Welcome to
Beat Depression Confidential
When you suffer from depression, you may feel that nothing can ever help…
and that nothing will ever change...
You could well be finding it difficult to concentrate when you try to read
BUT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO READ THIS,
IT’S ABOUT YOU & WILL HELP YOU TO RECOVER.
Your contact with us is entirely CONFIDENTIAL!
We will never ask your name or email number
and make no record of your visit to this website
Do I Have Depression?
What is depression?
You may have one or several of the following distressing symptoms?
A persistent feeling of Sadness, even excessive crying: You will probably feel very lonely, (no matter how many friends and family are around, you could still feel lonely)
Sleeping too much or too little, particularly waking after only a couple of hour’s sleep and then being unable to get back to sleep again that night.
A feeling of fear when you wake up… you lie in bed dreading the day and can’t face what might happen, you’re frightened of meeting people, you fear going to work, you think you can’t cope with the coming day’s events.
Loss of appetite, alternatively, some people tend to overeat.
Low energy, Restlessness, Lack of Confidence
Difficulty concentrating, Irritability
You will possibly feel that you’re worthless and that everything is hopeless
Reckless behaviour
Even thoughts of death or suicide
These symptoms might be accompanied by what can pass for real medical problems, such as…headaches, digestive problems, chest pain, excessive wind, and dizziness. These might be just symptoms or they could be real medical problems…and that’s one of the reasons why you should involve your doctor, but please read on.
One of the main causes of depression is…FEAR
For example…
Fear of failure
Fear of what might happen in the future
Fear of a loved one becoming terminally ill
Fear of family being involved in a motor accident,
Fear about your own health.
Fear is debilitating…and causes depression when a person believes that they can’t cope.
It’s knowing that you can’t do anything to take corrective action, (no matter how hard you try,) that causes you to become depressed, and then a full-blown depression is often quick to follow.
Well, please take heart…and be of good courage!
Firstly, it’s almost impossible to cure yourself of a mid/severe depression…and that means that any advice from well-meaning people, i.e., ‘Pull yourself together’ or ‘Think how lucky you are,’ has virtually no effect.
After all, if you could pull yourself together, you would, wouldn’t you?
You need to use two levels of attack in order to defeat the dark feelings you often have to endure.
Level 1)
Have you spoken to your doctor?
You should. In fact we urge you to make an appointment and go tell your doctor exactly how you’re feeling.
You’ve no need to feel embarrassed about this, remember that there are thousands of people going through similar depressions and if you explain your symptoms the doctor will almost certainly be able to help you!
To get the most from your visit just take a few written headings with you: short reminders such as:
* I wake after only 2 hour’s sleep and I’m so tense that I can’t get back to sleep,
* I have chest pains,
* I sometimes feel dizzy
* I seem frightened to get out of bed and face the day
* I can’t concentrate…it takes me longer than it used to for me to complete any job that needs even the slightest concentration.
These notes will help you not to forget anything when you’re with the doctor and also help him/her to decide exactly what is wrong and the best treatment to prescribe.
(If you don’t feel up to making notes you could ask one of your family to accompany you.)
It’s very important to involve your doctor at an early stage as, for example, it could be that something other than depression is causing your unwelcome symptoms, or there may be a ‘stress factor’ that you could eliminate given the right help. The doctor might consider tablets to help you relax, or to make you sleep, many of these are non-addictive providing you take them only as prescribed.
This type of medication is designed to help you get back into a regular sleeping pattern and also to give your body and brain the rest needed, to be able to start you on the road to recovery.
This is the first immediate action you should take and, if you’ve not already done so, please ring your doctor for an appointment. Don’t let anything hold you back…do it right now!
Please do not consider buying remedies over the Internet. Your health is far too important for you to trust anyone except your doctor.
The following is not a complete summary of safety information. Serious side effects can occur with many medications, so please don’t purchase without first discussing your full symptoms with your doctor.
Antidepressants should NEVER be taken by anyone and particularly not by children or teenagers, without a doctor’s prescription. As you start the treatment watch closely for worsening of depression, suicidal thoughts or actions, unusual changes in behaviour, agitation, and irritability. Be sure to Report any unusual symptoms immediately to your doctor. Perhaps the tablets don’t suit you and others can be supplied.
Then, while your waiting for your appointment date you should start Level 2.
