Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activities felt by a person due to some forces that made them so worried, sad, frustrated, anxious, empty, hopeless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless. Usually depressed people lose interest in joining activities which were once pleasurable to them, experience difficulty in concentrating and remembering details, making decisions, and may consider thinking about committing suicide.

Though depression may be normal for a period of time, it can be a serious psychological concern when it exceeds a couple of weeks or worse, several months. It can hinder you from performing your daily activities.

One sign of being depressed is when you lack self-esteem. If you  lack confidence in your self, it will be difficult for you to act on what you are feeling. People often fall into depression when they are so stressed out from life’s overwhelming problems.

Looking always at the negative side of things and situations is another sign and symptom of depression. If you are feeling depressed you will always tend to see the bad outcome of a situation which makes you less effective on controlling your problems and personal issues.

If you’ve become uninterested in the usual activities that you enjoy doing, and if your mood has been very low for a long time now, you maybe showing signs and symptoms of depression. If before life’s overwhelming problems tried to take over, you used to like spending most of your free time going out with your friends, or going to church or going shopping, but now, you feel like isolating yourself from them and just doing your regular boring routines, like school then home then school then home, all by yourself, it could be signs of depression. Depression hinders you from enjoying your life.

It takes away your focus on the things that are enjoyable in life and makes you concentrate on the sad moments that normally happens in a person’s life. When you are depressed, you’ll be stuck in this period and lose several months exploring opportunities and great life chances you could have had.

Another common symptom and sign of being depressed is losing appetite and experiencing sleepless nights. This, when  it becomes worse, can cause more serious health problems like ulcer, insomnia, and nervous breakdown.  There are many ways to counter depression, but it all boils down to one thing: not losing hope. Jesus Christ wants to come into your situations that are making you depressed and transform them for your good and God’s glory. Jesus longs to be invited into your lowest moments that try to hold you hostage to depression and break the chains of depression that may try to bind you. He is only an invitation away. If you’re tired of being sick and tired and want to escape the strong clutches of depression’s grip, join us in this simple prayer;

Dear Jesus,

I invite you to come into the situations that are causing me to worry and causing me to be depressed. I invite you to be Lord of my life and to take control of the nagging emotions of depression that are trying to keep me bound and shackled up. Loose the heavy chains of depression from me Jesus, transform me as only you can. Create in me a clean heart, a purified mind, and restore the joy of the Lord to my life I pray. Fill my emptiness with God’s abundance.  Give me beauty for my ashes and turn my mourning into singing for my good and God’s glory, I ask and pray – Amen!

http://peacewithgod.jesus.net/