God doesn't expect long prayers from us when our hearts are so broken. God doesn't expect broken hearts to feel love for Him, much less feel anything positive at all. To restore that faith signal between God and us, all we have to do is say one word: "Help." No complicated memorized prayers or novenas. Just "help." "S.O.S." Because we're sinking into darkness.
When we're depressed and anxious, we need to love ourselves rightly, or we'll stay in that darkness. Depression makes us lose focus on ourselves, ignore the good things we should be thinking and doing for ourselves. We may be focusing on a stressful situation and trying to see God's hand in it. Our faith tells us that God will take care of that situation, in the way He knows is best. But we also need to concentrate on seeing God working in our own lives, working for us. God wants us to love ourselves as much as God loves us. God's Light begins to illuminate us with simple inspirations to help us.
It's often so hard to sleep when we're anxious and depressed. Lack of sleep causes all sorts of physical and mental problems. At night, the Light of God reminds us that we have a full storehouse of happy memories. Memories of good experiences, good people whom God has brought into our lives. In the darkness of bedtime, it's good to remember at least one happy memory and experience the power of gratitude. If God gave us good things at that time in our lives, can we trust that God will give us good things now? Can we trust that God is the same, yesterday, today, and tomorrow? Try to fall asleep on the pillow of a happy memory.
Reading our journals or diaries or looking at photographs can remind us of stressful events in the past and the ways in which God has always worked powerfully in our lives. We're reminded of God's love for us and our loved ones, from birth till death. We see reminders of those we've loved who have gone before us and the names and faces of new loved ones whom God has given us. Wherever there has been an ending, there has always been a new beginning. Fall asleep on the memory of one of those new beginnings.
At daybreak, the Light of God reminds us of the power of His gifts of sunlight and nature. Go for a walk; soak up some sun. Bright sunlight boosts our brain's production of serotonin, which helps improve our mood and gives us a better ability to set goals and avoid bad habits. Feeling our interconnectedness with nature - the ancient trees, mountains, and stars that have outlived us, the never-ending cycles of the seasons - we realize that we are surrounded by a Divine Pattern larger than ourselves, and know we have a place within it.
God also reminds us of the gift of our bodies, and the joy of moving them - exercise. Depression messes up our sleep pattern; exercise improves it. Depression makes it hard to concentrate; exercise sharpens our perceptions and makes it easier to plan and make decisions. Depression makes us lethargic and tired; exercise gives us energy and vitality - and higher self-esteem. Exercise can be a prayer of gratitude: gratitude for our pumping hearts, our lungs that continue to breathe, our hands that can grasp weights, our legs that can move up and down on an exercise bike, our feet that rejoice in a good run. What miracles all these moving parts are!
When depression and anxiety try to destroy our self-image, God will shine His Light on everything good about ourselves that we need to remember and love:
- All the times we have forgiven someone who has hurt us.
- All the times we've been considerate of others' feelings.
- All the times we've been generous with people who were having a tough time in their lives.
- All the times we've listened to others and tried to cheer them up.
Thinking positively about ourselves also helps boost serotonin levels in our brains and makes it easier to break any bad habits we've developed because of our depression, like smoking, over-eating, or eating the wrong foods. God is telling us that we're worth every good thing that we do for ourselves.
When we're depressed over a stressful situation, God asks us to trust that He is at work in that situation. He also asks us to trust that He wants to work with us to help us "come through" that situation in a healthful way. His hand is in that situation, and simultaneously His hand is reaching to help us.
When we're depressed and anxious, God our Light reminds us that Jesus His Son said "Love your neighbor AS YOU LOVE YOURSELF." Eating right, sleeping right, exercising right, appreciating ourselves right, filling our lives with gratitude for everything in them that is right, past and present, - all these are God-given ways to love ourselves and to help our brains work right - producing the serotonin that improves our mood and lifts the darkness. They are all ways of prayer - showing gratitude to God for ourselves. God inspires these ways of taking care of ourselves in answer to our simple "Help!"
As the psalmist says, "I rise before dawn and cry for help. My eyes watch through the night to ponder your promise." God always promises to be on our side, to walk us through every situation giving us strength and courage and love. Day and night we need to ponder that promise and be grateful for it. Then we can leave all in His hands and look to taking care of ourselves as God wants us to do.