Category Archives: depression
THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM
Do you remember when you first counted to 100? Or, the first time you finally got your ABC’s figured out? I remember the excitement and thrill of finally getting it, while my mother clapped and cheered because I understood something that I didn’t before. How about when you first learned to ride a bike, or when you first got behind the wheel and learned how to drive a car. There is a wondrous feeling in finally getting it. Hopefully after reading my article, you will learn something new and exciting that will change the direction of your life forever! The direction of my life changed from chaos to peace that passes all understanding. Once I was a drug addict and alcoholic with a foul mouth that cursed God. I watched porn and slept with various women, who I didn’t care about. I was always angry and frustrated when things didn’t go my way. I became selfish and unhappy with my lonely, ungodly life.
I am none of these things anymore! In fact, I’ve been changed since I started to fear God! The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 9:10 I never used to fear God because I didn’t believe in God, which was a foolish thing. The fool has said in his heart, there is no God. Psalm 14:1 There was always something deep inside of me that wanted to know the truth about whether God was real. After all, I like you started out as a single cell divided into two cells, then four, then eight and so on. I thought about the biology of the human system and all the various parts that work together. I am amazed at the complexity of our brains and emotions. Did you know that there are 125 million photo-receptor cells in your eyes? Did you know that your heart beats over 100,000 times a day? Your heart also pumps all the blood in your body every 4 minutes. Actually, the list of amazing things is endless when you really begin to look into it. If you’re interested in finding God, like I was, then you will find Him in His creation. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. Romans 1:20 We have no excuses when we go before God to be judged. We are all given the ability to know right from wrong, good from evil, early in our lives as young children. As time went on, we’ve allowed good to be called evil and evil to be called good. There’s no sin left that hasn’t been given a pass except for the sin of pedophilia. It’s literally the last sin that is detestable and shameful, while the rest are openly celebrated! We have become an ungodly generation because of not believing in, or fearing God. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Jesus said And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28 The end of the age is upon us and the day of the Lord is about to dawn. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?’Revelation 6:15-17 Who is able to stand when that day comes? Read the last book in the Bible and remember that it is about to unfold just as it is written. It will be as though a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him! Or as though he went into the house, leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him! Amos 5:19 If this truly concerns you and you fear the thought of being judged and sent into utter darkness forever, then this is the beginning of wisdom. It means you have a chance to be saved from the eternal separation of God and the punishment of hell.
My first part of this article, you could say, was the bad news. The good news is that you can be forgiven and saved once you repent and believe in the life, sacrificial death and rising of Jesus! I always heard the sayings “Jesus died for me” or “Jesus died for my sins” and I never really understood what that meant. It just went over my head. So let me take a moment to thoroughly explain exactly what this means, so you can better understand His sacrificial death. God the Father is holy, pure and just. Because of this, “all” sin has to be punished and cannot go without being punished. This is why there is a place called hell. God sent His Son who was exactly like His Father, to be an example for us in His perfect life. He was also a sacrificial lamb for our sins. The punishment for every sin you have committed OR will commit have been laid on Jesus at the cross. This is why He said “it is finished”. John 19:30 All the wrath of a holy God was laid on Him to punish Him instead of you, only when you believe. If you don’t believe in Jesus and that He paid for your sins, then you’ll have to pay for them yourself. It really does revolve around belief. If you don’t believe then you won’t receive, it’s just that simple. To not believe, is to be condemned. Mark 16:16 You can say “sorry Lord for all my sins, I believe in what Jesus did for me on the cross. I believe He shed His precious blood for me and rose from the grave on the third day just as it is recorded in the Bible.” You could say all of that and it would mean nothing unless you meant it with all your heart and you turned from all your sin’s and began living a holy and good life for God. This is called true repentance. Have you ever hurt someone, and felt bad? This is the attitude of true repentance because you’ve offended God in all your sinful ways and you need to feel sorrow for all of your sin’s as they are brought to your memory. True repentance will entirely change you! Then you will delight in God, in Jesus, in keeping the commandments of Christ and in His people by going to church. When you truly repent, God sends his Holy Spirit to be in you and with you, to guide you in all truth. Before long, you notice your old sinful desires vanish away only to be left with the desire to please God. This is the regeneration of your soul, and is the work of the Holy Spirit. He cleans you up and sin’s that offend God, offend you as well. When someone takes His name in vain around you, it feels like a knife being plunged in your heart. That’s the way God feels as well. We don’t become sinless, we just sin-less because we are bothered when we do sin as the Holy Spirit convicts us. He also convicts unbelievers of their sin, remember we know right from wrong and we have no excuse before a holy God.
