Take the first step

Have you ever wondered if you will stay entrenched in the wallow of depression, and not be able to make progress? That is a genuine concern, with all the why’s and how’s to back it up. But I believe that it is possible to grow even as we still endure what appears to be an irreversible circumstance.

Growth

God has planted Joy in our hearts. And even as our minds are warring off the depression, there is much we can do with the joy He has planted within us. We just need to able to retrieve it, from within the clutter that has filled our minds in the form of sadness, shame, confusion, and all their other relatives.

The hurdles that we face, even as we go through daily life with depression on our shoulders, are many. We may have to pick and choose wisely. But…What if we were to choose some of the smaller obstacles we face? Smaller, only in comparison to the several others we face. And what if we were to brave them? With each small hurdle we face up to, we develop endurance within us. Each small mountain we conquer, will fortify us to scale the bigger mountains.
Pushing forward through depression is very hard, no doubt. However, if we could bring ourselves to direct our mind and heart towards a cause that stirs our hearts, a compassionate cause perhaps. Find a direction to send your compassion toward. Explore a purpose for your pain. Serving in the community, spending time with those that are struggling in the body and mind. Sometimes just our presence is enough to bring comfort to the hurting.

“To ease another’s heartache is to forget ones own”

Abraham Lincoln

As much as our hurting hearts believe, that we may never find reprieve from the strains of depression, there is always the next level waiting for us. The waiting time to get to that level, for some of us, maybe longer than shorter. But we can get there. Here are a few steps that I found to be beneficial to climb towards that.

– Writing down your goals and desires for the future of healing that you envision for yourself
– Finding avenues that would further nurture your strengths, in enabling you to achieve these goals
– Allowing into your inner circle close friends, mentors, and credible support groups, who will be willing to invest support and provide sound counsel for you
– Not allowing anyone, or anything to tell you that we cannot move forward
– Inching forward one step at a time with God, God’s word and the support of those who genuinely love you.

“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step”

Martin Luther King Jr.