I’m not talking about music here. I’m not a fan of those blues, but I don’t protest them. I’m talking about that edge of depression that sometimes sneaks in at night when I’m sleeping and then waits for me in the kitchen the next morning. occasionally, the blues climb into my car and ride with me to work. Or church. Or even vacation.

I hope you don’t know what I’m talking about.

The blues can come from huge events (like the first anniversary of your father’s death), or from daily angst (like waiting forever to hear back from an agent on your latest manuscript), or from things that surprise you in their level of agony (like the death of your husband’s hunting dog).

But, no matter how they come, remember this: The blues don’t have to stay.

Here are three ways I fight them:

1. I walk. Experts say thirty minutes a day, outside in fresh air and sunlight, is optimal. But those guys don’t know that depression glues your tennies to the floor. I’ve discovered ten minutes on my treadmill will actually get enough endorphins flowing to burst the blues. I know it isn’t the best. But when I’m fighting off my enemy, it is enough.
2. I talk. To my husband, my friends at work, my daughters, my mom. To God. I don’t need a deep counseling session to break the blues. I only need to say the dark things a little bit out loud. That always lets the light come rushing in.
3. I rock. In my favorite chair in the corner of our quiet house. I give myself permission to rest, to read, to write, to restore. And, in my rocking chair, I pray. because the Holy Spirit is actually my secret weapon against the blues. He gives me the power to walk, to talk, and to breathe. Without Him, I’m not sure I could do any of the others. But with Him, the sun always eventually breaks through.

(Disclaimer: sometimes depression is more than the blues. Please, please talk to your doctor if yours don’t go away. Our brains are organs, and sometimes their chemicals get out of balance and they malfunction just like our pancreas or our thyroid. Medication can be a miracle.)