Dejection is a state of a person when nothing pleases him or gives him pleasure. Also in this case, complete apathy and depression are observed. Usually such emotional experiences affect health. Religious literature describes this state of the human soul; clergy classify it as a mortal sin. Therefore, becoming despondent is considered a bad action. Why shouldn't you dwell on the negative? Let's consider the topic both from a religious point of view and from a psychological one.

Negative influence

What dangers does despondency hide for a person?

1. The main one is that melancholy extends to both the mental and the physical condition person. He doesn’t want to do anything, meet anyone, talk, etc.
2. As a rule, people of an egoistic nature are susceptible to this condition, since most of their time they are busy with themselves. They think about themselves, engage in soul-searching, and so on.
3. The danger is that if you don’t try to get out of this state, you can fall into complete despair.
4. One of the symptoms of sadness is depression. This condition is considered a disease in some countries. It should be treated under the supervision of specialists.
5. If you cannot get out of such a state as despondency, this can lead to thoughts of suicide.
6. In a depressed state, a person’s thoughts may come to the conclusion that he is worthless and life has no meaning.
7. This condition leads to decreased ability to work. It also causes a lot of trouble for the people around you. Communicating with a person who is in a state of despondency is quite difficult. Not everyone is able to be patient with a person with such an attitude.

What signs can be used to determine that a person is sad?

Dejection is a state that can be identified both by external and internal signs. There are two main gradations. They can also be used to determine the presence of despondency. The first includes the emotional characteristics that are inherent in this state. The second includes physical manifestations.

What is the emotional state of a person when he is depressed?

1. Feelings of pity and resentment for oneself.
2. The impossibility of expecting anything good. A person who experiences despondency is in bad shape.
3. Anxious mood.
4. Bad feelings.
5. Low self-esteem. A person thinks that there is no happiness in life.
6. What used to bring positive emotions, in a state of despondency does not bring any joy.
7. An indifferent attitude towards everything that happens appears.

Which physical features appear when you are sad?

1. There are problems with sleep.
2. A person begins to eat a lot or, on the contrary, his appetite decreases.
3. Fatigue appears quickly.

Behavior change

What behavioral characteristics are present in a person in a state of despondency?

1. Passive life position.
2. Reluctance to communicate with family and friends.
3. Alcohol or drug abuse may begin. This is done in order to escape reality.

Changes in thoughts

What changes of consciousness can occur in a person who is depressed?

1. It becomes difficult to concentrate on anything.
2. A person cannot make informed decisions and hesitates. Even after making a choice, he doubts whether he made the right choice.
3. Pessimistic attitude, there is no happiness in life.
4. Retardation appears in thought processes.

Conquering the disease

How can you overcome despondency? This can be done through three basic practices that can help a person cope with this condition.

1. Help from a specialist, namely a psychologist. If a person is depressed, the doctor may prescribe special drugs. They will help you get out of this situation.
2. Religion and faith in God help people reassess values ​​and look at life differently.
3. Supporting the spirit through sports activities. It is necessary to exercise and healthy image life.

Dejection is a state in which a person feels depressed and unwanted. At the first manifestations, an effort should be made to get out of apathy. You can’t give in to despondency; you need to force yourself to switch to other activities and stop self-searching.

Dejection in modern society

Unfortunately, today it is not uncommon that, despite all the external well-being of a person, he does not experience a feeling of joy. There are cases when a citizen is financially secure, he has a family, he goes to expensive resorts, but nothing gives him a feeling of satisfaction. Moreover, people who have more money experience despondency and depression more often than those who experience any financial difficulties. There are also situations when a person is always dissatisfied with something. For example, it seems to him that he has a bad wife or that if he had a car, he would be happy, and so on. But in fact, it turns out that changing your place of residence, buying a car and getting a new wife still does not bring satisfaction.

From a psychological point of view, this human condition is called depression. Today it is considered the most common mental disorder. There are services psychological assistance to people. If despondency is on initial stage, a psychologist will help a person find a way out of his condition. But it happens that psychological support may only have a temporary effect. Therefore, after some time, everything returns to the person again. If we talk about religion, despondency is considered a mortal sin. In this regard, there are certain explanations for the reasons for its appearance and how to deal with it.

