LIVING AS CHRISTIANS: Week of October 16 to 22, 2023, “Jehovah saves those who are sunken in discouragement”, Video: Our brothers have peace despite depression, Analysis and Answers.

LIVING AS CHRISTIANS:  October 16-22, 2023, “Jehovah saves those who are sunken in discouragement”, Video: Our brothers have peace despite depression, Analysis and Answers.

“Jehovah saves those who are sunk in discouragement” (15 mins.): Analysis with the audience and video.

What things did Nikki do to cope with depression?

To cope with her depression, Nikki made changes to her diet. She began to exercise regularly. She created a notebook divided into sections according to the different aspects of depression that she had to treat, including Bible texts, articles and images from jw.org related to the topic. She also sought support from Jehovah through prayer and the elders of the congregation.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

The first thing Nikki did was understand what was happening to her by reading a 2009 jw.org article that talked about depression. She then understood that Jehovah was practically telling her what she suffered and that she must learn to cope with her condition.

Nikky also made a notebook that she divided into sections according to the aspects of depression she needed to address, and supplemented these sections with Bible texts, articles, and images from jw.org, which helped her for a long time. 

When Nikki's depression began to get out of control and the anguish and sadness overwhelmed her to the point of crying When Nicky's depression began to get out of control and the anguish and sadness overwhelmed her to the point of crying all the time, stop attending meetings and beginning to have alarming thoughts, she sought help from the elders by requesting a shepherding visit. Talking to them and listening to her suggestions helped him a lot.

Another thing Nikki did to cope with her depression was accept that she was responsible for seeking professional help to deal with her condition and improve her quality of life. Doing this has done her a lot of good and she now feels happy.

Nikki sought support and comfort from Jehovah in prayer, asking him to understand her and give her peace and comfort.

How did Nikki realize she needed to go to a doctor? (Mt 9:12).

Nikki after speaking with one of the elders in the congregation realized that she needed to go to a doctor. The elder who also suffered from depression suggested that she consider seeking medical help, and although Nikki initially resisted the idea, she eventually understood that she needed to seek professional help before something worse happened, and also so that she could continue serving Jehovah well.

After crying every day before going to work and feeling overwhelmed by being new to the job, seeing the changes she had made in diet, physical activity, and hearing the experience and suggestion of an elder in the congregation, Nikky understood and accepted that the time had come to seek medical help.

What did Nikki do to rely on Jehovah?

After the pandemic seeing how so many lives were lost, and seeing that I couldn't help anyone. In those moments she prayed to Jehovah explaining how he felt, asking him to help her and give her peace. And helping those who are going through the same thing makes her feel useful, and that way she can feel happy again and she can enjoy Jehovah's creation and be glad to be alive.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

When she read a 2009 jw.org article about depression, to lean on Jehovah, the first thing Nikky did was understand that Jehovah was practically telling her what she had and what she should do to cope with her condition. 

Nicky leaned on Jehovah when she opened her heart to him through prayer to vent to him and beg him for peace, understanding and comfort. Likewise, he leaned on Jehovah when he sought help from the elders of the congregation through a shepherding visit to vent with them and listen to their Bible-based counsel.

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

According to my mother, I have always been a caregiver, even when I was very little it is part of my personality, I don't like seeing people suffer, it affects me a lot. I remember when I started working as a nurse I was always crying, I literally cried every day I had to go to work. On the one hand it overwhelmed me because I was new and on the other hand I was fighting depression, I was really sad and I needed Jehovah's help to understand what was happening to me.

I remember that in 2009 an article came out that talked about depression and I thought well, Jehovah, you are telling me that this is what I have. So I know what's wrong with me, what I have to do is learn to cope with it, so I changed my diet, I started exercising more, and I realized that both a healthy diet and exercise are very, very important.

Also in a notebook I divided it into different sections with aspects of depression that I had to deal with, in each section I wrote Biblical texts, put articles and pasted drawings, images that say a lot without using a single word. Jehovah listens to us, he cares about us. Exercise, a healthy diet, publications and a notebook all helped me a lot for a long time, it was like a lifesaver.

But there came a point where all that was no longer working so much, I remember that I was getting ready to go to the meeting and I was fine, but when I was about to walk out the door, I couldn't, an anguish invaded me, a sadness invaded me. I felt overwhelmed, it was too much and I was breaking down, I started crying and I couldn't control it, it was impossible, I was in terrible shape, I had a very big depression, it was very difficult for me to tell the elderly that I needed help, but at that moment I I realized that if I didn't do it, something worse could happen. 

So I thought, you know, I'm going to ask the elders for a shepherding visit, because I had no idea about my depression, I didn't know anything. That was the first time I spoke to them and it turns out that one of the brothers, one of the elders, also suffered from depression, and he suggested to me: Have you thought about telling a doctor? I didn't want to go to a doctor at all. , I thought I didn't need it, but sometimes you reach a point where you need help, because you can't do it alone anymore.

Many people think that it is a bad thing that it is embarrassing to say that one has depression, and that there is no need to go to the doctor, so it is not necessary, but I realized that if I wanted to continue serving Jehovah well, I had to I had to seek help from a professional, that was my responsibility, not everyone has to take that step, but I had to do it and I can say that I am very glad I did it, because I have not felt this good in my entire life. life.

At first they put the Covid patients in one area, and then in another, and in the end the entire hospital was full of Covid patients, that was one of the worst things I have experienced as a nurse in all the years I have been practicing. And many of my companions died, they were on the front line of battle, just like me they worked hard, we lost many good people. It's true, I had my treatment for depression, it helps you, but it doesn't take it away completely, and you say, but what is this, I can't save anyone, I can't, I can't help anyone, it was horrible, it was seriously devastating. 

And in times like this, I pray to Jehovah, I explain how I feel and I beg him to help me and give me peace, when I can help someone who also has depression, I feel that Jehovah is using me in some way. And the truth is that it makes me very happy to know that I am useful to Jehovah, I love that feeling of feeling good again, of being happy again, of smiling again and of being able to enjoy the small things of Jehovah's creation. I mean, I'm very glad to be alive, so yes, that's what I feel.