Episode #181- Overcome Depression And Realize You Are Not Alone

Are you struggling to get out of bed in the morning, have no energy and need help coping with suicidal thoughts?  You are not alone.

Depression doesn’t always come with a clear reason. Sometimes it follows loss, trauma, stress, loneliness, or the pressure of everyday life. Other times it shows up like a fog that won’t lift, leaving you exhausted, disconnected, and wondering why you can’t just “snap out of it.” I’m Tamera Trotter, a Christian, social worker, and depression overcomer, and I’m naming the real reasons people suffer from depression so you can stop blaming yourself and start choosing a path forward. 

We talk openly about depression symptoms, situational depression, and the reality of chemical imbalance in the brain, including why you have no control over that piece and why getting help is a strong move. I also share my own story of suffering in silence, finally seeking counseling and medication, and learning how to take ownership of my mental health with practical tools and steady faith. If you’ve felt embarrassed, stuck in bed, or distant from joy, you’re not alone and you’re not weak. 

We also go to Scripture for honest language and real comfort, from David’s raw words in Psalms 42 to Jesus’ invitation in Matthew 11:28 for the weary and burdened to find rest. Then we get practical about what to do next: reach out to a therapist or medical provider, lean on an accountability person, track triggers and patterns, and take small steps that add up. I’ll also challenge you to look at toxic relationships that may be keeping you in bondage to depression and consider boundaries that protect your peace. 

If you’re ready for structure and support, check the link in the show notes for my 14 Days to Manage Depression resources and join the Win Over Depression Facebook group for encouragement. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs hope, and leave a review so more people can find the help they’ve been praying for.