Dejection is a sin. Religious point of view

There are two types of despondency. The first type is a state that completely consumes a person and causes loss of spirit. And the second type of despondency is associated with anger and irritability. Regardless of the type, despondency is a sin.

A person who is in this state, may begin to blame other people for his misfortunes. The more he plunges into himself, the more he blames others. Also, the number of people who are considered culprits is increasing. A person develops anger and hatred towards all people with whom he comes into contact in one way or another.

You should understand: everything that happens to us is a consequence of our actions. If someone finds himself in a situation that makes him uncomfortable, then he created it himself. In order to get out of it, you need to start acting differently.

You also need to remember that the more angry you are at circumstances or an unfavorable situation, the worse it will be. And if you accept everything humbly, the situation will resolve itself. There is no need to drive yourself to despair. It can lead to thoughts of suicide.

External signs

A person who is depressed can be recognized by external signs. He has a sad face that expresses sadness. Also, such a person will have drooping shoulders. He will have low blood pressure and lethargy. If he sees another person in a good mood, it may cause him confusion.

Reasons for appearance

What could be the reasons for despondency?

1. Pride. If a person is sensitive to any failures or statements made in his direction, he can easily become despondent. This hurts his self-esteem. But if a person does not take everything to heart, then he will not fall into despair. Then he is calm about what is happening around him.
2. Failure to satisfy desires can also make some people depressed. And what? more people succumbs to it, the more desires themselves lose their meaning.
3. In addition to the above reasons for despondency, there are also those that can appear in people who are strong in spirit. These include the absence of grace, the cessation of any activity by a person. Boredom may set in. Also, sad events can cause despondency. For example, care loved one or loss of something. And even in this case, one should not fall into sad thoughts about the injustice of the world. Death is the natural end of life, and we all lose something or someone in life.
4. Dejection can arise due to illnesses that accompany a person.

What ways are there to cope with this condition?

The main cure for despondency is faith in God and work. Even if a person does not have the strength, it is necessary to start doing something, to act. Over time, the desire to live on will come, the sadness will go away.

What is the danger of despondency?

First of all, you should know that a person in despondency cannot realize his potential. This is due to the fact that he does not see what horizons life opens up to him. Since all a person’s thoughts are associated with depressive experiences, he sees only negative aspects in everything and becomes sad. With his attitude, a person deprives himself of the opportunity to lead full life and enjoy the simplest things.

How to overcome this condition?

How to overcome despondency? The methods will now be listed:

1. First of all, you need to understand that negative thoughts can be “remade” into positive ones. It doesn’t matter why a person began to think that everything was bad. Perhaps someone inspired him, or his thoughts revolve around childhood experiences. You should find out what causes despondency and depression. To do this, you need to ask yourself: “What thoughts lead me into a state of sadness and melancholy?” The answer to this question needs to be written down. Next you need to read what was written down. Then you should convince yourself that this list is limited by your perception. In fact, the world is much wider. You shouldn’t think only about the clouds in the sky, it’s better to remember that there is the sun, blue sky and white airy clouds. Then you need to cross it out bad thought and replace it with a good one, which is filled with positivity and joy. Next you should repeat positive statements until you believe in them. If this is difficult to do, you can tell yourself that this is a game and you will imagine yourself believing these thoughts. You need to convince yourself and set yourself up for positive thinking.
2. You must learn to understand that if hopeless sadness sets in, it is only due to your narrow perception of reality in at the moment. It's actually not that bad. As soon as sadness sets in, it is recommended to think that this is a temporary phenomenon and will soon pass. You also need to take care and protect yourself, pamper yourself with something that can distract you from your sad mood. They help very well water procedures. They will help you relax physically and take your mind off sad thoughts. You can also take a walk in the forest, walk briskly in the fresh air.
3. Dejection and melancholy are quite bad states. You should not fall into them, even if it seems to you that something was done wrong in the past. The past is our experience, a lesson. Positive conclusions should be drawn from it. A positive attitude about the past is necessary. There are lessons to be learned from everything. For example, about some episode in life a person thinks that he broke or crippled him. This conclusion is fundamentally incorrect. You need to change your thought form. You should think about any incident from the following perspective: “it made me stronger, I gained experience, thanks to which I can overcome such situations with ease.”
4. You should learn to enjoy every moment. Many people have probably heard that in old age people talk about how quickly life has passed and remember positive moments. This means that you don’t need to waste yourself on depressing thoughts that lead to self-destruction. You should approach everything with joy and a smile. Then there will be no time left for melancholy and sadness. You need to remember that thoughts about the past or plans for the future do not allow you to enjoy the present. First of all, you should relax and live in the present time. You need to give yourself the following attitude: it doesn’t matter what happened in the past and you don’t have to be afraid of the future or live in anxious anticipation of something. You need to live the present moment with a feeling of joy and gratitude, enjoy every moment.

