partnered with our depression. In our depression self-esteem has tanked. It’s face down in a dark pit. We view ourselves as less than worthy. We see ourselves as unimportant to the world around us. Self-esteem is our overall opinion of yourself, including your self-worth, self-respect, and confidence in your own abilities. It shapes how you view your value as a person and how you handle life. When our self-esteem is low we feel as if we don’t have purpose. The apostle Paul wrote, “Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you?” (2 Corinthians 3:1).

We live in a fake world. We can’t really trust anything we see, hear, or read. AI has generated distrust. Images of people, places, and things that we don’t know if they truly exist or not. Articles written, not by people but AI and passed on as original work. Students using AI to write educational papers for their assignments. This isn’t a bash on AI. I’m only pointing out our fake society. People are fake too. We look at each other with skepticism and caution. We can’t trust what we see. And remember we are part of the people who make up our society. Yes, we too tend to be fake. I am of the opinion that all of this contributes to our depression. It may not be the cause, but it certainly makes contributions to it.

One of the challenges of depression is a lack of desire. When in the throes of depression we lose interest in activities, even the activities that at one point brought us joy. So we sit with ourselves in our depression and we feel even worse. Edward T. Welch wrote, “You are not accustomed to doing something without feeling like doing it.” (Depression: Looking Up from the Stubborn Darkness - Pg 66). We have a hard time doing something we don’t feel like doing, and if we have a choice we won’t. However, not doing something contributes to our depression. Sitting alone with our depression isn’t going to produce a positive outlook. Doing things won’t cure our depression, but it will help alleviate the symptoms. 

Depression! How does it feel? It’s hard to imagine what it feels like unless you have found yourself in the pit despair. The helplessness we are plunged into. The feeling of hopelessness. The inescapable dark pit. Feeling unloved and unwanted. The feeling of not belonging anywhere. King David captures the feeling of depression well in Psalm 69. He wrote, “Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me.” (v. 1-2). Depression is like treading water that has risen to our neck and there is no foothold to keep us from slipping deeper into the flood waters. David, a man after God’s own heart, knew what depression felt like. The greatest king in the history of Israel struggled with depression. 

We are imperfect people, living in an imperfect world. In this world and in our lives bad things happen. Some of the things we are responsible for. We have said things, done things, and thought things we’re not proud of. Our actions have caused harm to others, and some of them we may not be aware of. The thing is we make mistakes, and so do others. It’s all part of the human experience. If you’re like me, you’re hard on yourself. You strive for perfection, even though you know deep down that perfection isn’t obtainable. Nonetheless you don’t give up on being perfect. Many times we feel condemned for the things we’ve done. I believe that this is one reason for depression and anxiety. When we feel condemnation we feel hopeless. 

My spirit fails the Psalmist writes (Psalm 143:7). I will be like those who go down to the pit. (Psalm 143:7). The Psalmist provides a good description of depression. It’s much more than an occasional sadness or “I’m feeling a little down today.” Depression feels like our spirit is failing. In the throes of depression things don’t look bleak, they look catastrophic. Our spirit feels like it’s failing. Depression is an all-consuming condition that negatively impacts how we think, feel, and function daily. It impacts how we see ourselves and others. Our world is viewed through the lens of negativity. It feels like going down into a pit. Our lack of motivation makes it hard to do things, even crawl out of the pit. We struggle to read our Bible and pray. We avoid social interactions. The pit of depression is a dark hole that we find ourselves in. The darkness can prevent us from finding a way out. Though the Psalmist paints a grim picture of depression, he follows with a way of crawling out of the pit and waking our spirit.