As we approach these holiday seasons, we find a lot of our close friends experiencing signs of depression. There may even be times we find ourselves slowing going down into the Valley of Depression. This week I would like to share with you the Ten Commandments to keep depression from turning into despair.

1. Do not blame or despise yourself; God does not despise you because in His eyes you are very important to Him.

2. Do not hide your troubles and failures. Instead, share them with Him by expressing them aloud in words directly to Him as well as to yourself and to your close friends...don’t keep it bottled up.

3. Do not hate yourself but be kind to yourself. For God loves you and will never treat you unkindly.

4. Do not nurse self-pity or cherish hurt pride or call them by any other name.

5. Do not isolate yourself but plan ahead to be sociable and Keep to what you have planned and never stop going to church.

6. Learn to lean on others and do not call independence a Virtue; they will lean on you later.

7. In your “up” times put stock into your spiritual bank; Find words from the Bible that may help you, people that will encourage you, pleasures that you enjoy and a church that makes you feel at home.

8. Never neglect your physical health, especially sleep and exercise.

9. Learn to relax physically by relaxing tense muscles when driving.

10. Think often about God’s love for you ... remind yourself that you are part of God’s family.

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Dr. Charles M. Wood, II is the pastor of The Christian Church in Logan, and an accomplished instructor of psychology and religion at Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College. He is a Christian counselor in Logan - serving, ministering, and donating his time to people from all denominations.

If you would like to contact Dr. Wood, please write: The Logan Banner, c/o The Good Life With Dr. Wood, P.O. Box 720, Logan, WV 25601; or call (304) 752-4658. All letters addressed to Dr. Wood will be forwarded to his office.