A little conclusion

Now you know what despondency is. As you can see, this is a bad condition. It negatively affects a person, his psychological and physical health. In our article we gave good advice that will help you get rid of despondency. Thanks to them, you will be able to cope with this condition. And remember that best way Dealing with sadness is hard work. Therefore, spare no effort, work for the benefit of yourself and people. We wish you good luck and a positive mood.

Question No. 1783

How to deal with the sin of despondency?

Dmitry , St. Petersburg, Russia
27/01/2005

Hello, oh. Oleg!
Please tell me how to deal with the sin of despondency (self-pity)?
Thanks in advance.

Answer from Father Oleg Molenko:

Dejection is a heavy and extremely painful passion. Behind her stands a giant demon, one of the three giant demons: despondency, oblivion and ignorance, which primarily prevent a person from truly coming to God. That is why one must fight these demons and defeat them.

First, the demon of oblivion is overcome. He is overcome by the unceasing memory of God, which is produced unceasing prayer Jesus and the thought of God. As he overcomes oblivion, the ascetic of repentance overcomes ignorance: about God, about the path of salvation, but above all about himself and his true state. From true to And By seeing himself in the light of grace, a person throws off the charm of conceit, goodness, pleasing to God, and being saved that had previously shrouded him and begins to zealously care about his salvation and eternal destiny. Through the action of grace, a terrible picture was revealed to him about himself, about his relationship to God - that he was His enemy, an abomination to Him, lost and very far from Him. Through such self-knowledge, a person also discovers the general decline of human nature, which he begins to see in all people. From this to And Afterwards, he stops condemning people, and begins to love them in a godly and unhypocritical manner with pity, sympathy, compassion, all possible prayer and help, incl. and wise reproof for the salvation of them or others.

From such a saving And Depression and emotion, a person comes into contrition and weeping for himself and other people, primarily for those close to him and those he knows. From this contrition, true humility and humble thinking about oneself are born in the soul, which results in the first blissful state of spiritual poverty. This state brings a person out of despondency, otherwise called evil corruption. From the side of the demon and its influence on the soul, this passion is called despondency. On the part of a person who has succumbed to this passion, it is called evil laziness. A person who has succumbed to despondency becomes cold towards all saving deeds and spiritual actions. He falls into spiritual apathy, indifference and becomes motionless and lazy for any good deed. Self-pity, self-justification, resentment towards everyone and everything for one’s torment, blaming others, painful pride, pain from temporarily defeated vanity and conceit requiring compensation - all this overwhelms a person who has succumbed to despondency. Thoughts about the uselessness of faith, the feat of repentance, the struggle with passions, or the impossibility of living so selflessly and intensely in Christ and succeeding - overwhelm the despondent person and he approaches despair.

