anxiety

How are you doing with your worry?

A year ago as we began to move into the first lockdown, I broadcast my first YouTube video “Don’t Worry.” A year on I’ve returned to the them of worry. In the latest video, I talk about 3 voices not to listen to in order to help us avoid anxiety Legalistic Voices Licentious voices SuperstitiousContinue reading “How are you doing with your worry?”

When the wounds do not heal

In my review of “The Wounded Christian” I raised one small point where I felt the author hasn’t quite hit the nail on the head. I felt that the book whilst rightly talking about how healing happens may have given the impression that it always will or at least should happen in this life time. Continue reading “When the wounds do not heal”

When your pastor gets depressed (3) Is it sin?

You may remember that a few weeks back I wrote about being offered Biblical Counselling when depressed and the implication behind that approach to counselling that the cause of depression is some buried sin from the past. There is a real danger when dealing with the problem of depression that we immediately assume that theContinue reading “When your pastor gets depressed (3) Is it sin?”

When your pastor gets depressed (part 2) -a look at some potential risk factors

In part 1 yesterday, I highlighted 3 causes of depression that pastors might be particularly prone to because they are high risk factors in church and ministry contexts: social isolation, conflict and abuse. However, these are not the only causes of depression. It’s worth observing at this point that depression and anxiety disorders can strikeContinue reading “When your pastor gets depressed (part 2) -a look at some potential risk factors”

When your pastor gets depressed -what might have caused it?

I recently wrote an article for the Grace in the Depths website outlining the common signs and common causes of depression. I did so because one of the challenges we face when talking about church leaders and depression is identifying that someone has depression. The second and related challenge is that often the subject remainsContinue reading “When your pastor gets depressed -what might have caused it?”

Hard Pressed (Psalm 3)

I’ve mentioned when talking about my experience of depression that whilst not everyone experiences suicidal thoughts, the same type of feeling can be experienced either as a desire to hit the self-destruct button or to run away and hide. That desire to flee can come of a sense of being overwhelmed, anxious and not knowingContinue reading “Hard Pressed (Psalm 3)”

Towards a theology of depression

Over the last few months, I’ve been involved with a few projects and numerous conversations relating to the experience of Christian workers with depression. One thing that has come out so often is the extent to which the sufferers and their churches simply were not ready for it when it hit. At theological college youContinue reading “Towards a theology of depression”

I’ve written quite a bit over the past year about depression. However, many people who experience emotional health issues don’t just suffer from depression. In my case, the doctor diagnosed me with Mixed Anxiety and Depressive disorder. So, I wanted to write a little bit about anxiety now. Anxiety can be experienced as a chronicContinue reading “Anxiety”

Surviving the pandemic with depression and anxiety

It’s #WorldMentalHealthDay so I thought I’d share some quick thoughts on surviving through the Coronavirus pandemic with depression and anxiety. So, in no particular order, here are some suggestions. If you are taking medication, continue to take it and review with your GP. Don’t suddenly stop. Make sure that you have a sufficient supply inContinue reading “Surviving the pandemic with depression and anxiety”

The anxious middle

The Bishop of London has been quoted today observing that it is okay to be anxious at the moment, we are still in the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic and there is a real possibility of a second wave striking. The heart of her argument is that well-worn phrase “It’s okay to not be okay”Continue reading “The anxious middle”