Depression, far from being a purely physical or purely psychological or spiritual problem, affects every part of the person who is experiencing it. Physical remedies – everything from eating right and becoming more active to perhaps taking doctor-prescribed medicine to break out of a damaging cycle – should be a part of anyone’s grappling with chronic emptiness or sadness. But since humans were created by God to be both bodies and souls, it should come as no surprise that depression can only be dealt with by also examining and addressing the spiritual problems at the root of that depression. And one of the best spiritual ways to cope with depression is to counterintuitively resist the urge to isolate which every depressed person feels. Living in community, being drawn outside of ourselves through relationship with others and with God is an essential part of growing out of the dark valley.
The Dark Valley (Ep67)