Transcript

Welcome And Big Promise

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Welcome to the Tamara Trotter Show and the Win Over Depression podcast. I am so excited that you are here. Do you want to understand why you feel depressed at times and can't get out of bed in the morning? Do you wish you had more energy and felt more outgoing and happy? I've got some good news for you. There is a way to understand your symptoms of depression and pinpoint how to turn that all around. You can do this, feel better, and become the best version of who God called you to be. You are already a masterpiece, but if you need help reaching your fullest potential and fulfilling the earthly assignment God has for your life, stay tuned. How's it going, everyone? I am Tamara Trotter, Christian, social worker, delta, depression overcomer, swimmer, loving daughter and sister, aunt of eight and great aunt of three, mental health coach and gallop certified coach. For longer than I want to admit, I suffered from depression in silence because I was embarrassed that I could not manage my own mental health. And I prayed for healing. For years, my best friend encouraged me to seek help, but I was too stubborn. Instead, I languished in deep depression, always counseled on my friends who probably thought I was a flake, and this silent disease consumed my soul. I have lived with depression for most of my adult life. Fast forward several years when I decided to seek help, talk with the counselor, and start taking medication. As the fog lifted and I decided to become proactive, I learned about chemical imbalances in the brain, situational depression, and I started to take ownership of my mental health. I started praying more, and God gave me the formula to take my situation from being chronically depressed to now managing a few episodes of depression every month. I started this podcast in 2020 and God made sure I was well enough to be consistent and committed. He told me that out of my biggest pain would come my greatest testimony, and he shared that someone is waiting for me to succeed so I can tell them how I made it. And that, my friend, is you. This podcast will give glory to God and tell the truth about how He operates in our lives and can make the ultimate difference. All we need is mustard seed faith and the desire to start living our best life. My calling is to show you how to manage your mental health, which controls everything we do each day, whether it's making a decision, being bold enough to share with others how we really feel, or pruning a relationship that is toxic and unhealthy. If this sounds like an answer to your prayer, you're in the right place. I offer group coaching and I have an online course called 14 Days to Manage Depression. You will have the opportunity in the privacy of your own home to learn about what causes your mood to swing, what triggers an episode of depression, and how to get to that better place. Depression will win some days, but guess what? That's okay. You will simply call it a day, dust yourself off, knowing that tomorrow will be another day to fight again. I am sure you know that mental health is not a popular topic. This is why my offer is so appealing. You don't have to lay down on a couch in an office and talk with someone you don't know. You can grab a cup of tea, sit down at your computer, and begin to learn how to manage your depression on your own time, in your own circumstances and on your own terms. So sit back, relax, and let's take this journey together to win over depression. Today we'll delve into why people suffer from depression. You know, depression is something that is prevalent, and one in three women and two in five men will experience symptoms of depression in their lifetime. And with COVID happening in 2020, people were experiencing depression for the first time in their lives. Sometimes depression doesn't have a signal or a clear cause, it comes from loss, disappointment, loneliness, or feeling overwhelmed by life. People are in crisis, people are traumatized, and as a result, they become depressed. Other times it seems to appear without warning, like a heavy fog that refuses to lift. People may feel worthless, exhausted, or disconnected. They might ask, why do I feel this way? Or does anyone understand? Even in the Bible, we see that sadness is a part of the human experience. So I want you to know that first and foremost. What you're going through is nothing new, and it's something that many will experience in their lifetime. King David, a man described as being close to God's heart, once wrote, Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Psalms 42 11. David wasn't hiding his pain. He was honest about it. He felt discouraged, weighed down, and distant from joy. Do you feel distant from joy at times? It's something that a lot of us will experience because depression can come from many sources: emotional wounds or trauma, stress and pressure from daily life, feeling isolated or unloved, guilt, shame, or regret, physical or chemical imbalances. So please be reminded that you have absolutely no control over a chemical imbalance. What we need to do is become proactive and get help. The Bible doesn't deny these struggles. Instead, it meets people in them. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. That means that in moments when someone feels at their lowest, they are not abandoned. God draws near even when we feel distant. Instead, he provided rest, food, and gentle reassurance. When we're going through something, we need to remember that we're not alone, but we also need someone in our corner, someone who is going to encourage us to rest and reassure us that they're going to help us get through whatever it is. This shows something important. Struggling doesn't mean failure. Feeling depressed doesn't mean weak faith. And I know that that's exactly how I felt when I was first diagnosed with depression. I thought it meant that I was weak, but instead I've learned that it means we are human. The Bible encourages people to bring their pain honestly to God, seek support from others, rest and care for their bodies, and hold on to hope even if it feels small. When we hold on to hope and we have mustard seed faith, there is nothing that we cannot do. Depression may feel like a long night, but the Bible speaks of a God who stays present in darkness. You are not alone, your pain is seen, and hope, even if it is faint, is still alive. So you, my friend, have to keep going the course. Stay in the game, keep moving forward. When depression wins, look forward to the next day. Knowing that the sun is always going to rise. It can feel like the pain is never gonna go away, that you're never going to get better, but that just isn't true. And I'm a perfect example of that. I was able in time and through a lot of hard work to overcome my symptoms of depression. If I can do it, you can do it. So when you feel like the sadness just won't go away, like exhaustion is in your bones, or like you're disconnected from everything, just know that what you're going through is going to pass because all storms pass and they can't last always. And I know that it doesn't feel good right now. But I also know that you have made it this far and you want to get better because you're listening to this podcast and you are going to continue to push yourself. But at the same time, no one knows you better than you know yourself. So if you need to reach out to your accountability coach or you need to schedule or make an appointment with the therapist or make a medical appointment, I encourage you to do that because that is how we begin to get our life back when we begin to recognize that we can't do it alone. But this is also the opportunity for you to consider the 14 days to managing your depression, because in the privacy of your own home, you can begin to tackle the reasons you have depression, see what triggers your mood, figure out what the patterns are, and be able to set up a plan of action. All you have to do is go to the show notes, there's a link there, cut and paste it into your browser, and you will be well on your way. One thing that might surprise people is that the Bible doesn't ignore these feelings. In fact, it talks about them openly. In the New Testament, for instance, Jesus says, Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11, 28. So you have nothing to be embarrassed about. What Jesus said is an invitation for anyone who feels overwhelmed, exhausted, or weighed down to come and seek rest. If you're struggling today, here are a few things to remember. You're not broken for feeling this way. You don't have to hide your pain. It's okay to ask help from God and from others. Healing can take time, and that's completely okay. But guess what? You have taken the first step. And as you take the first step and the second step and the third step, before you know it, you'll be across the football field and you will start feeling better. Depression can feel like it's going to be this long night that never ends, but it will end because you will see that the sun is going to come. And when it does, you will get to that better place. Now, I want you to think about your current situation and whether there are people in your life who are toxic and are exacerbating your depression. That's only something that you can do. And if that's the case, you have to make a decision about what you're going to do about it. Are you going to minimize your interaction with that person? Is it someone at work? Is it someone that lives in your home? But you have to still decide how you are going to handle what is happening because that, my friend, is keeping you in bondage to depression. So for your homework, I want you to think about who you might need to purge in your life and how might you go about that? Don't do it haphazardly. Sit down, pray about it, think about it, and make a decision. Because in order for your mental health to come first, you must pick you every single time and twice on Sunday. So, what are you gonna do in the next three, five, seven days to deal with your mental health and get it back on track? Remember, you can go to the show notes and sign up for the 14 days of mental health wellness. You can also go to the Win Over Depression Facebook group and see what's going on there, get some encouragement and some inspiration. I thank you so much for listening. You've always been the best part of Win Over Depression, and I appreciate you taking your mental health seriously by coming to listen to the Win Over Depression podcast.