Overcoming Anxiety & DepressionSample

Gratitude, Our Weapon Against Depression

Yesterday, we focused on the neurological pathways in our brains. We saw that we experience physical symptoms based on what we focus on. The Bible has a lot to say on this subject that is very counter-cultural. The Bible talks about being thankful. It tells us to give thanks 62 times, and 76 verses tell us to praise the Lord. We are told to give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:17). In all we do in Word or deed, to give thanks to God (Colossians 3:17). We are even told not to complain (Philippians 2:14). Complaining is the bitter overflow of negative focus.

We live in a culture that has made complaining a daily competition, where people think the only way to get others to notice or listen to them is to complain the most. They don’t realize that it’s actually training their brain to look for and remember anything that they might possibly complain about. Their skill in finding the negative problems in everything grows as they build these neurological pathways. It doesn’t just give them the award-winning largest complaint in the break room. As the complaints become front and center, the brain begins to respond by releasing different stress hormones. It causes a shortage of positive hormones. Many of these chemicals have a short-term purpose for intense situations, but when released constantly, they cause problems. Our medical world often tries to bypass the cause and effect by using artificial chemicals to temporarily balance the body. While I am not saying that a body can’t be broken, more often than broken, we are living in a way or focusing in a way that produces a negative result. We have become expert complainers, even going beyond what happened today to declare our future. Saying things like, it's just my luck, or it always happens to me. We set our own expectation that not only is there much to complain about, but more is coming because we have labeled that as part of our identity.

As science grows, they can now see the effects of what the Bible has been saying for thousands of years.

“Research over recent years clearly shows that gratitude has been linked to decreased depression, increased optimism, fewer physical ailments, and increased amounts of Dopamine in the brain….”, says Dr Allan Schwartz, Ph.D.

“Gratitude can be a natural antidepressant. When we take the time to ask what we are grateful for, certain neural circuits are activated. Production of dopamine and serotonin increases, and these neurotransmitters then travel neural pathways to the “bliss” center of the brain, similar to the mechanisms of many antidepressants. Practicing gratitude, therefore, can be a way to naturally create the same effects of medications and create feelings of contentment.”

Our brains are amazing, but they have limits. Our brain can only focus on so much. It can’t easily focus on both negative and positive stimuli. Complaining or giving thanks are opposite directions and cause different chemicals to be released. When we choose to give thanks, we are setting the cycle on purpose. The Bible tells us where to focus and what to meditate on. Even as we pray, we are told to do it with thanksgiving. When we do, in Philippians, it promises peace that surpasses understanding. If we look at the words of our mouths as the overflow of our hearts, do they reveal gratitude or a negative focus? Let's set the cycle on purpose.