I’ve suffered from depression for ten years. That sounds like a long time! During these ten years I haven’t felt depressed all the time and sometimes I’ve felt better. In fact, I was diagnosed with cyclothymia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclothymia) in 2009. Cyclothymia is a mental illness in which your mood goes up and down but is milder than bipolar depression. I was also diagnosed with three other mental illnesses back then: panic disorder, anxiety disorder and borderline personality. It might be difficult to explain to others how these illnesses affect me and I don’t even completely understand all of my mental illnesses. It’s sufficient to say that I struggle mostly with depression and anxiety. That’s why I would like to write a series on depression on my blog.
I wish I would be able to say now after 10 years that I’ve conquered depression. You would think that after suffering so long from something you would know pretty well what triggers it and how you could avoid it. But I still suffer from depression and anxiety. However, I’ve learned a lot along the way and I hope I would have something encouraging to share on the subject.
Depression affects Christians and non-Christians alike. We as Christians are called to follow Jesus no matter what we are going through: “if anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). I’ve realized that my depression and anxiety can be one of those things I’m called to take up daily and follow my Lord. Depression can really be a burden but thanks be to Holy Spirit who carries us through!
I hope you will stay tuned for future posts!
Life in Him 