Monday's Musings: Battling Depression by Serving Others

How often have you found that doing something kind for someone else lifts your spirits? If you haven't experienced that personally, I'd say you haven't tried enough.


Today's focus is on that - helping yourself out of depression by helping others.

Helping others gets our minds off ourselves and our own troubles at least a little bit and it makes us feel better just knowing we've done something kind and good for someone else. One of the causes of depression is self-absorption coupled with self-pity and getting our minds focused on someone else gets rid of some of that self-absorption. It sometimes also does a reality check on us by showing us that we don't have it so bad. Our circumstances aren't always as bad as we think they are and helping someone else in need can show us that.

So, how do we go about this business of helping others? Do we have to serve at the downtown city mission soup kitchen thing? Do we have to go on a mission trip to an orphanage in a third world country? Should we plan to take over teaching a Sunday School class at church?

All those things are wonderful and perhaps you are being called to do one or all of those kinds of things, but I've found that even just serving willingly at home is a mood-booster. Offer to help one of your kids do their chores; give your hard-working husband a backrub; work at that hairdo that your daughter wants; surprise someone by making their bed; write a quick card to someone whom you haven't seen in a while or needs encouragement. Little, do-able things like this are a great way to get started serving others right here right now. 



Yes, sometimes motivation is hard to come by, but if you force yourself, you'll be pleasantly rewarded.

You bless others and you bless yourself. Win win. 

Start now.


My other posts on battling depression are here:
10 Steps Out of Depression
Battling Depression with God's Word

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