Last week I wrote about my depression. You can read about it here if you haven’t already. It’s a good place to start before you read this entry!
In mid-December, I hit such a bad slump in my depression that my bosses and I thought it would be best if I took a 5-6 week leave to focus 100% of my energy to healing. If you have been, or are in the midst of, any kind of emotional, mental, or physical unhealth, then you probably know that in order to get back to good health you have to weed out the bad and ugly things that are causing you to be unwell. For me, I had already taken many steps in the right direction by finding the right medication and beginning therapy. Now, I just needed to give my mind and body some time to adjust. I also needed to find some healthy rhythms that I hadn’t been following before that I could realistically continue once I returned to work.
You might be reading this and wonder- How does your healing process relate to me at all? That’s a fair question, but I think it’s important for us to all consider occasionally:
1. What unhealth do I currently have in my life?
and
2. What healthy rhythms can I implement (or what rhythms do I need to discontinue) to be a healthier version of myself?
These are the rhythms that I chose to incorporate into my life, and have continued since I’ve been back at work.
#1 DAILY UNINTERRUPTED TIME IN GOD’S WORD EACH MORNING
Before my depression, I was in the Word most days but it was short, over breakfast and coffee, and my phone was allowed to interrupt at any point it buzzed. I think, in many ways, I was conveying to God that His communication and wisdom to me wasn’t a priority and deserved interruption from truly low-priority items like Instagram heart notifications, emails, and texts. Time in God’s Word was something I snuck into most days; it wasn’t something I meditated and chewed over for long on the regular. That changed. In the midst of my depression, I saw a connection between the times I was digging in and meditating on the Word, and the days that I felt a little better.
#2 DAILY UNINTERRUPTED TIME IN WORSHIP
This worship time looks different every day; whether it is playing and singing on my guitar, listening to worship music on Spotify, or worshiping through my art. Whatever avenue I choose, I want to make sure that I’m spending time each day in intentional worship. I’ve realized that depression makes it very easy to become turned inward. Naturally, when you’re in pain you focus on the hurt and it is difficult to see, or think, about anything or anyone else. But there was a day where I realized how inward I had turned, and it scared me. I realized how important it was to create space to make sure that I am turning outward to see the God of the Universe as the center, and not myself as the center. I also wanted to use this time to show gratitude to the people in my life who had been constant pillars of love and support. I did this through note writing and my art.
#3 DAILY JOURNALING
Journaling has been one of the most useful tools, especially since I have been in weekly counseling, to continue processing my thoughts and emotional health. So much of what we talk about in counseling doesn’t fully process until hours or days later, and that is when I am able to write it out in my journal. If you aren’t in counseling I believe this process is still so healthy- having a gratitude journal where you write one or two sentences a day, or writing your high and low of the day allows your brain to process! The point is to be able to look back each week or each month and see your progress. At the bottom of each entry, I write bullet points for my therapist so I can flip back and talk with him about specific things from that day’s writing. The bottom line is finding a way to process your thoughts and putting it to practice in an intentional and consistent way.
#4 TAKE IT OUT!
There were things that needed to be removed, too. These rhythm changes were harder for me because of who I am internally- I love to work and give 110%, I love setting goals, I will stay at work until the job is finished. Whether I was willing to admit it or not, I prioritized church/work over my home life. So before I went back, I decided that I was going to leave every day at 4:30pm when I’m supposed to leave whether I feel like stopping or not. When I’m home, I do not work, I don’t actively brainstorm about work (THIS IS SO HARD!) I don’t wake up in the middle of the night and create social media content anymore, I don’t answer texts that can wait until morning. I decided to set healthy work boundaries for myself whether I liked them or not. Because I see in myself unhealthy work tendencies, and I see in our culture a tendency to reward and feed those habits. This has been the hardest to stamp out yet, but I have friends who are helping hold me accountable. I encourage you to take stock of your own work boundaries!
These rhythms pop up on my to-do list each day, and I make the choice whether I do them or not. I know that by continuing them, I help to create a better version of myself, and by doing so I glorify God. He’s for us, he wants us to thrive so we can go out and tell people He loves about His Son Jesus.
If you’re struggling mentally, emotionally, or physically, know that you’re not alone. Know that creating rhythms isn’t the bottom line answer! This was a second (or third.. or fourth.. ha!) step for me after seeking out help through counseling, medication, and support from close friends. I realized how important it is to my daily walk with God that I create these new rhythms, and I wanted to share them with you, too.
I want to hear about your rhythms! Post them in the comments or DM me on Insta/FB. I would love to hear from you. 
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