Moving on from Depression: The Use of Existential Principles

In counselling, we are sensitive to the balance of energies invested between the 3 time orientations: the past the present and the future. Too much energy spent on any of them leads to a distorted connection and assessment of the current reality.

Depressed people for instance, cannot move on from their PRESENT state. They're living in a depressive spiral that gets them to press the repeat button again and again everyday.

Everyday is the same. I will wake up, face my usual problems and tormentors, I will lose out, get rejected, go through the same pain and suffering again and again. This is where the depressive thoughts begin: "And this will never change, it will only get worse." If these statements are true (which they aren't), then sleeping the whole day and staying at home would be the most logical thing to do.

I want to be clear: once the depressive is able to break free from this depressive spiral, he would have more or less broken free of the spell of depression.

The depressive is already programmed by their past experiences to be pessimistic and helpless. My usual direction is to pull them away from the depressive present to the hopeful future. The key word here is HOPE. There is no point orienting them to the future if it's also riddled with failure and more pain.

(Here is a Short uploaded in Youtube about Moving on from The Present. Sorry I can't seem to embed this...)
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JGOQaoG1dxA

The video above is one way to help depressives break away from their spiral. The method is highly associated with Existentialism because a meaningful future is used to pull the person away from their present orbit. I would say it is a mixture of existentialism and motivational psychology, which enables a person to move on from their current rut to a satisfying and meaningful place in the near future.

Here are some guide questions I ask my clients stuck in their depressive cycles:

1. What reason do you have to get out of bed in the morning? (These are for immediate incentives)

2. What do you work hard for besides money? (If they are stuck with: work work work)

3. What do you look forward to every week? Every month?

4. What do you aim to accomplish for in 2026? Maybe you have a 5 year vision?

5. What is your calling in Christ? What were you called to do in this life?

Just as Peter and Paul had churches to build, David had the kingdom to establish. His son Solomon was tasked to build the temple of The Lord.

Moses and Joshua, like Esther, were used for the redemption of God's people. The prophets had the great honor of writing about The Son of God. Abraham and his children were to establish God's covenant with His people, while Noah had to populate the world as a whole.

As great as all these people were, all of us were graced by the first coming of The Son of God, Jesus Christ, The Lord; Whose very purpose was to climb up that cross and be The Lamb of God to save mankind of sin.

No matter what the pain, the suffering, or the sacrifices were, these heroes of The Bible, ploughed through the trials and obstacles to achieve their goals and to fulfill their purpose. There was no time for depression, no time to sulk and feel sorry for the self. There was only the mission and the eternal glory that outweighs all the present pain.

You are not born for suffering but for a purpose. Go and march to your future hopes and glories.