Often, when someone expresses anxiety in the context of the Church or Christian community, more than likely they will hear somebody, at some point, recite the famous words of the apostle Paul in Philippians 4:6. "Do not be anxious...." is the beginning of that verse,...
The Depression Equation I am a big believer in the equation that insight + practice = transformation. In fact, in an earlier post on anxiety I shared the same equation, highlighting Angela Duckworth's work on the concept of deliberate practice in her work. In her book...
Reframing Depression "What if this depression you are experiencing is helping inform you about your life? What if we listen to it together, it may give us some clues about what is going on with your life. Maybe it will give us some direction about what kind of changes...
What Is Underneath Depression Like anxiety, one of the most difficult aspects of depression is trying to figure out what are the underlying roots of it. But without properly identifying its underlying roots it's possible that one may see depression simply as a...
When serving in ministry there are many opportunities to come in to contact with people who are depressed. I say this, because churches are often what I refer to as the "gatekeepers" in mental health, therefore, those employed or volunteering in ministry are often on...
"Are you depressed?" I asked him in session. "Depressed? What.....depression? No, I'm not depressed." he said to me as if that was a crazy question to ask. There was some silence between us for what seemed like a few minutes, and then he said. "Well...I mean, I may...
A couple of months ago I had the opportunity to give a talk about my own journey with anxiety and depression at a local church, Chase Oaks Church. The video was shot for their ReNew Ministry which helps people deal with the "messiness of life." I love the work that...
In episode 64 (the previous episode) I shared about my more recent, and personal struggle with anger. In that episode I also talk a bit about it's roots being in depression. I have talked before about the link between depression and anger in some of my writings like...
One of the more tricky aspects of working with adolescents is trying to discern at times what is "typical" teenage behavior, and what is depression. I mean most of us can remember back to our own teenage days where we experienced bouts of moodiness, irritability, and...
I love running! It has completely changed my life. I have loved running since I was a little kid. I loved running and playing with friends. I loved field day and running the sprints and the longer races. I ran track in high school. But somewhere along the way running...
