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Overcoming Depression: Lesson #9

Adopting God's Hope

Discipleship Level 2: Reaching Beyond Mediocrity

Rev. Paul J. Bucknell

Depression in the News | Obtaining Hope | Emotions, Feelings and Depression
Gaining Discernment | Root Cause| The Path (5Ds)
Hope Through Obedience | A Strong Shield | Rebuild Foundation
Deeper Trust | Two Truths | Deliverance Cycle

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Exercises#1-5 | Handout | Video Podcast | D2 Index | RSS

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Exercise Sheets for Overcoming Depression

Looking for relief from depression or find a cure to help the depressed? 'Adopting God's Hope, Overcoming Depression' carefully examines the root sources for depression from a Biblical perspective. If a person avoids dealing with the sources of depression, his or her depression will continue to disturb one's life. Learn how to overcome depression, and God will use you to bring His hope into your soul and others!

Exercise Sheets for Overcoming Depression introduces the exercise sheets that accompany this series on overcoming depression. It is insufficient to read about how one should overcome depression. A person needs to make his or her own observations about one's life and then follow through. These worksheets help the individual do this. We will introduce the five worksheets here.

Solutions

It is much easier to work through problems before they happen. We encourage you to start using these worksheets early on before discouraging responses become actual depression.

The better you are able to communicate the changes that took place in you, the better.

Here are some trouble points to look out for.

  1. Don't get caught in the depression of others. You need a strong vibrant faith for you and the other person you are talking to.
  2. If you find yourself getting into depressed moods, work on building a proper response in your mind to protect you.
  3. Depression often is rooted in sin. This does not mean that God does not love you but do follow His path out of doubt and back into a strong trust of His love.
  4. Is it hard to find where the depression comes from? These worksheets can help.
  5. You wonder whether God can really help your depression. He can. He is good.
  6. You are confused by the world and all the media. Go back to the Word of God. It alone is the sword of truth. Shield of faith will protect you.

Exercise #1: Understanding Your Depression

Purpose: Better understand how depression affects you.

It is hard to get an accurate picture of our lives! Take an quick inventory. As you look at your responses, you should better be able to discern the impact discouragement and depression have on your life.

This is a simple self-evaluation to see what degree discouragement and depression might impact your life.

Download exercise #1

Exercise #2: Tracing Your Depressive Responses

Purpose: Better understand how you respond and relate to depression.

Take a certain recent situation where discouragement went from bad to worse. Observe how depression overwhelmed you and influenced your decisions. The list of provided questions will help guide you through thinking about what happened.

Many times we do not understand our own responses to discouragement and depression. This exercise helps us to see how we actually respond.

Download Exercise #2

Exercise #3: Preventing Depression

Purpose: Better understand how depression and discouraging moods enter and impact your life.

Our real goal is to avoid depression rather than just to escape it. Besides praying, there are things we can do. Depression most often starts off as disobedience. This disobedience might derive from neglecting one's responsibility and becoming overwhelmed. Or it can come from being greatly disappointed in oneself when things do not work out the way you expected.

This worksheet helps you to develop certain observational skills needed to avoid depression. It is usually best to start with the middle column.

Downoad Exercise #3

Exercise #4: Combatting Depression

Purpose: Equip one how to identify and find healing from your worry.

Satan's tricks on every individual differ. You must learn how the evil one has tinkered with your mind and emotions. This worksheet helps you identify the ways the evil one influences you and to map out a way to overcome his tricky and deceituful schemes.

Download Exercise #4

Exercise #5: Learning the Downward Cycle to Depression

Purpose: Equip one to identify and share the steps down to depression.

Depression does not just happen. It is a process. Mood swings can heighten your awareness of these discouraging thoughts, but it still is a process.

Certain things happen that slowly strip away your hope.
Study this Path Down to Depression and learn the 5 Ds. Our goal is for you to master them so that you can recognize them in yourself and share them with others as you have opportunity.

Download Exercise #5

 

Read on to discover how to obtain hope for those influenced by depression.