From despondency one step to despair, and from despair one step to irreparable eternal destruction. He abandons prayer as helpless, abandons the reading of Scripture as useless, abandons the reading of the holy fathers and their lives as convicting him and supposedly unrealizable on him or unattainable, and therefore futile. Everything spiritual and saving becomes not a joy to him, but a burden. He begins to feel burdened and irritated by the presence of other, closest and previously loved people, as well as other necessary everyday things, surroundings and circumstances. A person tries to drown out despondency with entertainment, sinful acts, amusements, but only comes to worst condition. That is why the passion of despondency, as it kills the soul and threatens life, is generally rightly called a mortal sin. Already at the first signs of its manifestation, one must immediately confront it and resist it in every possible way, calling on God and His saints for help.

Despite the commonality of manifestation of the passion of despondency, it has various reasons to attack the human soul. There is despondency from arbitrarily sinful life when everything gets boring. In Rus', this condition was called blues or Russian blues. There is despondency from a demonic attack, due to their envy or other motives. There can be despondency from high asceticism in solitude, and there can be despondency due to arrogance, ascetic pride, or foolish undertaking of feats beyond one’s strength. For those who live in obedience, there is despondency for self-indulgence or humiliation (even in thought) of their elder. There is despondency among ascetics of repentance from the instructive and purifying abandonment of God.

Such a painful hellish state must be experienced. It is allowed by God according to his strength and in moderation for the sake of great spiritual benefit. In other cases, when we ourselves are to blame for the attack on us by the demon of despondency, we must oppose it with the available means. Such means are: cheering yourself up by singing strengthening and encouraging songs church prayers and chants; let us prepare ourselves even to die for the sake of God and even His one commandment; repentance for sins that led to despondency; repetition of suitable sayings from the Psalter, Scripture or the holy fathers that strengthen the soul.

For example, it's good to sit with eyes closed, quietly out loud, with attention to the words of the prayer or saying of Scripture, repeat this prayer or saying several dozen times until the soul, through this repetition, enters the field of truth. The truth will free the soul from the oppression of active passion or sorrow.

For example, you can repeat the words of the Lord from the Gospel of John:
John 14.1 :"Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, and believe in Me" .

You can also repeat words from the Psalter:
Ps.41 :" 6 Why are you depressed, my soul, and why are you embarrassed? Trust in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God.
7 from the land of Jordan, from Hermon, from Mount Zoar.
8 The deep calls upon the deep with the voice of Your waterfalls; all Your waters and Your waves passed over me.
9 During the day the Lord will show His mercy, and at night I have a song to Him, a prayer to the God of my life.
10 I will say to God, my intercessor: why have you forgotten me? Why do I walk around complaining about the enemy’s insults?
11 My enemies mock me as if they had bruised my bones, when they say to me every day, “Where is your God?”
12 Why are you sad, my soul, and why are you troubled? Trust in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God." .

You can repeat any of the phrases I underlined. You can search for yourself and find for yourself something similar to these sayings, which has the most impact on this particular state.

One must also contrast despondency with self-sacrifice, self-reproach (following the models of the holy fathers or created by oneself), mortal memory, memory of the rewards of the righteous, and other thoughts and words that console the soul.
Sometimes you can drink a little dry wine, because wine gladdens the human soul.
Sometimes take a walk in nature, contemplating God's creation. Sometimes you can listen to good music, for Saint David also drove away the demon of despondency from King Saul by playing the musical instrument. You can give room for appropriate humor and harmless jokes. So the Monk Seraphim sometimes joked in the choir, thereby amusing the brethren and removing the spirit of despondency from them. Sometimes you just have to sleep.

Fundamentally, the memory of God overcomes despondency most of all:
Ps.41, 7: " My soul faints within me; therefore I remember You ". That is why we must take care most of all to instill in ourselves the memory of God through doing the Jesus Prayer!

The final victory over the spirit of despondency is in our time a great success in spiritual life. It takes a person to a new level of spiritual life - living in the spiritual world, when the grace of God is scooped up with spoons. At this level there can only be slight sadness about previous sins that have already been mourned and forgiven, contrition about still manifesting infirmities, grief about the death and delusion of other people, grief about the state modern world, about a worldwide mass retreat. There is also a place for the reproof of apostates who rebel against God, against His Church, for prayer in His name, against the vessels of the Holy Spirit and for the path of salvation - the path of patristic repentance. But all this doesn't break inner world, does not blind or darken the soul, but keeps it in humility and striving for God and pleasing God. A cheerful soul succeeds in the knowledge of God and in the acquisition of wisdom and grace.