“But I’ve already seen a doctor,” you might be thinking, “they’ve prescribed tablets, but I’m still depressed.”
This is possible, it could be a long haul, but you’ve only attacked the depression on one level: Now you must to go ahead with the second part of your attack.
Level 2)
It is important to know that, in spite of anything you might think…
you are loved as a person.
YES, That’s right!
The knowledge that you are loved and that your health and happiness matter is of vital importance to your recovery.
You might not have friends or family to love you, or you may have someone who does love you and dearly wants you to recover, but that person is, of course, powerless to help.
There is however someone who wants to help! Someone who has the power to remove your depression…And that someone is none other than Almighty God!
In all circumstances keep remembering that God loves you – He loves you just as you are right now- and He wants to help you!
This might be new to you, or you may have heard it before and don’t want to get into religion, or perhaps you don’t believe in God.
These are your choices
…
But don’t let the fact that you’re not a believer in God, or don’t wish to be religious, or anything else, put you off reading what follows!
The following came from the experience of a man suffering from depression:
“I couldn’t relax and couldn’t sleep no matter how hard I tried.
My heart was pounding. I was anxious, overwhelmed - scared to death that night.
I was tired of feeling emotionally incompetent and lay in a pool of sweat physically exhausted…and unable to see anything that would help me.
I was scared-stiff.
Then I did what a lot of people do when they hit rock bottom. I prayed.”
You know how awful depression is – so if you really want to be rid of it, isn’t it worth at least asking your Heavenly Father?
We are talking confidential here - Unless you tell someone, no one will know that you’ve even been on this website, so no one will come after you to join a church or give money or preach to you, or anything. We just want you to be healed!
You should read the following lessons at a pace comfortable to you. Read one, or all both in a week, but don’t try to rush through them, just take your time. (You may find it helpful to print the notes out and read from hard copy.)
Lesson 1
Greetings, and a warm welcome to your first lesson on the journey to your recovery,
This simple lesson will help you through the day,
Have you ever heard a tune that instantly takes your thoughts back in time, reminding you of something you actually experienced?
Most of us have - and no matter how long ago and no matter whether the occasion was happy or sad, when you hear that tune your brain makes you remember what was happening and just how you were feeling at that time.
More than 1400 years before the birth of Christ, Almighty God set up a similar thing for His people, but not with music: He did it with a colour…Blue.
Today's reading is from the book of Numbers in Old Testament section of the Bible
The time of this reading was after the Jewish nation had safely escaped from Egypt, (where they had suffered under the severe regime of Pharaoh,) and were journeying towards the land flowing with milk and honey that God had promised his people.
'The Promised Land.'
God’s people had been given 10 commandments from God!
But they still kept going their own way, doing what they thought was right, and although they knew full well that God had delivered them from many awful situations; they still found it difficult to trust Him.
Therefore God gave these instructions to their leader, Moses.
(Bible readings are in red.)
Numbers, chapter 1: verses 37-41.
Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
"Speak to the children of Israel: Tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments, and to put a blue thread in the tassels of the corners.
"And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them,
"I AM the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I AM the Lord your God."
The children of Israel were told to make tassels on the corners of their garments with a blue thread in the tassels.
At first sight it might seem strange for Almighty God,
(the mighty creator of the vast universe,) to involve Himself in such a tiny detail regarding the tassels of their clothing…But He wanted the colour blue to remind the people to do all His commandments and also that He loved them.
In other words, the colour blue would remind them of Him. The blue thread would remind them that the commandments were important, but not only that:
When all around you seems full of gloom and when you feel absolutely unable to cope. God’s word tells you that, from today, you don't have to cope alone!
That’s great news, isn’t it?
You can always, at any time of the day or night: Tell your heavenly Father about it!
Because He already knows what you’re suffering and wants to give good things to you!
The time you’ve spent reading the above is important…It’s the beginning of your first steps towards a full recovery.
Right, that’s the end of lesson one…If you learn God's signs it will be easier to remember that you are a very loved person.
So at any time this week, (or in the future) whenever you see the colour blue or if you feel blue: Look up! And remember that God really does care for you. Trust Him for He wants you to recover.
You are a child of the living God and He would be delighted if you made contact with Him!
When you’re ready please scroll down to the next lesson
Welcome to lesson 2
We hope that after reading lesson 1, you’ve already upgraded the value you’re putting upon yourself, both to Almighty God and also in the place you find yourself right now.
