Depression Hurts, but You can beat it at its game.

Thank God we have problems.
No, that is not a misprint friend. It is true. Why? Because it means we are still alive and guess what, it means you are being made stronger. Granted, we all have problems, some big, some small; all a source of worry, anxiety and maybe even sadness. It is part of living. The truth is it is how we handle our difficulties and problems that can make or break us as humans. Difficulties should act as a spur for action, according to Charles de Gaulle: "Difficulties attracts the man of character because it is in embracing it that he realizes himself!"

As powerful a grip as depression may have on you, as much as depression hurts and can make things seem hopeless, remember the quote above and make the steps to belittle the strength of this enemy of your happiness, before this foe called depression hurts you.

I believe it’s been said that we only use about 10% of our brain and maybe even less when it comes to our problems, which in turn aggravates how much depression hurts or seems to affect us. If you truly look within and reach for the strength that lies inside of all of us, you will see that most problems are really only bigger than what they are. Truthfully we magnify their effects with pessimistic and hopeless thoughts.

“Okay, Mr. “Big Shot”, you tell me how to go about overcoming my depression”
I will do my best for you my friend, but promise that you will try what I tell you.

To lessen the pain of depression and your problems, here are some tips for you.

1. Think positively thoughts as much as is humanly possible. Always believe there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Remember: “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he…” If you think ‘it’ that things will improve, fate and the life forces around will be at your disposal to aid you to succeed.

2. Watch what you utter and try as much as possible to say positive things about your life, the cause of your depression and situations. “Death and Life is in the power of your tongue (words), those who love its fruits (aware of its consequences) will eat from it. (enjoy…or well if negative, not enjoy…it)
Speak to your situation by repeating positive affirmation aloud.

3. Assess your problems and DO something about it. Try to figure out why it
Occurred in the first place, learn from the situation and take the lesson as a learning experience you can draw from to make things better in the future.

Now, since a common symptom of depression is a feeling of worthlessness, why not increase your self-worth and confidence by making yourself healthier. A healthy body equates to a healthy mind, and a healthy mind, friends, is a powerful one. Stronger than any hurt depression could bring your way, stronger than your problems, stronger than your pains. But, like any muscle, you’ve got to work at it to ‘make’ it strong.

I mentioned getting healthy. Well we all know how; through a proper diet and exercise.
The former will nourish and make you literally feel great and the latter, especially in regards to depression will exercise the motor centers of the brain, making the blood flow away from the emotional activity center; consequently you become more receptive to positive thoughts, which by the way is the first step to healing depression –there is a quote that supports this, it goes-“Be transformed by the renewing of your thoughts”
Say that over and over, until it seeks into your subconscious.

For those who believe in the existence of the Unseen yet the Omnipotent and Present One…God. A simple and straightforward prayer asking for His help can and will soothe the pain and challenges we may have to face in our lives. He has promised us two things when it comes to facing life's ups and downs: "He will never give us more than we can handle" and to "Fear not for I am with thee, be not dismayed for I am thy God, I will help thee and strengthen and I will uphold you with my victorious right Hand!". Indeed, these are powerful verses to keep in mind in coping with depression.

I’m not saying things will be instantly better, hey Rome wasn’t built in a day friends.
With anything in life, you have to work-not necessarily hard at it-but smarter and we all know you only get out of something what you put into it-actually, a lot more.

Depression hurts, we know that; but now YOU can beat depression because you are stronger!

You can make it if you try.

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Dealing With Depression

Depression is something that affects most people around the world from time to time and can be very hard to deal with. I have myself struggled with this problem in the past but have lately found ways to cope with this very much unwanted depression. I will write about how I go about doing this in this article.

I have been born into a family which include many members who find it hard to cope with life and are often worrying about something or other. I am one of these people and there does not seem to be a day that goes by where I do not have some issue in my mind, that is making me unhappy or stressed. I have found it very difficult to appreciate all of the things in my life which are basically good as my brain only seems to focus on all of my problems or potential problems.

In the last couple of years I have tried to deal with these what I now call challenges and have attempted to focus more on the positive aspects to my life. This has been very hard for me to do as I am a born worrier by nature as I have already explained.

What I now have decided to do is to try to compare my own life with that of other people who live around the world. As an example, in the last couple of days I have been watching the news programs on the television and have been hearing in horror about the current situation in Iraq. I am sure most readers of this article will be aware of what is going on in Iraq but a couple of events have really shocked me.

The first was a roadblock that was set up by people who were dressed up in police uniform. These people stopped a number of vehicles and dragged out the people who were in the vehicles, onto the street. They included young and old, men and women from what I have heard. Twenty one of them were shot and killed. I can only imagine how frightening this would have been.

The second event took place only the next day when fifty people were taken from their place of work and from bus stops. They were basically kidnapped and taken away in a number of vehicles. I am not sure what has happened to them since and can only hope that they are OK. This again is very disturbing and would have been a horrible ordeal for the people involved.

I am no expert on the situation in Iraq or why all of these things are taking place. I also have no idea on how things can be improved, but something needs to happen to help these people.

For me it shows me that I am very fortunate and if I ever start feeling a bit low, I then think of the people who live in Iraq and also people who live in other countries. I am sure that most of these people would love to swap places with me and if I tried to explain to them why I was starting to feel a little depressed, they would probably laugh at me.

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Dating For The Depressed Soul

Nothing can be more upsetting than getting turned down by a the opposite sex especially when your suffering from depression. Be rest assured this is not the end of the world. While dating can be fun it can also help us out tremendously when we are feeling depressed. Having someone to talk to and be with will naturally lift your spirits up. But remember to keep cool and follow these general guidelines when dating while depressed.

Remember you may feel exhilerated at the first date, but as time goes on and you continue to date the person as things become routine you may start to feel depressed. Remember to always be doing something, The same routine over and over again is boring, unless of course your perfectly content with boredom.

Okay, we havent got to the part about asking the person out! That by far is the hardest part for anyone to do, especially if you are a person who is less socially active. But don't dispair, it's easier than you think. Think about it this way, do you get fearful when your calling up dear old gramma on the phone to check how she is doing? No! And I highly doubt she would reject you either. Just work up the courage, you can do it. Rehearse what you are going to say at first, and get it down so its fluid like. Don't be depressed if you get rejected. The best of us all get rejected at times.

If your potential date says yes thats great. Now onto the date... Never, ever talk about how your depressed and feeling down on the first date. People have a tendancy to be turned off by those that are always sad and depressed. Find an atmosphere where you and your date can go that will uplift your spirits. If you get to the point where you have been dating this person for a while and still are feeling symptoms of depression then if you trust that person enough it may be okay to confide in them.

Hopefully this has started you on the path to happiness with dating. Remember to keep your chin up.

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