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Hope for the depressed

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Just One More Day: Meditations for those who struggle with anxiety and depression
Beverlee Buller Keck

Kindred Productions, 2009
212 pages

 

 
In Just One More Day: Meditations for Those Who Struggle with Anxiety and Depression, Beverlee Buller Keck attempts to diffuse some of the trepidation that accompanies the topic of anxiety and depression. Her hope is that this book of 40 daily meditations, containing some principles and tools she relied on as she journeyed down the road to recovery, will help others as they have helped her.

Keck begins by sharing her own struggle with a major depressive episode and catastrophic anxiety. From lessons learned through experience and in professional therapy, she writes a daily meditation focusing on some Scripture references, an element of anxiety or depression, and how this manifests itself in one’s life.

Each meditation concludes with an action step, a prayer, and a place to journal about one’s response. She discusses topics such as fear and anger, the need to give and receive help from others, and ways to take care of one’s emotional health. Keck hopes her readers will experience personal validation of, and moments of relief from, their struggles, and will find hope, as they discover untapped resources within themselves.

I believe this book could be extremely valuable as a daily encouragement for those who struggle with mild anxiety and depression, and for those who are in professional therapy. Pastors, caregivers, and those within the church may also benefit from reading this book, as it sheds light on the struggle those with a mental illness experience.

Overall, while recognizing the psychological aspects that accompany mental illness, Keck remains firmly rooted in the love, grace, and hope we find in Jesus Christ.

Deanna Lenzmann is a member at Faithworks in Winnipeg. She is currently working on an MA in marriage, family, and child counselling at MB Biblical Seminary, Fresno, Cal.

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