Dealing with Depression - Single Mom Reader Mail

I get emails from single moms that are both uplifting and encouraging. Some emails are filled with pain and a sense of hopelessness. Many are searching for a way out of depression and emotional barriers. Here is one letter and my answer.

From M:

“One questio
I would like to ask, and you can share this with the group if you’d like, what do you do when you’ve been through a hard, depressing time in your life and your still dealing with it, you’ve stopped writing and you want to start back but you need the motivation?”

I answered:
Your question is a very important on because you seem like you are at a crossroad. Your decisions now will determine how you respond to life from now on.

I want to encourage you to consider the following words and do a lot of thinking about what you want your future to look like. Remember that you determine the course of your life by the choices you make. Depression is all too common with single moms for many different reasons. I think that being overwhelmed and feeling hopeless are two of the main reasons, along with money issues.

Sometimes we try to get over things but that is really not the best way to do it. Getting over it means going over it, around it, and under it, instead of getting to the heart of the matter. Doing all those things is really avoiding the problem instead of facing it head on. It might be better to get through it by going through the problem. You don’t have to rehearse every thing about it each issue but honestly look at it and make some decisions about it.

When we think about our problems we feel all the emotions associated with it and it seems like we are re-living all the bad stuff. The memory is literally embedded in our nervous system so it feels very real. The mind is a tricky thing that is why it is so important to watch your self talk. It doesn’t help when others consistently remind us of our past either.

I recommend reading Who Switched Off My Brain by Caroline Leaf. She was on Joyce Meyer’s show recently and she has so much to say on the subject of life issues. Joyce Meyer’s, Battlefield of the Mind is also a good book.

If you are open to additional solutions try EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique). It is basically confronting your issues in a gentle way, and accepting that you still love and accept yourself as well as God’s love and care. I’ve tried it and it works. Old traumas, fears, and issues practically disappeared. I don’t feel depressed anymore or feel angry with people that hurt me in the past. It is truly emotional freedom. I still have some work to do but I don’t feel stuck and I know that I have truly let go and let God do what he wants to do for my life.

If you’d like more information about EFT send me an email and I’ll explain it further.