When you neglect self care, you open the dark door to depression. Take care of yourself. This is God’s will for you.

Have you tumbled into the pitfall of self neglect when life goes nuts? Every woman has.

I remember many times when I cared for a sick kid (and a sneezy-queasy hubby), getting them medicine or water or barf bowls, running myself ragged, and losing sleep. Then when one child was on the mend and I entertained her the best I could, the flu bug bit another child. More medicine. More barf bowls. More worry.

For me less sleep and less good food, unless one dark chocolate after another counts. No? I didn’t think so.

Sometimes we care for everyone but ourselves when we are busy, hurt, or trying to prove our worth, and often end up depressed. So what should you do when you’re depressed or to head off despair?

For a clue, let’s listen to a true story of how God cared for a man who experienced great victory and now suffered deep depression:

Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there,while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die.

“I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.

All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.

The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” (1 Kings 19:3-7)

Anticipate a Low After a High

Elijah had experienced a great victory against enemies of God and their evil queen Jezebel. A sort of David-Goliath faceoff and the giant dropped dead. Here, however, it was one against 450 false prophets of the false god Baal. The false prophets all died in a blood bath. Then came the queen’s creepy death threat: “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”

Elijah ran for his life.

Eat Right

The angel told Elijah to eat. He filled up on delicious whole-grain bread and drank water, both miraculously provided. After facing the false prophets and proving that God is God, and knowing a powerful person wants you dead, Elijah was physically spent and emotionally drained even though he walked close to God.

Do the Next Thing

Did you notice that the angel told Elijah to get up? When overwhelmed by busyness, hurt, or depression, it’s tempting to do nothing except maybe change TV channels with a remote. Getting up and doing the next thing — whether getting dressed, eating breakfast, or making a phone call — moves us in a positive direction and spares us a deeper depression of self-pity.

Rest

The average woman needs 7 to 9 hours of sleep daily, more while pregnant, injured, or ill. Are you getting enough? Too much?

Make a godly habit of falling asleep at the same time each night (or morning, if you work third shift) and waking up at the same time each morning. Ban the TV from the bedroom. Steer clear of a computer screen at least one hour before bed. TV-watching and computer use can interfere with sleep.

All of these together — rest, doing the next thing, eating right, and anticipating a low — help you avoid the pit of self neglect and even depression.

Tomorrow is my fourth post in my series on REST. This particular post is counter-intuitive. Can you guess what it is?

With Joy Overflowing!

Lucy