“Dealing with Depression,” For the Strength of Youth, Feb. 2023.
I Can Do All Things through Christ
Youth share how Christ has strengthened them to do hard things (see Philippians 4:13).
Dealing with Depression
Beginning a few years ago, I noticed I was becoming increasingly lethargic, lacking an appetite, and losing passion for things I used to love. To oversimplify, I was sad. All the time. Worst of all, I felt separated from Heavenly Father.
I mistakenly thought that my own unworthiness was the cause and that if I could just be more righteous, I’d be happy again. But after a year of trying to fix everything on my own, I felt forsaken. Where was the promised peace I sought? There were times when I didn’t want to live. Eventually, my parents realized something was wrong. I saw a professional and started taking medication, but nothing was changing.
In Alma 36:18–20, Alma recounts that he reached out to the Savior in his sorrow. He says, “Oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!” As I read these words one night, I couldn’t help but feel envious. I had pleaded for relief in prayer countless times. I tearfully asked myself, “Why am I not receiving the joy Alma the Younger did?”
My answer came in increments, one thought at a time. One was an image: a painting of the Savior in Gethsemane, lying on the ground in utter despair and almost completely overwhelmed by darkness. I realized with fuller clarity that He knew exactly the burden I was bearing, and He would not suffer me to bear it alone.
There wasn’t a moment when everything fixed itself, but with professional help and grace from the Lord, I have come a long way. Depression doesn’t always go away. However, I understand now that my sorrow will be exchanged with joy, in this life and the next.
Anna B., California, USA