anxiety

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 the… Continue 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 strike… Continue 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 remains… Continue 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 knowing… Continue 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 you… Continue 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 chronic… Continue 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 in… Continue 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

Facing our fear

Here’s our latest #AfternoonTea discussion. Today we were talking about how we face our fears. Here are the main points: Fear is not just about our own well-being but about our desire to protect others. A big factor is our inability to be in control of things. There is a healthy desire for control and… Continue reading Facing our fear

Three Types of Depression

In our morning prayer, Psalm reflections, I recently commented that the Psalmists often express experiences that seem to give voice to the experience of those experiencing depression. This can include sadness leading to tears, deep heartache and longing and insomnia. I took a little bit of time to describe the three types of depression that… Continue reading Three Types of Depression