In closing, be aware that everything you have ever said, thought or done has been recorded in the book of life. Even reading this article, guiding you in the way of truth and eternal life, will be a part of your judgement on that day if you continue in your sinful ways. There’s no going to heaven by following the road to hell. Admit your a sinner and run to God in repentance as fast and direct as you can. Read the Bible, pray and seek God with all your heart and you will find Him waiting for you with open arms!
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7
Post-Trauma Peace
Helpful Advice for Trauma Survivors
Sadness, shame, helplessness, anger, vulnerability, embarrassment, disappointment and frustration are the eight unpleasant feelings that prevent us from having a happier life according to Dr. Joan Rosenberg.
Whatever trauma you have been through, let me first congratulate you because you have made it through! All trauma is unique for each situation, however, the “after effects” are most, or all, of these unpleasant feelings. Holding on to them holds you back from happiness.
I know for me, I felt completely helpless and vulnerable, which led to me hiding away in my house to play video games all day. I became lazy and overweight. I ate whatever I wanted, drank beer and smoked pot everyday to deal with my sadness and shame. Many things about my trauma, and how it was handled by the military, caused great disappointment, frustration and even anger.
This anger symptom was the first one I recognized and dealt with a few years ago. Simply put, anger is one letter away from danger! Over time, I have managed to change my life for the better by dealing with these unpleasant feelings in a productive way, rather than a destructive way. I eat healthy, non-processed food and drink fresh lemon water and do 22 push-ups a day. I have gone from 240 lbs down to 170 lbs. I used to wear a size 42 pant and am down to a size 32. My blood pressure was 166/111 and now it is down to 120/80. I am much happier now! Up until 2019, I was still holding onto disappointment and frustration from my military career. I was advised by a good friend to go see Veterans Affairs to see if they could help me. It was very difficult for me to be vulnerable and to ask for help, but I am glad that I did. Just as McDonald’s had terrible coffee and changed it to great coffee, so it is with Veterans Affairs. They had a reputation of not really caring and I thought it might be a waste of my time, but I was very wrong. I was met with love and compassion and I felt like my concerns were finally being addressed. This has allowed me to start to heal that part of my life. I realize it is not this way for everyone, but I had a good case manager.
If you’re like most trauma survivors and feel anxiety often, then listen closely:
You have two different nervous systems. One is called sympathetic and the other is parasympathetic. Parasympathetic is when you are calm and at peace, just like before you fall asleep. Your body heals while you sleep and when you are calm during the times you are awake. On the other hand, the sympathetic state kicks in when you see a bear with her cubs 10 feet away. Your heart rate and blood pressure go into survival mode and you are prevented from healing. Staying in this state is harmful to your health.
I spent years always anxious and worried, as a blood pressure of 166/111 would tell you, but over time I changed my habits and I have learned that the most important person to take care of in your life is YOU. In order to take care of yourself, you must deal with past negatives to make room for the positives.
This is indeed different for every person, depending on your circumstances, but for me, I found classical music, warm salt baths, and having a personal relationship with Jesus to be most helpful. Whatever brings you to that place of calm and peace, should be your direction in life from now on. Not talking about meditation here, just a natural state of calm. Also, deal with every unpleasant feeling or situation that comes along as positively as you can so you can quickly go back to your healing state of peace.
