Finding Joy in Depression

Please welcome my sweet friend, Amanda Pelser from ThePelsers.com. She is so talented and has rescued my backside more than once when I had technical problems with my blog. What most people do not know about Amanda is that she battles depression but has found a way to find the joy despite her disorder.

Depression is such a taboo subject. No one wants to talk about depression and people certainly don’t want to admit they deal with depression. Yet, I’ve found that many people are out there struggling through depression on their own.

Depression may be described as feeling sad, blue, unhappy, miserable, or down in the dumps. Most of us feel this way at one time or another for short periods. Depression has many faces, including: minor depression, major depression, atypical depression, dysthymia, postpartum depression, bipolar disorder, and more. Each one is slightly different, varying in severity as well as the optimal methods for treatment.

I had to face my depression head on a few years ago. After a minor anxiety attack, I knew I couldn’t go on the way I was living. I stopped trying to hold it all together on my own and sought help. In that process, I was diagnosed with dysthymia. Dysthymia is a mild yet chronic type of depression where I’m just always a little lower than the “average” person. Medication has turned out to be the most effective treatment for me, but over the years I’ve found natural methods and practices that help me keep my dosage low and my depression in check.

Even now, I’m going through a “double depression” period. As I write this, my youngest child is 10 months old. He doesn’t sleep well and is a high maintenance baby. In turn, this means that I don’t sleep. Add in raging postpartum hormones and other stressors and what you get is a momma who is one big mess.

Why has God allowed me to suffer with depression? Well, I don’t really know. I can’t explain it. What I do know is this:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 ESV

I know that God comforts me in the midst of my depression. I would even go so far as to say that He gives me joy in depression. That may sound strange, but yes, I can find joy right where I am in the middle of depression.

If you’re struggling with depression, please know that you’re not alone. Only you can take the first step to finding help. Speak with a friend, a pastor, or a medical professional. Don’t wait. There’s help out there. You can find joy in depression.

Finding Joy in Depression

Finding Joy in Depression is a story.  It’s a story of facing depression and learning to manage it day by day.

• Hiding from your depression?  Finding Joy in Depression will encourage you to face depression and take your first step towards finding joy.
• Learning to manage your depression?  Finding Joy in Depression will give you tips for managing your depression and encourage you to share your story with others.
• Don’t deal with depression?  It’s likely that you someone close to you is battling depression and needs your support.  Finding Joy in Depression will give you a glimpse into the life of someone with depression so you can support a loved one and create environments where it’s ok to talk about depression.

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About Amanda

Amanda Pelser is a former church communications director turned work-at-home(schooling) mom of 3 boys. She’s married to her high school sweetheart Josh. Amanda creates a shelter for the heart with encouraging posts about faith, motherhood, and homeschooling on her blog, ThePelsers.com. Her newest blog, KidsintheWord.net, is all about inspiring, encouraging, and equipping parents to instill a love for God and the Bible in their kids. She’s also the author of Finding Joy in Depression and runs her own virtual tech assistance small business when she’s not running after, teaching, and discipling little boys.