Standing in Holy Places

"We must be vigilant in a world which has moved so far from that which is spiritual. It is essential that we reject anything that does not conform to our standards, refusing in the process to surrender that which we desire most: eternal life in the kingdom of God. The storms will still beat at our doors from time to time, for they are an inescapable part of our existence in mortality. We, however, will be far better equipped to deal with them, to learn from them, and to overcome them if we have the gospel at our core and the love of the Savior in our hearts."

Thomas S. Monson, "Stand in Holy Places", Liahona and Ensign, November 2011

When I stand in holy places

and am careful of the things I

watch, listen to and participate in,

it's easier for me to feel the Holy Ghost

and I am better able

to weather the "storm" of

depression in my life.

The temple is the only place

where I don't feel depressed

and that's why I go

there so often.

Temples are definitely

holy places.

Rolling up my Sleeves and Getting to Work

"The Lord’s way is not to sit at the side of the stream and wait for the water to pass before we cross. It is to come together, roll up our sleeves, go to work, and build a bridge or a boat to cross the waters of our challenges."

—Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Providing in the Lord's Way", Liahona and Ensign, November 2011

For the past 8 years

or so I felt like I was

just waiting for this trial to pass.

I was wandering in the wilderness

as it reads in  1 Nephi 17:4,

"And we did sojourn for the space of many years, yea, even eight years in the wilderness."

Lehi's family was "sojourning" but
I definitely just wandered.
I didn't feel like I was making progress or

moving forward in my life.

I sort of just let my depression take over,

wandered about in the "wilderness"

and waited "for the water to pass."

The last year and half

I've been fighting back

and trying to take control

over my own destiny.

I usually can't control whether or not

depressing thoughts come into my mind

but I can control how long I let them stay.

Staying on the Path

A few weeks ago

I felt like I had reached my limit.

I was sooooo tired

of being depressed.

I told my husband,

"One of the hardest

things I face in

 dealing with depression

is that I feel

like I am doing everything right

and yet I'm not happy."

Today I watched a video

(about someone who also deals

with a mental illness)

that echoed what I had said earlier to my husband.

She said,

"It was just so hard for me to understand

why [having a mental illness] happened,

especially

when I was being so faithful

 and trying so hard to do what

 Heavenly Father

wanted me to do."

The challenge is

to keep doing what

I need to do

in order to return to my

Heavenly Father.

I know He is aware of me,

I know He knows how unhappy

I feel at times,

and I know He will send the

comfort and help

that I so desperately

need.

Below is a link to the video I watched.

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=1146&sid=19704326&title=living-with-mental-illness-and-social-anxiety