What is the sin of the sad?

My soul is disgusting,
And I live joylessly.
V. S. Vysotsky.

1. The Church about the sin of despondency.

1.1. The place of the sin of despondency in the church classification of sins.
1.2. Religious recipes for the sin of despondency.
1.3. An approach to the sin of despondency in modern Orthodoxy.

2. Depression is a synonym for despondency.

2.1. Medical meaning of the term depression.
2.2. Depression is a disease of millions.
2.3. Main symptoms of depression.
2.4. Mechanisms of depression.
2.5. Depression is not a life sentence, it is treatable.
2.6. Modern representations about depression (briefly).

3. Three consequences.

3.1. The dogma of the sin of despondency is dangerous for the health of believers.
3.2. Theological inconsistency of the sin of despondency.
3.3. The sin of despondency is an unfit moral criterion for good and evil in society.

1-

When the blues come, do not forget to reproach yourself: remember how much you are guilty before the Lord and before yourself, and realize that you are unworthy of anything better, and you will immediately feel relief. It is said: “many are the sorrows of the righteous,” and “many are the wounds of sinners.” Such is our life here - all the sorrows and sorrows; and it is through them that the Kingdom of Heaven is achieved.

Venerable Ambrose of Optina. (1812-1891).

When there is a special effect of absent-mindedness, sadness, despondency, laziness, it is very useful to perform the Jesus Prayer publicly: in response to the vocal Jesus Prayer, the soul is little by little awakened from the heavy moral sleep into which sadness and despondency usually plunge it.

Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov. (1807-1867).

When you are overcome by despondency and melancholy, then force yourself to mentally say: “Glory to Thee, God, Glory to Thee, God! I accept what is worthy of my deeds. Thank You, Lord...” Say these words dozens, hundreds of times, speak with conviction, from everything heart and after a while you will feel relief in your heart, peace and tranquility, firmness and patience.

Hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev). (1894-1963).

Emotional manifestations

• melancholy, suffering, depressed, depressed mood, despair
• anxiety, feeling internal tension, anticipation of trouble
• irritability
• guilt, frequent self-blame
• dissatisfaction with oneself, decreased self-confidence, decreased self-esteem
• decrease or loss of the ability to experience pleasure from previously have fun
• decreased interest in surroundings
• loss of the ability to experience any feelings (in cases of deep depression)
• depression is often combined with anxiety about the health and fate of loved ones, as well as with the fear of appearing incompetent in public places

Physiological manifestations

• sleep disorders (insomnia, drowsiness)
• changes in appetite (loss or overeating)
• bowel dysfunction (constipation)
• decreased sexual needs
• decrease in energy, increased fatigue during normal physical and intellectual stress, weakness
• pain and various unpleasant sensations in the body (for example, in the heart, in the stomach, in the muscles)

Behavioral manifestations

• passivity, difficulty engaging in goal-directed activity
• avoidance of contacts (tendency to solitude, loss of interest in other people)
• refusal of entertainment
• alcoholism and abuse psychoactive substances that provide temporary relief

Mental manifestations

• difficulty concentrating, concentrating
• difficulty making decisions
• the predominance of gloomy, negative thoughts about oneself, about one’s life, about the world in general
• gloomy, pessimistic vision of the future with a lack of perspective, thoughts about the meaninglessness of life
• thoughts of suicide (in severe cases of depression)
• presence of thoughts about one’s own uselessness, insignificance, helplessness
• slow thinking

To be diagnosed with depression, some of these symptoms must persist for at least two weeks.

