Experiencing Joy: Freedom from Depression... for LIFE!

Week 2

Sound Asleep

Workbook Week 2 (Book: Chapter 2). God designed rest to heal you.

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Why Sleep Matters

Most of us know that depression brings sadness and weariness. Fewer people realize how closely depression is tied to sleep. When someone is struggling with depression, sleep problems are almost always part of the picture. That means better sleep is part of the healing.

What happens when we don't get enough sleep

MindThe brain slows down. Focus, memory, learning, and even driving all suffer.
BodyThe body struggles to heal. Heart health suffers, and appetite rises, so we tend to eat more and weigh more.
HeartEmotions fray. Most people with severe depression also struggle with insomnia.

A cycle that turns both ways

Poor sleep and depression feed each other. Each one makes the other worse, and the two can pull us into a downward spiral.

Here is the good news: the cycle turns both ways. When you improve your sleep, your mind, body, and mood often improve too. Sleep is one of the most practical life-giving rules you can put into practice this week.

Rest is God's idea

God built rest into creation. He even set aside a full day of rest every week (Exodus 20:8–10). Rest is not laziness or weakness. It is part of God's design, and it is one of the ways He restores us.

"It is vain for you to rise up early, To sit up late, To eat the bread of sorrows; For so He gives His beloved sleep."

Psalm 127:2 (NKJV)

Where are you this week?

Tap one number for each line. 1 = very low, 5 = very good.

One word that describes your week
How did last week's steps go?
Case study

A Pastor Who Needed Rest

Charles Spurgeon (1834–1892)

Portrait of Charles H. Spurgeon
Charles H. Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon was one of the most loved preachers in history. He preached to an estimated 10 million people, often ten times a week, and sometimes worked eighteen-hour days. His sermons fill 63 volumes. Pastors still read them today.

He also knew deep darkness. In 1856, when he was just 22, he was preaching to a packed crowd at the Surrey Gardens Music Hall in London. Someone shouted "Fire!" There was no fire, but in the stampede seven people died. Years later, Spurgeon said the tragedy brought him "near the burning furnace of insanity."

For the rest of his life he battled gout, rheumatism, and Bright's disease, a painful kidney illness. He spoke openly about his "frightful mental depression." His doctors pointed to the "extra pressure of care or labour."

"Who can bear the weight of souls without sometimes sinking to the dust?"

Charles Spurgeon

How rest kept him going

Spurgeon needed help, and he took it. Starting in 1871, he spent most winters resting in Menton, in the warm south of France. He walked in gardens, lay in the sun, enjoyed friends, and wrote at an unhurried pace. Nearly a third of his last 22 years were spent away from the pulpit, recovering.

Rest was not a sign that he had failed. It was how God restored him so he could keep serving. Ministry, work, and caring for others are hard on the body, mind, and soul. If a man God used so greatly needed rest, so do you.

Where are you running on empty right now? Tap any that apply.

Sources: The Gospel Coalition · The Spurgeon Center · Evangelical Times

Three Truths to Hold This Week

Truth 1: If you struggle to sleep, you're not alone.

More than a third of adults, and most teenagers, don't get enough sleep. Screens at night are a big reason. Phones and tablets keep the brain switched on in ways a book or the radio don't.

Do you struggle with sleep?
What keeps you up? Tap any that apply.

Truth 2: Depression and sleep problems go hand in hand.

Each one fuels the other. If you are depressed and short on sleep, the cycle has to be broken for you to find relief.

Do you think poor sleep is affecting your emotions?

Truth 3: When sleep improves, depression often eases.

You don't have to fix everything at once. Because sleep and depression work together, improving either one helps break the cycle.

How do you feel about improving your sleep?

Your Sleep Habits

These habits help most people sleep better. How often do you do each one? 1 = rarely, 2 = sometimes, 3 = every day.

Your Story, God's Story

The story you tell yourself about sleep

What do you tell yourself about sleep? Tap any that sound familiar.

The story God is writing

"He gives His beloved sleep." What would a healthy, restful relationship with sleep look like for you?

Going Deeper

How do you feel about going to bed at night?
What does God say?

Jesus Invites You to Rest

Read Mark 6:30–32 and Matthew 11:28–30 together. The disciples had just come back from a busy season of ministry. So many people were around them that they couldn't even eat. Jesus didn't tell them to push harder. He told them to rest.

"And He said to them, 'Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.' For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat."

Mark 6:31 (NKJV)
Fill in the blanks (Matthew 11:28–30)
  1. "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy , and I will give you rest." (v. 28)
  2. "Take My upon you and learn from Me…" (v. 29)
  3. "…for I am gentle and in heart…" (v. 29)
  4. "…and you will find rest for your ." (v. 29)
  5. "For My yoke is and My burden is light." (v. 30)
Jesus offers rest for the body (Mark 6:31) and rest for the soul (Matthew 11:29). Which do you need most?

Practical Steps for This Week

Start small. Check the boxes as you finish each one.

Body
Mind
Spirit
People

Your bedroom

Name three things you can do today to help you sleep better tonight. For example: clear the clutter, put on fresh sheets, or block out light.

Tired versus rested

Your three new life-giving steps this week

What might keep you stuck? Tap any that apply.

Prayer and Memory Verse

"I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety."

Memory verse · Psalm 4:8 (NKJV)
Your prayer partner this week
Closing prayer

Lord, You give Your beloved sleep. Forgive me for the times I have trusted my own striving more than Your care. Quiet my mind tonight. Teach me to lay down my work and my worries, and to rest in You. Restore my body, renew my mind, and bring back my joy. In Jesus' name, amen.

Journal Your Week

Keep a simple sleep log this week. Note when you went to bed, when you got up, how rested you felt, and where you saw God.

If you need help, or are in crisis, you are not alone. Talk to Pastor Jeff or Pastor Christian.

Pastor Jeff314-650-4222
Pastor Christian314-420-8427

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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. This study is based on material from the pastoral team at Eternal Promises and material from the companion to the Healing Depression for Life Workbook by Dr. Gregory L. Jantz (Tyndale, 2019).