3 kinds of depression (at least one is affecting you)

There are three kinds of depression.

The first is when you lose something and you’re sad. (Technically, this is a stage of grief.) And the depth of it depends on what you’ve lost.

The second kind is when you wake up a bit off. This could last a few hours, or a few days.

And the third is more clinical in nature. Not really a DIY fix here.

I mention this because depression is a real part of life. And in order to thrive, we need to figure out how to deal with it.

A good solution for one kind rarely works for another.

For instance, of the three kinds of depression, turn-that-frown-upside-down advice works best on the first. It’s irrelevant for the second and can be disastrous for the third.

For the second kind of depression, it helps to have solid habits in place (like I wrote about here).

But for the third, you need to prepare ahead of time. Self-awareness is your greatest asset here.

In all three, solid friendships are what make the difference. In the first, their presence alone can do it. In the second, it’s their accountability. And in the third, it them watching out for you.

The enemy of spiritual growth is spiritual warfare.

And for a lot of us, depression is a key weapon here.

It’s our goal to keep moving. And it’s our job to help our friends do the same.