Thank you for your comment. It was very brave of you to say how you feel and I'm sorry it has taken me so long to reply. I'm so glad that you have your Mum and your kids, and even more importantly, perhaps, your faith.

I think one way through very dark times is to congratulate ourselves on every small achievement e.g. making ourselves and others breakfast, tidying the house. With children you are probably doing many tasks like that every day.

I was talking to an experienced counselor recently about depression and she said that after all the complicated research into why some people are depressed and others aren't, the answer the experts have come up with is very simple: happy people do things they enjoy/like doing every single day, depressed people don't. If she asks a depressed person to write a list of all the things they enjoy doing, and then to tell her when was the last time they did them, most say it has been months or years. Therefore the problem is they have stopped living and started thinking, which is a dangerous thing to do.
Now I know this is very simplistic, and the reason the depressed person hasn't played the guitar or gone out for a coffee is probably because they ARE depressed. However, research (and my experience) has also shown that if the depressed person does just one thing during the day that they enjoy, it can lead them to do another, and before long they begin to feel better.It may feel odd at first; doing nice things when we are so used to not doing them. However, I have been practicing this theory, and it is working. I went out for a cup of tea and a flapjack. I went to a farm and cuddled a lamb. I played tennis. Today I am going to do yoga. I am beginning to sound, and feel like, a happy person. Is there anything that you can do today that you like or enjoy? Some small treat to soothe your soul? You won't feel better instantly (I don't think) but a a build up of small enjoyable steps can bring hope back to our hearts.

love,

Megan

Mega