God is Better than Prozac
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
I’ve struggled with depression over the past 15 years. The first was major and it was a long time in healing. With the help of a therapist and my doctor, I began counseling and taking Prozac. It got me out the a deep darkness -- enough that I could begin to see the hope of my belief in God.
Since then, I’ve had bouts of depression. There were times of more therapy and more medicine but each time I became more dependent on God for my healing.
I’ll be the first one to advise anyone with depression to seek the help of a good medical doctor and get tested to see if there are some chemical deficiencies. I’ll also be the first to say that God’s healing can go deeper than anything else. But there are times when the chemicals in the brain need to be in balance. I’m no doctor and I’ve certainly simplified the issue.
Honestly, it truly is all about balance. Once the medical issues are in balance, it’s time to take a brutal look at the spiritual balance in our lives. I’ve come to the point now that any time -- ANY TIME I feel depression creeping in, the first place I look is at the spiritual side of my life. Is it balanced with my emotions? And believe me, it takes a lot to balance my emotions.
Fortunately, I’ve learned the truth that emotions are a result of how we see things and what we believe. Certainly, loss brings grief, a satisfying life brings joy, children bring laughter -- the list goes on. But we can’t always trust our emotions, particularly when we deal with depression and anxiety. Truth be told, I can “think” my way into an anxiety attack that could trigger heart problems or send my blood pressure skyrocketing. But those thoughts aren’t real. They are the result of worry and my very vivid imagination.
You cannot tame your thoughts. You may think you can. You may try with medication. And it’s possible you can take enough to numb how you feel. But if you want to live a full and incredible life, drugs aren’t the answer. You can try with alcohol, relationships, careers -- that list goes on as well.
Taming our thoughts has everything to do with what we think about.
Paul wrote: “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:6-10, NLT
Prozac can’t promise that.
Blessings, Francine
Since then, I’ve had bouts of depression. There were times of more therapy and more medicine but each time I became more dependent on God for my healing.
I’ll be the first one to advise anyone with depression to seek the help of a good medical doctor and get tested to see if there are some chemical deficiencies. I’ll also be the first to say that God’s healing can go deeper than anything else. But there are times when the chemicals in the brain need to be in balance. I’m no doctor and I’ve certainly simplified the issue.
Honestly, it truly is all about balance. Once the medical issues are in balance, it’s time to take a brutal look at the spiritual balance in our lives. I’ve come to the point now that any time -- ANY TIME I feel depression creeping in, the first place I look is at the spiritual side of my life. Is it balanced with my emotions? And believe me, it takes a lot to balance my emotions.
Fortunately, I’ve learned the truth that emotions are a result of how we see things and what we believe. Certainly, loss brings grief, a satisfying life brings joy, children bring laughter -- the list goes on. But we can’t always trust our emotions, particularly when we deal with depression and anxiety. Truth be told, I can “think” my way into an anxiety attack that could trigger heart problems or send my blood pressure skyrocketing. But those thoughts aren’t real. They are the result of worry and my very vivid imagination.
You cannot tame your thoughts. You may think you can. You may try with medication. And it’s possible you can take enough to numb how you feel. But if you want to live a full and incredible life, drugs aren’t the answer. You can try with alcohol, relationships, careers -- that list goes on as well.
Taming our thoughts has everything to do with what we think about.
Paul wrote: “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:6-10, NLT
Prozac can’t promise that.
Blessings, Francine
