Depression and hopelessness are like cancers; they will destroy the soul from within if I allow them to take root. 

Inspired by Proverbs 15:13 

When my heart is merry, my countenance is cheerful, but a sorrowful heart wounds my spirit.              

I am not, by any stretch of my imagination, a clinical psychologist, nor have I ever been diagnosed with depression. However, I know intuitively from my experiences and those of others that depression, hopelessness, and anxiety have a lot to do with the emotions and spirituality as much as it has to do with any biological issue. I perceive that a good number of these issues are of a soulish origin.  

Whenever I become aware that I am feeling hopeless, down, depressed, or anxious, I flood my mind with thoughts of gratitude, thanksgiving, worship, and imaginations of hopeful outcomes. Indulgence in acts of demonstrative love toward others is a companion therapy.   

 Inspired by Psalm 42: 5 

Why are you depressed, O my soul? Why do you moan and rage within me? Hope in God, so I shall yet praise him for the victory of his presence.               

This mentality or spiritual beingness; that is taking on the attitude I want to inculcate in myself is a surefire way to rid my soul of despair and anxiety — for example, I clothe myself in a spirit of optimism and serenity instead of depression and worry.  

My hope and my trust are not in myself or any other created being or thing. I place my confident expectation in the Eternal I Am, which leaves no questioning of an expected outcome. Paradoxically I best help others who are going through such a state by surrounding them with love and care, helping them to understand themselves to be, and feel a part of, the collective (e.g., A family or a group, etc.).  

Through interaction, I convey whichever spirit I am being or have taken on, unto those around.  Through loving interaction, I will exude a spirit of optimism and serenity on those who are anxious and melancholy, by being optimistic and at peace. 

Inspired by Proverbs 12: 25 

A fearful, depressed, and anxious heart weighs me down, but kind, encouraging, and pleasant words cheer me up.  

Excerpts from –  GOD&I: Longing After God by Dwane Fritz Gerald