In 2016, I saw a statistic that said 22 military members take their life everyday and that shook me to the core. I had also heard of a group of former military personnel that do 22 push-ups a day to bring awareness, and also, in some weird way, to put our collective energy into combating this tragedy. This was the very beginning of my healing journey that has brought me this far.
If you are ever considering now or in the future to end your life for whatever reason, please understand that you have a real purpose for the life that you have been given. There are countless people, including myself, who have been at the bottom of a hopeless pit wanting to just die, but I am here to tell you that no matter how bad things get, they will always get better! I am living proof of that, so please never ever allow yourself to feel that way again. Keep breathing!
My definition of confidence is: the deep sense that you can handle the emotional outcome of whatever you face or pursue in life. I hope this article brings you understanding and confidence to handle whatever you face or pursue in your journey from trauma to peace.
The Everlasting Gospel
Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people— saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.” Rev 14, 6-7
Complex-P.T.S.D Help
Complex P.T.S.D is many stressful incidents over a period of time. It can also be called childhood P.T.S.D.
I have found much help from this You Tube channel called The Crappy Childhood Fairy and want to share her introduction video. I hope her channel helps someone else as much as me in my healing process.
A great first video to get you started in healing.
The Answer Is Right Under Your Feet!
If you suffer from inflammation, depression, sleepless nights, heart problems, poor blood circulation or a long list of other health conditions then you may want to watch this informative short documentary. With spring here and summer on the horizon we are able to kick off our shoes and connect with the ground again. If you don’t have the time to watch this documentary right away then save it for later when you do. It will change your life and your health!
Emotions Make Great Friends, Not Great Rulers
Some time ago, I was ruled by anger and frustration that I held onto inside of me until my Mom’s last words before dying were “don’t be so frustrated darling”. It bothered me that I was frustrated even up to the time my Mother was about to die and those were her last words to me. It also woke me up to the fact that I was letting negative emotions control my life and that’s when I decided to do something about it. I realized quickly that my frustration was rooted in resentment and unforgiveness from ways I was treated in the past by others. I understood that I needed to let go of the resentments and forgive those things that happened to me in the past in order to have a better future.
Emotions like frustration and anger tell us something is wrong and in that way they make good friends, if we can listen. A good friend will tell you something is not right and help you make it better. I can say that since I dealt with these negative emotions ruling me, my life has improved greatly! I have more peace and happiness in my life and that is far better than anger and frustration.
If you’re ruled by anger and frustration and want to have peace and happiness then look back at the root of your resentment from the past, forgive it and let it go! It’s that easy my friend.
Suicide Is The Worst Option
If you are depressed or feeling hopeless considering ending your life then I am glad you found this post. I want to tell you that you are not alone feeling this way. Many years ago I was in a deep depression and felt like ending my life, but I didn’t, and that’s why I am able to write this post. I was able to find a wife and had three wonderful children. I found a rewarding career and made great friends for life. I traveled the world and learned about many cultures. All of which I couldn’t have done if I would have ended my life so long ago.
On the flip side, over the years I have been the recipient of the awful news that a friend took their life. It hurts so bad when you hear that someone you loved ended their life. The first thing you think about is why didn’t they say something, or why didn’t they reach out for help? These questions never go away.
Suicide is not a good option, it’s the worst! It leaves everyone around you wounded for life and more important it cuts off your wonderful life that is waiting to happen.
I care so deeply about this that I am putting myself out there as someone to talk with. So if you are interested in giving me a call to talk about your situation and how to get through it, then I am here for you. This is my home phone landline you can call anytime if you are thinking of ending your wonderful life 1-705-676-2221. My name is John and I am someone who cares. If for some reason I am not home with no answer and you want someone to connect with right away then please call this number 1-800-273-8255 for help.
THE PSYCHOSOCIAL ASPECT 