2.4. State of the art modern science and technology allows us to determine the true causes of depression. Various manifestations of external symptoms (2.3) are caused by internal changes in the body. This is confirmed by biochemical tests. Thus, a number of substances have been discovered that are produced in the body and directly affect a person’s mood. It has been established that a decrease in the concentration of these substances, disturbances in their synthesis and metabolism lead to depression ( despondency). In some cases, these changes may be genetic. For example, researchers were able to isolate and study serotonin, which directly controls a person’s mood. Its concentration in the body does not depend on religious affiliation or religious experience. Disorder physiological functions in the body of a person with depression is accompanied by a decrease in serotonin levels, which leads to despondency. The action of many antidepressant drugs is to normalize the disrupted neurochemical processes of serotonin production and metabolism.

2.5. Depression is treatable. Based on scientific data about depression and its mechanisms, a number of antidepressants have been developed, tested and successfully used to help fight the disease. The drugs can achieve both a significant reduction and complete cure of depression in patients. These pharmacological agents bring real relief from suffering, not an imaginary one. You can read more about this on numerous specialized medical websites.

2.6. Summarizing what has been said (2.1-2.5), it can be noted that modern medicine quite rightly considers depression (despondency) not just protracted bad mood, but a clearly diagnosable disease that requires specialist intervention and is quite treatable. Even the mildest depression (despondency), which, as believers naively believe, will pass on its own or with God's help, can go very far with such a careless attitude. Numerous church-mystical writings on the topic of deliverance from despondency. Everyone knows about the harm and harmfulness of self-medication, which is the Orthodox approach to the issue. It should be remembered that the earlier correct diagnosis and started correct treatment, the greater the chances of a quick recovery, the more likely that depression ( despondency) will not happen again and will not take a severe form, accompanied by the obsessive desire of the believer to commit suicide!

Trust in God, but don’t make a mistake yourself!
Proverb.

3.1. Believers faced with despondency, At church instigations, they begin to inadequately explain the reasons for their own poor health and take actions that are the opposite of what is required. The reasons for this behavior become clear if you look at the background. So, even in ancient times, John Cassian (360 - 435) outlined in the book "ABOUT THE EIGHT MAIN PASSIONS" the following views on despondency:

":There are eight main passions: gluttony, fornication, love of money, anger, sadness, despondency, vanity and pride: although these eight passions have different origins and different actions, the first six, i.e. gluttony, fornication, love of money, anger, sadness, despondency, are connected to each other by some kind of affinity or connection, so that the excess of the first passion gives rise to the next one. For from excess of gluttony comes fornication, from fornication the love of money, from the love of money anger, from anger sorrow, from sorrow despondency; and therefore it is necessary to fight against them in the same way, in the same order, and in the fight we should always move from the previous to the subsequent. ...Therefore, to win despondency, first you need to suppress sadness; to drive away sadness, you first need to suppress anger; to extinguish anger, it is necessary to trample on the love of money; in order to purge the love of money, it is necessary to tame the lust; in order to suppress fornication, one must curb the passion of gluttony: So, all passions are born both from the intensification of previous ones, and are suppressed by reducing them... Therefore, we should fight these passions in such a way that everyone, experiencing any passion, especially against it and directed the weapon, using every diligence and care of the spirit to observe her and suppress her, directing the spears of daily fasts against her, every minute throwing arrows of heartfelt groaning and sighing at her, constantly shedding tears in prayer to God, constantly asking the Lord to stop his struggle."

This point of view of Cassian on the causes of despondency and ways to curb it - more than a thousand years. Such reasoning can indicate anything other than a claim to truth. Modern science has gone far ahead; such naive statements can cause nothing but a smile. However, even today on the official website of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra they continue to develop church tradition and in all seriousness they write about despondency, as if about demonic temptations:

For reference (sanatorium "Barvikha", December 2002) - the full duration of the tour is 24 days. The price for a full stay is: Single Suite - 132000 rub. One-room double suite - 120000 rub. (from each). The price of the tour includes most of the services of the sanatorium. There are a number of additional paid services.

