Coping with Quarantine Depression – Part 2
This week, I share Part 2 of a few lessons from Focus on the Family on coping with depression during the ongoing pandemic.
Blessed to be a Blessing,
Greg Syfan,
President, Syfan Logistics
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 16: 33
Coping Skills and Verses of Hope for Depression
Danielle Pitzer
Focus on the Family
Feeling depressed? Bible verses about faith and hope along with coping skills may offer help to families during the hard times of quarantine.
- Regulation. Too much sensationalized news can overwhelm a brain that is already struggling to keep its level of serotonin (“happiness chemical”). Therefore, be careful what you listen to. It is not about burying your head in the sand but managing the news you get.
- Focus on the Now. Anxiety or worry about the “what ifs” of the future can deplete a person and leave them depressed. Work to keep your brain focused on what is happening right now in the moment. Ground your brain in the present.
- Find Hope in Thankfulness. Verses of hope can help with depression too. Try writing down verses that inspire you. Also, a gratitude journal can improve your mood. Write three things you are thankful for every day. Studies have verified when you focus on others and giving, you feel happier, more hopeful.
- Look to God. If we think it is unchristian to struggle, be depressed, broken-hearted or despairing – read your Bible again. Our own savior was called “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” in Isaiah 53:3. We need to look up. Bible verses of hope help us do that.