With all the difficulties and uncertainties that people are facing at the moment, struggling with Anxiety & Depression is a common phenomenon and many do not know how to overcome it.
I am busy reading a book by Bob Phillips called Overcoming Anxiety & Depression which I am finding very helpful to give me a better understanding to help those who are suffering from this.
I found two statements that Bob Phillips makes very interesting and enlightening, he says that anxiety comes from living in the future by worrying and thinking of all the things that might or could go wrong. On the other hand depression comes from living in the past because we think of and remember negative things that has happened to us. Looking at it from this point of view makes so much sense.
In both situations we cannot control anything. We cannot change the past. There might be some things that we have control over regarding the future but there are many that we can do nothing about. For our emotional health it is key to look at how we perceive our lives.
Bob Phillips quotes the Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Neibuhr and I'd like to quote it to because it gives a different perspective on how to overcome anxiety and depression.
God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that He will make all things right
If I surrender to His will,
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
And supremely happy with Him forever in the next.
Bob Phillips further encourages his readers in the following way:
- Realise that you are not alone. There are millions who are facing the same struggles.
- It's not always possible to stop negative and disrupting thoughts from invading your mind,
but it IS possible to change these thoughts and ignore them so that they don't overcome
you.
- Realise you do not need to depend on prescription drugs to overcome your anxiety &
depression.
- Realise that it is possible to experience peace, joy and happiness regardless of your
difficulties.
- Realise that God can use you to help others who are finding themselves in the same
situation that you are in.
I hope that this has been encouraging and enlightning to you as it has been to me.
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