Words of Jesus "You have and the hairs of the head are all numbered" (Matt. 10.30) concern primarily those who bring God's word to people - priests. The main church hierarch, Alexy II, clearly showed how much he trusts the biblical promises of the savior. To maintain his own health, he spared neither money nor time for quality medical care, and in between medical procedures he happily talked to journalists about singing with a guitar and the work of such writers as L. Tolstoy, M. Bulgakov and A. Solzhenitsyn. It is clear that in order to pray for one’s health, worship miraculous (healing) relics and other diligence in serving the Lord, it is not at all necessary to spend a long stay in expensive luxury hospital wards, and even the baptized person is required to think during illness (according to church teachings). in a slightly different direction - not about secular writers and worldly entertainment. It does not prevent ordinary Orthodox Christians from giving up illusions about biblical miracles of healing and following their spiritual leader - being treated not with prayers at icons, but in the offices of doctors who actually heal. This is undoubtedly required in case of depression (despondency).

The one whose words or actions are deliberately false is guilty,
and not the one who honestly and sincerely believed in this lie.
Chesterfield.

3.2. Secondly, the concept sin of despondency so internally contradictory that its religious comprehension becomes impossible and leads to logical dead ends.

It was clarified above (2.1-2.6) that depression (despondency) is a disease. Diseases in the biblical interpretation are sent to believers as punishment for previously committed sins:

14. But if you do not listen to Me and do not keep all these commandments,

15 And if you despise My statutes, and if your soul abhors My statutes, so that you do not keep all My commandments, breaking My covenant,

16. Then I will do the same to you: I will send upon you horror, stunting and fever, from which your eyes will become weary and your soul will be tormented, and you will sow your seeds in vain, and your enemies will eat them up;

15. If you do not listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do not try to keep all His commandments and His statutes that I command you today, then all these curses will come upon you and overtake you.

21. The Lord will send a pestilence upon you until he destroys you from the land where you are going to possess it.

22. The Lord will strike you with stunting, fever, fever, inflammation, drought, scorching wind and rust, and they will pursue you until you perish.

27. The Lord will strike you with the leprosy of Egypt, with scabies, scabs, and scabies, from which you will not be able to be healed;

28. The Lord will strike you with madness, blindness and numbness of heart.

35. The Lord will strike you with evil leprosy on your knees and legs, from which you will not be able to be healed, from the sole of your foot to the very crown of your head.

59. Then the Lord will strike you and your descendants with extraordinary plagues, great and constant plagues, and evil and constant diseases;

60. And he will bring upon you all the plagues of Egypt, which you feared, and they will adhere to you;

61. And the Lord will bring upon you every sickness and every plague that is not written in the book of this law, until you are destroyed;

It is absurd when, as punishment for past, already committed sins, a new, 100% inevitable sin is awarded, for which punishment will again be required. This is exactly what happens when depression occurs ( despondency). In principle, nothing prevents God from punishing a particular believer for sins with the same thing every time - depressive illness. The ways of the Lord are inscrutable! As a result of church verbiage about sin of despondency, the image of an eternal sinner is born. By God's will, such a believer will never get out of the vicious circle in which an old sin is punished by being forced to commit another sin. All meaning of religion disappears, because... mortal sin of despondency(see above) means spiritual death. The salvation of the soul for deep sinners becomes an unattainable peak. In addition, forced to continuously sin, a person will change daily not for the better, but for the worse.

Orthodox scriptures said that despondency is a mortal sin that can destroy the soul. From Latin this word is translated as weakness of spirit, weakness, negligence and laziness. Let's talk about despondency on this page www.site

When does despondency occur?

In the private life of any person there are moments when he experiences sadness or depression. If the period is prolonged, the condition is called depression - a disorder during which the ability to experience joy is lost. A sensitive person may feel hopelessness acutely, losing the will to live.

Pieces of the soul, scattered by endless sadness, must be brought together in order to once again feel the taste of life, gain the will, the desire to improve.

Dejection is boredom. How to recognize sinful boredom? How does it differ from a temporary emotional decline caused by circumstances, a certain unpleasant event, or a bitter experience? That which arises suddenly, in the midst of complete external well-being, for no apparent reason.

What danger arises from despondency?

A person subject to despondency becomes weak-willed. He tries to “go with the flow” without making any attempts to change the situation. He has no control over his own life.

