Lyndy’s Struggle With Depression And How She Overcame It

In times past, depression and suicide were attributed to poverty and lack of basic necessities but with recent events, we have all been exposed to the possibility that this is not the case; what with seemingly accomplished and successful individuals committing suicide.

 Instances can be derived from suicidal cases of the 68 year old eldest son of the late Cuban president, Fidel Castro, world-renowned fashion designer Kate Spade (55) and most recently, highly acclaimed CNN host, Anthony Bourdain (61). The question on everyone’s lips is, what could have driven these people to take their precious lives? Depression? Most likely. But what causes depression and how can we overcome it?


Permit me to share this experience. I lost my father when I was 11 years old and my widowed mother was only a primary school teacher. Life wasn’t rosy at all. A few months later, I got admitted into a secondary school that was very far from home. I would trek a distance of about 3km to and fro school daily because my poor widowed mother couldn’t afford my transport fare. But despite our lack of comfort, I was a very happy lad and I had so much peace of mind to the extent that I would mutter to myself on my way to school ‘I have so much peace within’! I loved and served God diligently and the fruits of the Spirit, joy, peace and long-suffering kept me happy and contented.



However, I suffered severe depression in the recent past. I had anxiety and panic attacks and I couldn’t place my hands on what exactly was the causative factor. I couldn’t sleep and had to resort to sleeping tablets to cure my insomnia. After some time, I was able to sleep without the sleeping pills so I did away with them. I tried to find solace in sleep and would sleep by 8pm to wake by 8am yet I wasn’t happy. And I was always late for work. I resorted to eating too much. Everything I ate, I ate in excess. 

When I wanted to buy golden yam (hausa fried yam), I would buy #200 worth of yam with chicken and eat it alone! One time, the hausa seller mistakenly gave a man #200 worth of yam instead of #100 that the customer requested for. As the hausa man was trying to correct the mistake, the customer shouted, “ha! I dey chop #200 yam I fall for up”. If only he knew I was planning to buy #300 worth of yam that night because like I thought, I was really sad on that day and should eat more yam. But was food able to cure my depression? Your guess is as good as mine. I only ended up putting on extra unwanted weight. I tried to pamper myself and bought some beautiful new clothes but yet, I was chronically sad; I stopped going to church, even changed church after some time and attended another church for the very first time in my life, still I couldn’t find help.


One particular day, I was so sad and desperate for a solution. I was in a tricycle and tears were dripping down my cheeks. Why am I so sad? I didn’t have the best of jobs but I had no financial worries. Then a voice said to me, “you need to go back to God and ask for His help”. See, life is full of ups and downs and I have had my fair share of downs. These adverse situations greatly affected my faith and I subconsciously began to doubt God. I drifted away from God. So I made a conscious decision to ask God for help. I embarked on a 7 day fast, 6am to 6pm and I prayed for nothing else except for God to forgive my sins and direct the course of my life. My craving for food made it so difficult but I persisted. On the second day of the fast, I somehow mustered the strength to go to the market to buy books to read. 

Reading has always been one of my hobbies but depression made me lack concentration. I was lucky enough to find one of the best books I’ve ever read – How to stop worrying and start living by Dale Carnegie. I realized that indeed God answers prayers because this book helped me tremendously. I recommend it for everyone. I also started engaging in daily studying of the word of God and attending church services. I must say I was amazed at how much my life was transformed from a sad, depressed young girl to a happy as a lark young girl. I could sing again! Something I hadn’t done in ages.



What made the difference? The answer is simple. I WENT BACK TO GOD THE CREATOR, THE SOURCE AND ESSENCE OF ALL LIFE. I yielded my life wholly and entirely to him and the Holy Spirit took control. You are free to doubt this but the glaring truth I gleaned from my experience is that man will always feel void, empty and lead an utterly meaningless existence without a relationship with God. The following ten strategies can be used by Christians to overcome depression and live happily as I learned from experience:



1. Fasting and Prayer: Mattew 7:7 says ask and you will receive… Prayers strengthen your faith in God. Fasting strengthens your spirit man and draws you closer to God. Like I always put it, fasting ‘fastens’ the answers to your prayers. God listens and He is ready to grant our requests if our motives are pure. Prayer is the key, and I don’t mean the violent, desperate, angry, God must do it by fire, tear-down-the-heavens kind of prayer. Kneel down and calmly tell God what you desire while also submitting to His divine plan for your life.




2. Study the Word of God Daily: James 4:8 says ‘come near to God and He will come near to you’. I don’t know any book better or more positively impactful to life than the holy bible. Get closer to God through His word and you will be better for it. If your bible has ambiguous terms and is too difficult for you to understand, drop it and get a Good News bible. Studying the scriptures gives inner peace that surpaseth all understanding.



3. Contentment/Gratitude: 1st Timothy 6:6 says, ‘well, religion makes a person very rich if he is satisfied with what he has. What did we bring into the world? Nothing! What can we take out of the world? Nothing! So then, if we have food and clothes, that should be enough for us…for the love of money is a source of all kinds of evil’. Learn contentment! Count your blessings – good health, job, family, children, food, shelter, clothing - and be grateful for them. Remember 1st Thess 5:18.

4. Be Yourself: Stop comparing yourself with others. Some people are sad not because God has not blessed them but because they feel others are more blessed. Buy what you can afford. Nobody has it all in life and at the end of it all, we will all go 6feet below, so stop the comparison and be yourself!

5. Appreciate Positive Relationships and Eliminate Negativity: Always talk to the people that make you happy. Eliminate the ones that don’t and this applies to social media too. Do not allow people that try to ‘pepper you’ and make you feel inferior around you. It is not envy. You are only preserving your sanity. Avoid friends that try to compete with you.



6. Put a Smile on the Faces of Others: John D. Rockefeller was a man that lived a life of worry and intense mental stress because he was obsessed with making money even though he already had millions. But in the later years of his life, he led a very peaceful existence because he began to give away his millions for noble causes. Seek for ways to help others and you will realize that happiness is indeed infectious. Visit the sick, visit the prisoners, give alms, be soft-spoken, always smile and do not hesitate to be kind.



7. Follow Your Passion: A lot of people are sad because they are stuck doing what they don’t love. Identify what you have passion for and work towards it, but remember to have a back-up plan to sustain you before your passion starts paying to avoid frustration.

8. Engage in Your Hobbies: All work and no play make Jack a dull boy. There’s joy in doing the things you love. It could be swimming, reading, singing, writing, dancing, etc.

9. Don’t be Lazy: To anybody that is sad due to joblessness I say, start small, get busy and crowd worry out of your mind. God can only bless the works of your hands. Idleness and boredom can be frustrating. Resist pride and do what you can to at least cater to your basic needs.




10.Stay Away From Sin: A man was asked, ”why does religion make people feel guilty”? He replied, “people feel guilty because they are guilty”. Living in sin can make you feel guilty and drift apart from God. Nobody is perfect but do your best to always obey God’s commandments. Approach God in prayer and keep asking for His mercy and grace to live a better life while you make conscious, practical efforts to live righteously.

May the Almighty God help us all and give us true peace in Jesus Name, Amen.

This article was originally authored by Okoh Linda .I.
Physiotherapist and Evangelist.