When our depression has a firm grip on us it’s difficult to have good self-esteem. We feel less valued by those around us. Self-esteem is the overall opinion and value we place on ourselves, reflecting how much we respect, accept, and believe in our own worth and abilities. Our depression impacts how we see ourselves, which more than likely isn’t a true assessment of how others see us. So, in a sense, our low self-esteem is a false image in our own minds. However, this false image is true to us when we are in the dark of depression. Many times it’s hard to see the truth in the dark. There are ways to combat our low self-esteem.

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).

A depressed soul is a difficult state to be in. We find it hard to be happy, to find any joy in life. We struggle with menial tasks that on any other day would be easy. A depressed soul is gloomy. It’s a dark state where our minds tell us there is no hope. We avoid interacting with others. We sit around in our downcast mood, hoping to get through another day. Then when the next day comes we start all over again. Nothing has changed. But there is hope. There is something we can do to help us crawl out of our dark pit and back into the light of day. In Psalm 42, the Psalmist gives us a way to lift our spirit.

Depression can bring on a feeling of condemnation. It can bring on a strong feeling of moral disapproval. People who don’t understand depression look at the depressed person as if there is something morally wrong with them. This attitude can add to our depressive state. We begin to feel as if we have failed others and that we will never be truly accepted as we are. But this is the way the world is. People want to condemn the things that are different than how they see things. We have a tendency to condemn what we don’t understand. Instead of seeking understanding, we turn to condemnation. After all, it’s easier to condemn than it is to seek understanding. We need to stop listening to the condemnation of others, and start listening to what God wants to say to us.

Hardships are a fact of life. For those of us who have been on this earth a while, we understand this all too well. However, we must keep in mind that our hardships don’t define who we are. Sometimes our hardships cause people to leave us. Our hardships can cause some people to not want to hang with us anymore. Instead of supporting us, they run away. Our depression and anxiety are hardships that many people don’t understand. It makes them uncomfortable, so they leave. And when they leave, we struggle with rejection, which makes our depression and anxiety worse. The good news is there is someone who will not leave us. There is absolutely nothing that can separate us from the love this person has for us. Nothing can separate us from the love of Jesus.

Depression is a dark place. In depression there is sadness, emptiness, no interest in doing anything. With this comes feelings of worthlessness, guilt, or hopelessness. The inability to focus or make decisions is thrown in. On top of all this is thoughts of death or suicide. Depression is one of the darkest valleys we will walk through in life. There are things we can do to help relieve some of our depression. Things like during outdoor activities, focus on small manageable tasks, and talking with a trusted friend. We don’t have to journey through the dark valley of depression alone. The good news is we are never alone in our depression.

We don’t have to look very hard to find anger. If you participate in life outside your home you will be exposed to it. Anger seems to have become a thread woven into the tapestry of our society. Anger is generally displayed by yelling, saying harsh words, tight fists, clenched jaw, and pacing. We are all aware of these signs, but may misinterpret them. But they are cues to help us identify anger, not only in others, but in ourselves as well. Sometimes we overlook these cues in our own life, but they are there and we can short circuit our anger when we identify them.

In our depression we tend to isolate ourselves from others. Instead of running toward people we run away from them. When we spiral into our depression we avoid people, not only physically, but verbally. When I am in the pit of depression I don’t talk much. I can sit in a room with my wife and talk about anything. Fortunately, she recognizes this and she checks in with me by asking questions about how I feel. This encourages me because I see there is someone who cares about me. Many times as I begin to talk to her my spirit starts to lift and I begin the climb out of my depression. We think isolation is what’s best, but it truly isn’t. We were not created for isolation, but for relationships.

I am so overwhelmed. Have you ever said these words? I’m guessing yes. We all have from time to time. Situations arise in our lives that seem overwhelming, causing us to start a downward spiral into the dark pit of depression. Even if you don’t struggle with depression there will be times that you spirit isn’t right. You feel down and sad. This is a mild form of depression and everyone experiences it in their lifetime. It’s part of our humanness. Most of the time our overwhelmed spirit will rebound relatively fast. Once the circumstance is managed our spirit returns to a healthy level. For those of us who struggle with depression we can get stuck in this feeling of being overwhelmed. It seems like we will never shake free. Why do we feel overwhelmed by sometimes minor things? I believe that the answer lies in something many times we overlook. “Focus!”

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.

When our depression has a firm grip on us it’s difficult to have good self-esteem. We feel less valued by those around us. Self-esteem is the overall opinion and value we place on ourselves, reflecting how much we respect, accept, and believe in our own worth and abilities. Our depression impacts how we see ourselves, which more than likely isn’t a true assessment of how others see us. So, in a sense, our low self-esteem is a false image in our own minds. However, this false image is true to us when we are in the dark of depression. Many times it’s hard to see the truth in the dark. There are ways to combat our low self-esteem.

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.

Sometimes we don’t accomplish our dreams because we are afraid. We doubt our abilities and so we don’t even try. We give up before we even start. What if Thomas Edison never tried. Or, how about Alexander Graham Bell? Inventions usually don’t happen on the first try, and some are discovered accidentally. There’s a saying, “aim at nothing and you’ll hit it every time.” What have we missed out on because we never tried in the first place. Every person has been created for a reason. We all have a purpose that God has given to us. God wants to work in and through our lives, but we have to be willing to aim for His will. There’s a wonderful story in Matthew 14 that speaks volumes about what happens when we trust Jesus. When our focus is on Him we can step into His plan for our lives.

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.