Below is an article from A ministry of Kindred Spirits Journal.www.biblicalwomanhood.org. They send out great articles throughout the week that can help encourage homeschool moms. Stop by their web site and sign up.
Depression and Your Mind
Chapter 11
The human mind is easily the world’s most amazing mechanism. Yet we consistently waste its potential, for scientists report that the average person never uses more than 10 percent of his brain. The computer was developed by an inventor studying the human mind. But if there were to be a computer to copy what the human mind is capable of, it would be the size of the Empire State Building.
Conscious vs Subconscious
Through a study, it is believed that the subconscious mind never forgets anything we have seen, felt, heard, tasted, or smelled. You don’t, however, have the ability to recall all of it. But you can be sure that your present likes, dislikes, feelings, and reactions are etched on the record of the subconscious mind. - particularly those made during the days of your youth.
It’s been found that the mind is influenced more by the subconscious than the conscious. It is possible that you have imbedded messages in your mind that are tricked off at particular times, and these can also relate to messages of self-pity. Your mind may, by the force of habit, tell you: "Everyone treats me like dirt" or "How could they do that to me after all I’ve done" or "I knew I couldn’t trust those people!" All of these messages have the potential to swerve you into a path of depression.
There has been another discovery about the working of the mind. Regardless of the willpower, maintaining a negative image on the screen of your imagination will ultimately break down your will. Whenever the will and the imagination come into conflict, the imagination wins. For this reason self-pity projected on the screen of the imagination is so devastatingly harmful. It will turn your mind into a battlefield between what you should do and what your mind wants you to do.
Your will determines what you put in your mind which in turn activates your feelings and ultimately your conduct, forming a powerful chain reaction:
Will + Mind + Emotions = Actions
Your will can determine what new material you put into your mind, but it cannot govern your attitude toward the old material, nor can it fully regulate the mind. This is true of the self conscious, which cannot be controlled by the will directly, but may be influenced through the imagination. You can use your imagination either creatively or destructively. Most people , I’m afraid, employ their imagination destructively, for they picture themselves as ineffective, clumsy, fearful, and rejected. It is far better to make creative use pf the imagination. Only by projecting wholesome and positive images on the screen of your imagination will you rise above the inadequate view of yourself that ensnares most people.
The Persistence of the Subconscious
(Prov 23:7). The subconscious mind functions inexorable toward the fulfillment of whatever image you flash on the screen of your mind. For that reason you should become a very careful and skillful mental operator.
"For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he"
It has been found that if you utilize the energy of the imagination to insure a desired behavior, you can overcome bad habits - such as overeating. Whatever you picture on the screen of your mind will become the goal toward which your subconscious mind will irresistibly lead you. The Bible says to "cast down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God and bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." The illustration he gave for this is for the overweight person to picture themselves thin. If you do this, you are more prone to make better food choices and battle less with your impulse to eat. Most dieting people crave food more while they are dieting. But if you think yourself as thin, you will stop making poor food choices so that you can achieve the figure of a thin person. A thin person doesn’t eat chocolate sundae’s, they eat fresh strawberry’s. A thin person doesn’t dive into a half gallon of ice cream when they are sad. They will find a healthier choice.
The Good Use of Imagination
The principle of controlling your mind, feelings, and actions by projecting only positive images on the imagination screen of you mind works admirably in the field of depression. It has found results with many people, because it deals with the problem, not the symptoms. Depressed people create a negative, self-pitying picture on the imagination, inevitably making them feel depressed. By creating a fresh, new image they will gradually modify their feeling and their behavior.
The depressed person should trust God for the new set of files for his mental computer screen. Be thankful, and create a spirit of gratitude for the things you do have. Often the good side of the depressed persons life is forgotten.
Creative Imagery and the Holy Spirit
Unlike the analyst who leads his patient to "talk out his frustrations" or "recall his negative childhood experiences" for the sake of blaming other - the Bible instructs Christians to forget "what is behind" and "to press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us in Christ Jesus." Looking back tends to make you want to indulge in self-pity. The Bible says "Do not fret because of evil me." This is because a spiritually minded person will imaginatively project only those things that are pleasing to God.
Consequently, he will feel and act in a manner acceptable to God. The Holy Spirit enables us to imagine creatively in those patterns that produce healthy emotions.
The Power of Suggestion
Never underestimate the power of suggestion on your mind. A suggestion is capable not only of motivating you, but also of activating the glands in your body. Your mind has the ability to make pain worse than it is, premenstrual symptoms worse than they really are, and it can influence the severity of menopause. Your imagination has the ability to influence your mind, thus influencing your life - starting with the subconscious mind and progressing to the conscious mind and to the function of your glands.
Six Ways That Influence the Subconscious Mind
1. Your imagination - The imagination may be used negatively or positively to the glory of God. Your task is to direct it.
2. Goals - The Bible warns us that "where there is no vision, the people will perish."Because the mind is a goal oriented mechanism, it must be pursuing an explicit end or it will not function properly. Putting goals down in tangible form helps to etch them more deeply on the screen of our imagination and makes it easier to activate our subconscious mind toward their achievement. And once we have committed out goals to writing, we should make a habit of reading them every day for 60 days. Successful people are goal oriented, because they have clear and definite goals. Unsuccessful people have none.
3. Spiritual Principles - The best way to reserve negative thinking patterns is to memorize scriptural principles that produce happiness. You may have already discovered that violating biblical precepts can cause a person to lose their joy. Jesus said, "If you do these things (the principles of God) happy are you if you do them" (John 13:17). Happiness, then, is the result of knowing the principles and doing them.