If you’ve read this far you are moving in the right direction to ask Almighty God to help you.
So now is a great time for you to consider what Jesus Christ said and what He advises you to do. (Bible readings are typed in red and underlines have been added to parts of the Bible text.)
Matthew: 6 verses 25 – 33
“So don’t worry about everyday life – whether you have enough food, drink and clothes.”
Isn’t that statement fantastic? Jesus says that you don’t have to worry!
“Doesn’t life consist of more than food and clothing?
Look at the birds. They don’t need to plant or harvest or put food in barns, because your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to Him than they are.
Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
Of course not
And why worry about your clothes? Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.
And if God cares so wonderfully for the flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won’t He more surely care for you? You have so little faith!
“So don’t worry about having enough food or drink or clothing.
Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.
And He will give you all you need from day to day if you live for Him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.”
Are you feeling as though Jesus is talking directly to you!?
He’s telling you not to worry, or be anxious for anything.
He’s telling you that life consists of more than the things people worry about. Jesus is really saying that His eternal kingdom is what you should seek.
He wants you to understand that God loves you far more than the birds of the air, or lilies of the field. God already knows everything you need – and will give all you need, if only you turn to Him and ask.
And now more of what Jesus is saying to you
Matthew: 7 verses 7 to 8 (Effective prayer)
“Keep on asking and you will be given what you ask for.
Keep on seeking and you will find.
Keep on knocking and the door will be opened.
For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks finds - And the door will be opened to everyone who knocks.”
Jesus says it might be a long haul…You might have to ask several times for your depression to be healed and also to enter His kingdom…God always hears, and answers our cries - but it’s in His time, not ours! But if you ask - He promises to grant your request, providing your request is not against His will.
When explaining to the disciples how to pray Jesus said the following-
Matthew 6 verses 6 – 8
“But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to the Father secretly.
Then your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you.
When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered only by repeating their words again and again.
Don’t be like them, because your father knows exactly what you need, even before you ask him!”
When you pray believe that God can and will grant your request, providing it is within His will…don’t forget…Ask and you will receive.
You don’t need to use any special long words when you pray, just tell your Heavenly Father how you feel and what you’d like Him to do for you and tell Him that you’re praying in the name of His son, Jesus. Open up to Almighty God about the agonies you’re going through, and admit your failures. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” James 4 verse 8
Jesus gives more advice to people who are in trouble and are suffering persecution.
Matthew 10 verses 28 – 31
“Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill you. They can only kill your body: they cannot touch your soul.
Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Not even a sparrow, worth only half a penny, can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it!
And the very hairs on your head are all numbered, so don’t be afraid: You are more valuable to Him than a whole flock of sparrows.”
Now you can start to have good feelings…that everything will be all right.
You’ve heard of Noah’s Ark in the Old Testament of the Bible?
Referring to Noah after the flood.
"God took Noah into the flood-and He also brought him out of it. Similarly, He has not brought you to this point in your life to abandon you. Whatever the problems you face at this moment God will bring you through, if you ask Him."
Quote from Complete Cover to Cover by Selwyn Hughes and Trevor J. Partridge.
Finally in this lesson you are to about to receive a fabulous invitation!
You’re wondering, “Who from?”
It’s an invitation directly from the Lord Jesus:
This invitation is for you.
Matthew 11 verses 28 –30
“Come unto me all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls.
For My yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light.”
Are you carrying a burden?
Jesus promises that If you come to Him he will give you rest!
Well, now you’ve reached the end of this programme designed to help you get rid of that darned depression.
Your first job is to consult your doctor and explain how you’re feeling. Then read the above lessons from the Bible and ask God for His help.
Please print the lessons so that you can refer to them as you wish.
If you’d like to know more of the Bible we recommend that you visit our main website: www.christianinformation.co.uk
Click on ‘Free Bible Lessons’ (It’s near the top, left-hand side of the Home page.)
The first lesson is similar to the first on this site, but there are 8 additional lessons and also a quiz, to help you assess your understanding of the Christian message. and of the hope & comfort in the Love God has for you.
We thank you for visiting us and we wish you a speedy recovery and a happy and fulfilling future. A future without depression, but with the Lord Jesus Christ!
Brian and Norma
Visit our main web site
www.christianinformation.co.uk
