There will always be external conditions that any person may be concerned about. But internal problems, thought problems, are what cause depression. Some people can not control the internal thought stream process, and in depression, the "thought streams" become problems that literally debilitate them. I've experienced this myself, when transitioning from youth to adulthood, which is a common time of depression happening. I had to learn, the hard way, to control my internal thought stream, lest it destroy me, which it sought to do. And I have friends who suffer from depression. One of my best friends committed suicide because of depression which had controlled him since he was a teenager. Many many people I know have to take anti-depressants just to get along in this world. It's a sorry state to be in.
Any person either has to wrestle control of their own thoughts, to put them into submission, or it can reverse course and control the person. There is no need to set up false idols in mind, such as feeling good all the time. Because then, when it doesn't happen, kaboom. And that is part of the issue.
It is impossible to perpetually live in a 'feel good' zone. It's a false internal idol that some fall into. And when the idol "doesn't come through" for them, they then suffer a reverse consequence, and feel like they can never win the battle, that they are a loser, and then they tumble into depression or innumerable addictions.
It was a false battle, internally, to start with. Find middle ground. Put a firm stake there, and lean slightly to the good side at all efforts of thoughts. It can be an intense internal battle to do this. We do, scripturally speaking, have an internal adversary, and understanding that can be a disassociation practice that can be helpful, when this "thought stream" can be recognized as a foreign intruder, a potential "slave master."
Most people are naturally repelled and repulsed by the thoughts of slaveship to another, and should rise to fight for freedom, as we have been so granted from above.
""We hold these
truths to be
self-evident, that
all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with inherent and inalienable rights-"
For christians, the STAKE in the ground is Jesus, The Image of God, upon which we have been provided a focal point of freedom, in His Image, His Word, which are given to align our thoughts with. There is a "self" to depart from that is not friendly to us. It is our wicked internal self, which we falsely perceive only as 'self,' which is revealed in the scriptures to not be "our self," as children of God. It is the power of the internal deceiver.
Psychology plays off of and peddles disassociation theory, but since they can't empirically prove the existence of the internal deceiver, the tempter, they will never be able to pinpoint the real internal problems of mankind.
1 Thessalonians 5:21
Prove all things;
hold fast that which is good.
Some things that may be helpful.
Eat properly. Throttle back on protein. Try to keep protein intake to 6-8oz. a day, max. Lean heavily to vegetables and fruits. Cut back to zero if possible, all processed sugars/flours/starches in particular. Milk products and cheeses too. Water is our body purification friend, so drink up.
Get plenty of rest.
Exercise, even if it's just walking. A 5 mile walk 4-5 times a week keeps the body functioning well.
Work, work, work. Get up in the morning, put one foot in front of the other and get to work. Focus on productive things. Lack of cash can be a severe infliction and a prompter and promoter of depression.
Eliminate severe addictions. Drinking, smoking and mind altering substances are not anyone's mental friends.