4. Memory - Often we are unaware that certain experiences strongly influence our behavior. For this reason we should guard our memory by walking in the Spirit on a consistent basis, for then our memory bank will remain pleasing to God. The individual who indulges in sensual thoughts develops a sensual memory and cultivates sensual appetites. The same is true regarding depression. The individual who dwells upon every distress, every rejection, every loss is naturally liable to depression. Develop a habit of "forgetting what is behind" (Phil 3:13). Refuse to focus on disagreeable experiences of the past, for they only become more deeply etched on the table of the mind and perpetuate the feelings of sadness or depression.
5. Habits - The more you think positively about God’s blessings in the future, the sooner you will maintain an affirmative mental pattern. Paul says that the secret to being "transformed" by the "renewing of your mind."It will enable you to have proper mental habits and God’s promises will become a reality.
6. The Holy Spirit - If you don’t have a regular system or reading the Bible, the Holy Spirit will not bring to mind anything that God has not said to you. For He relies upon the Word of God to program our minds through hearing, reading, meditating, studying, and memorizing the principles of God. For the storehouse of biblical principles the Holy Spirit can draw out his bountiful riches as we require them. Knowledge [of His Word] always precedes obedience. It will only be God’s Word that brings the water of life.
(All of the preceding information was taken and summarized from "How to Win Over Depression" by Tim LaHaye)
Kindred Spirits A ministry of Kindred Spirits Journal &
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"...teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed." Titus 2:4,5
"And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow, and said unto them, Why sleep ye? Rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation." Luke 22:45-46
I have found that when I battle discouragement in my homeschooling, I also face the temptation to get lax. I often have lofty goals when I enter each new school year, maybe a promising new curriculum or a novel way to teach a difficult subject. My intentions are good and my initial enthusiasm is high, but my expectations are sometimes unreal. My homeschooling goals may clash with the reality of family life.
The children may not cooperate, illness could occur, family emergencies arise – all of which can disrupt my daily routine. I can feel stretched too thin and unable to accomplish all that I had planned. Discouragement sets in, as I become disillusioned and loose my momentum. I can get physically exhausted and emotionally drained.
As a result, mornings may become increasingly difficult to get out of bed. And when I do, I find that it is with decreased energy and reduced drive. Could it be that I am suffering from a case of "sleeping for sorrow?" Simply put, am I worn out from emotional stress and anxiety?
Peter, James, and John had a case of this, and they were diagnosed by the Great Physician Himself, Jesus Christ. These disciples fell asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane while keeping watch as Jesus prayed. However, Jesus knew they were overwhelmed and humanly unable to fully comprehend all that was about to happen
Hours before, He had sent Peter and John on a mission to prepare the Passover meal, foretelling where they were to go, who they were to meet, and what they were to say. They went forth in faith and saw these events happen exactly as Jesus said. Then, having made ready the Passover, they experienced an unforgettable meal of allegations, prophecy, and betrayal. In an emotional turmoil they were unable to understand that they were only hours away from loosing the earthly Presence of their Beloved Master.
Jesus understood their struggles of humanity versus spiritual. "...The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak." Mark 14:38
After three times witnessing their defeat with the flesh ("for their eyes were heavy" Mark 14:40) and knowing that they were at a loss for words or explanation for their actions ("neither wist they what to answer him" Mark 14:40). Jesus told them, "....sleep on, now, and take your rest" (Mark 14:41)
But as danger approached, He was also quick to warn and exhort them when "enough was enough". In spite of human struggles and physical limitations, they still needed to be spiritually armed.
"Why sleep ye? Rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation" (Luke 22:46).
The disciples' "sleeping for sorrow" was one of being worn out with continual sorrow and extreme anxiety, which was due to an inability to yet fully comprehend spiritually. Although their case can be seen as one of extreme, it is not to lessen our own experience with this "illness", which we can so easily fall into as homeschooling mothers.
Unreal expectations can cause discouragement. Stretching ourselves too thin might produce physical exhaustion. And not keeping our eyes on the Lord will yield spiritual ineffectiveness.
Jesus' cure for "sleeping for sorrow" is to "walk in the spirit."
Even though our first inclination as homeschooling mothers is to "hit the ground running", we need to take time each morning to talk with the Lord and to listen to His Voice through His Word. It may mean starting our children's academics at a later hour or extending our school day till dinner-time. Bowing out of extracurricular activities may be required, or saying "no" to seemingly worthy causes may be necessary.
If homeschooling is a conviction, it needs to be a priority. And as a priority, it needs to be done right. But in order to be done right, our homeschooling requires the fueling of the One Who created the conviction in us – Jesus.
Maintaining a constant communication with Our Lord through prayer and Bible reading will enable us to "walk in the Spirit and thus not fulfill the lusts of the flesh" (Gal. 5:16)- in our case, tiredness and discouragement. If we seek Him first, He will provide the wisdom and strength that we need.
Homeschooling mother, may I encourage you to make prayer and Bible reading a regular part of your day? Stay connected to the only One Who can make your homeschooling all that it can be. Then you need not suffer from "sleeping for sorrow"!
Prayer: Protect me, Lord, from this "ailment". Help me to stay connected to Your strength. Draw me to Your Word when I tend to drift, and help me to stay attuned to Your Voice. In Jesus' Name, I pray.
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Maribeth Spangenberg is wife to Steve, homeschooling mother of nine children, and happy, new grandmother to one granddaughter. She considers it a blessing and a ministry to be able to encourage other mothers and homeschoolers to "stay the course"!
This article was originally published in Eclectic Homeschool Online (www.eho.org) to which Maribeth is a regular contributor to the Home and Family Department. Maribeth also writes weekly devotionals for Homeschool Enrichment newsletter and website (www.homeschoolenrichment.com).
This blog is dedicated to helping moms keep the Bible as the central focus of their homes, homeschool, and their daily walk. Posts are to help moms in their daily routines as they travel the path God has for their family.