Such a person is not interested in the consequences. He is apathetic, considers himself unworthy of ordinary joys. He does not expect anything good from life and, most likely, would be surprised to learn that it could be different.

What reasons could there be for despondency?

1. Prolonged grief after a great loss. A person experiences great emotional heaviness, the cause of which may be the loss of a loved one.
2. Unsatisfied desires. Highly hoping for something, a person does not get what he expected. The consequence is a clear awareness of lost opportunities and depression.
3. Envy. The realization that others, under equal conditions with you, live much better and more interesting.
4. Offended pride. An offended person may be angry not only at the direct source, but also at the whole world. The thirst for revenge, and especially the inability to take revenge, gives rise to despondency.
5. Random events perceived as injustice. Especially if the circumstances are beyond your control.
6. Collapsed plans. Expecting to achieve specific goals, to demonstrate one’s own worth and not realizing this, a person becomes despondent.
7. Loss of meaning in life. This sometimes happens after retirement or not getting the expected position. Abilities and experience turned out to be unnecessary - there was no point in living further.
8. Excessive pessimism. The lack of success in a number of cases gives rise to the confidence that everything will continue to end in failure.
9. Thoughts of hopelessness human existence. Wars and world conflicts evoke thoughts about impending dangers and the cruelty of fate, giving rise to despondency.
10. Excessive pickiness towards yourself. Some people are characterized by eternal self-examination and looking for evidence of their inferiority.
11. Overwork. The most common extreme fatigue can give rise to confidence: there are no prospects, a dead end awaits ahead, which causes despondency.
12. Poor awareness of reality. A person who is constantly in his own “shell” has little understanding of how to communicate with others, solve the simplest problems, or live an ordinary life.

Despondency has come - how to deal with it yourself?

The prevention of despondency is a person’s confidence that any experience makes us stronger, and any situation is suitable for self-improvement and spiritual growth. Even an unpleasant word can be spoken to us for instruction. It is dangerous not to be upset, but to remain in this grief for a long time.

If sadness and melancholy still overtake you, follow the rules:

Get to work. Avoid any thoughts about the cause of despondency. Even if you have no desire for activity, force yourself to finish the work at a predetermined level;
On the contrary, it is not worth devoting yourself to the same thing for a long time. It’s better to change your main occupation, relax, get creative, make new acquaintances;
Conduct your business fully and profitably free time. A family outing into nature, a bicycle, or the joys of summer cottages are quite capable of having a healing effect on the body. It will relieve boredom as if by hand;
Don't be overly self-critical of yourself. Any person has the right to make a mistake. And you, too. Any deficiency can be corrected. Instead of self-searching, it’s better to work on yourself;
Do not connect the surrounding reality with the flow of your negative thoughts. Just walk around the park, admire nature, listen to birdsong, chat with friends, delving into the meaning of the conversation with interest, indulge in your own hobbies. Get rid of the “garbage” that clogs your head and poisons your existence;
Give yourself a high goal. If you want more, you will achieve more. The desire to achieve a goal helps us endure life’s troubles, everyday difficulties, fatigue and physical illness;
Try to determine the meaning of any event that your life has brought. Patience and acceptance of what is given is a big step towards getting out of despondency;
Orthodox theologians found it useful to think about death. Not about the fact of life being interrupted, but about the fact that nothing can be corrected after it. Sometimes this really encourages us to direct our thoughts and actions towards something truly worthwhile, which our conscience tells us.

Despondency, which inclines a person to inaction, is equated with laziness. If, by force of will, he forces himself to work, but a depressed state, lack of joy causes lethargy and reduces performance, this indicates a person’s predisposition to depression. This painful condition causes a complete loss of strength, a constant feeling of fear and anxiety, insomnia, and loss of appetite.
Depression causes brain dysfunction and metabolic imbalance. The person may have suicidal thoughts. This condition requires medical intervention.

Dejection can be destructive, but it can also be controlled. It is enough to give yourself a clear direction to get rid of dangerous feeling and begin to act systematically.