Combatting Depression

How I combat PPD + tips for you to do it too!

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When I was pregnant with my first born, Chloe, I’d often hear of women suffering from postpartum depression as a result of all the changes women go through after giving birth. Baby blues are a real thing, with approximately 50% of women suffering from it. By the grace of God, I was part of the 50% of women who did not experience postpartum depression with my first child. However while pregnant with Chrissy, my second born, I did experience mild depression. This experience alarmed me and taught me I needed to deal with it right away before it carried through to delivery and thereafter.

The Cause of My Depression

In the third trimester of my second pregnancy, I was depressed. As much as I did not want to conclude what I was experiencing to be depression, that is exactly what it was. The cause(s) of my depression were a number of things, from mental and physical fatigue, physical pain, and worry. But the main driver of this experience was my corporate career. I didn’t tell my manager about my pregnancy until it was almost time to give birth and I was under so much pressure at work – trying to remote complete audits and claim reviews. Coupled with managing my toddler as my husband worked and went to school, I found it very difficult to stay aligned in the Word of God and keep up with my quiet time. Although I knew what to do to combat postpartum depression, I paid little attention to what the enemy could possibly do while I was still pregnant. But thank God that season is over and I received my deliverance.

What I Did In The Depression

The first thing I did when I recognized that I was depressed was tell my husband and spiritual father and mother. One of the ways in which the enemy keeps you in the bondage of depression is to make you embarrassed about it. Especially for me as a preacher of the Gospel, I was embarrassed to have unknowingly opened my spirit for the enemy to torment me with this spirit. However, I knew if I wanted to come out of that bondage; if I wanted that spirit bound, I needed to tell my coverings. Most times when you’re in bondage, you don’t have energy to come out of it with your own might. Talking to my husband about it pressured him to step up with Chloe and pray for me every night. Although it meant losing sleep to do so, my mental wellness was more important to him than his rest. Talking to my spiritual parents about my depression allowed them to encourage me with the Word of God and fight for me in prayer. As a result, I was back on my feet in no time and ready to mentally and physically prepare myself for the arrival of our second child.

What My Experience with Depression Made Me Do

Because I never wanted to experience those few weeks of depression again, I immediately got to work to make sure I was prepared for the temptations to be depressed postpartum. The first thing I did was immediately address areas of my life causing my depression. I had to recalibrate my devotion life. I could no longer afford to spend time with God in convenience. I needed to make time DAILY for God because that is Who my help comes from. I was also very intentional about praying daily and listening to worship music ONLY. There were places and organizations that I was a part of that I no longer wanted to be part of so I left swiftly. There were also difficult decisions that I need to make that I decided to make immediately. All of these decisions helped me closed the doors to the spirit of depression!

How to Fight Against the Spirit of Depression

1. Recognize that Depression is a demonic spirit from the pit of hell.

I know we like to normalize depression, especially postpartum depression but do note NOTHING is normal about being oppressed or in bondage by a demon. Nothing is normal about being possessed and not having the joy that comes from God. The moment you look at depression as a demon and not just a name used for feeling sad, you will realize the need to wage war against it.

2. Safeguard your spirit starting now

One thing about demons, they always need an open door. Demons cannot invade your life if all doors are shut to your spirit. Safeguard your spirit by closing the doors that allowed the demon(s) to enter in the first place. You may not know what those doors are in the beginning. Ask God to reveal them to you and He will. Examples are what you watch on social media and on tv, and what you hear through other people’s experiences and through people sent to scare and discourage you. 

“When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, seeking rest but finding none.  Then it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’ So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and in order. Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before. That will be the experience of this evil generation. Matthew 12: 43-45

3. Pray in advance

We all know the saying, prevention is better than cure. Well avoiding is better than deliverance too. Better to avoid demonic possession than to be delivered from it. You can avoid depression by praying diligently against it. During my last days of pregnancy with Chrissy, I prayed hard that the Lord will give me the grace to raise two children close in age. I prayed for patience and a spirit of gratitude so that I don’t ignorantly complain of a blessing so many people wish they had. I realized that a portal for demons is ungratefulness. I refused to avail my spirit to demons because I failed to see the I also asked the Spirit of God to open my eyes to see the open doors that could potentially allow demons to penetrate my spirit.

4. Don’t let people with negative experience speak to you concerning your own experiences.

Be careful who you talk to. We all love talking to people who share similar experiences as we do, but make sure those people are not intentionally or unintentionally discouraging you.

5. Stay active

Start working out! Go on walks or runs or safely go to the gym. It has been difficult for me to stay motivated to work out but I recently discovered an app called Paceline that rewards you for physical activity. If you have a Fitbit, Apple Watch or Garmin fitness tracker, use it to stay fairly or very active for 150 minutes a week and get rewarded! use my code CMARIE and get $5!

5. Get professional help

If you are already experiencing depression, I beseech you to get professional help. Speak to a deliverance minister, talk to a bible centered, Holy Ghost dwelling therapist, talk to your pastor! This is not an experience to go through alone.