Seasonal Affective Disorder

7 “I wish I was loved…”

Finally, on this last day of this eating disorder awareness week, we encounter, perhaps, the trickiest issue: love. The Most High’s love is so thorough and passionate, it outlasts time. It is everlasting.

“… Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” Jeremiah 31:3

We are that wanted.

We often underestimate that reality. We can get distorted tunnel vision, convinced by the rejection we encounter in our lives.

Our experiences often produce a lie with each negative encounter: “you are unlovable.”

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Prayer for Those Who Struggle with the Holidays

Abba…this is a really hard time of year for so many.

Some are experiencing the first round of holidays and feasts without a loved one…
whether through death or a need for reconciliation.

Some are going through serious illness.

Some are experiencing great financial hardship.

Some are locked into bondages and/or addictions.

Abba, please touch each one, especially those who are reading this prayer and their loved ones.

I lift them all up to You, Abba.

You can bring healing…

where no one else can.

You can touch hearts…

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What Our Anxiety is Trying to Tell Us

1. We tend to reject anxiety’s milder forms and are really terrified by its intense moments, like with panic attacks. It’s difficult to see when we’re fighting with anxiety that it can have any benefit, but it does.

2. Anxiety comes with some great treasures hidden inside, and they can be yours if you know how to get to them. First, you have to stop fighting and listen to the anxiety for clues.

3. Its methods of stopping us are varied and some of the common ones are: spinning thoughts, feeling disassociated, heavy breathing, and a racing heart. Whatever works so that we’ll finally pay attention, it will customize for us.

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Asking for Support: Getting the Help You Need – Part 2

by Dale & Juanita Ryan | see: Part 1

We resist getting help

In spite of the abundance of God’s love and grace and the many ways in which love and grace are available to us, we do not easily reach out for the help we need. Even when we have acknowledged our need for help, we may find ourselves hesitating, finding excuses, resisting. Resistance to getting help is often the result of a mixture of fear and despair and shame.

Fear

It can be frightening to get help. In the process we feel vulnerable and exposed. Jim’s Dad had made cutting remarks about him all his life. Jim was so accustomed to hearing that he was lazy and stupid and irresponsible that every time he shared in his support group, he expected to hear these same hurtful comments in response. Even though people didn’t respond this way, Jim imagined that everyone must be privately thinking these things about him. As a result, he would sometimes begin to share only to freeze with fear and find himself unable to talk.

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Online Depression Tests

Depression can have many symptoms some of which include: anxiety, memory loss, confusion, suicidal thoughts, phobias, overwhelming sadness, loss of appetite, fears, isolating, etc. There are several online Depression Tests that you can take to determine your rate of risk for clinical depression and to help you further understand depression. Some of them are:

WebMD Depression Symptom Quiz
Depression Triggers, Risk, Symptoms. Depression Myths vs. Facts. Test Your Depression IQ. Could it be depression?

Mayo Clinic Depression Self-assessment Quiz
Take this depression self-assessment to see whether you have symptoms of depression.

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Mental Illness Statistics in the USA

Mental Disorders in America Mood Disorders Major Depressive Disorder Dysthymic Disorder Bipolar Disorder Suicide Schizophrenia Anxiety Disorders Panic Disorder Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) Social Phobia Agoraphobia Specific Phobia Eating Disorders Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Autism Alzheimer’s Disease For More Information References Mental Disorders in America Mental disorders

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Depression Information

Everyone occasionally feels blue or sad, but these feelings are usually fleeting and pass within a couple of days.When a person has a depressive disorder, it interferes with daily life, normal functioning, and causes pain for both the person with the disorder and those who care about him or her. Depression is a common but serious illness, and most who experience it need treatment to get better.

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Common Childhood Mental Disorders

Document Description
For parents, the key to handling mental disorders of children is to recognize the problem and seek appropriate treatment. These disorders have specific diagnostic criteria and treatments, and a complete evaluation by a mental health provider can determine whether a child needs help. Some of the mental disorders commonly seen in children are depression, ADHD, and conduct disorder.

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