New Hope for Deeper Healing from Depression and Anxiety

By Jacob Hess, PhD

Stories of long-term healing from depression and anxiety illustrate that gradual life changes that the gospel encourages can contribute in important ways to long-term healing.

Jesus Christ was not only a wonderful teacher but also a healer who led people to lasting relief from what afflicted them. That’s because the Savior took upon Him “the pains and the sicknesses of his people … , that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people” (Alma 7:11–12).

To learn more about lasting healing from depression and anxiety, I have reviewed over 100 stories of people who have experienced deeper, long-term healing from these increasingly common challenges. Doing so, I have identified several helpful themes that show up across many stories of healing, including physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual changes.¹

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic increased stress, isolation, and grief, there was growing appreciation of the way lifestyle patterns influence emotional distress. As Dr. Stephen Ilardi said, “Human beings were never designed for the poorly nourished, sedentary, indoor, sleep-deprived, socially isolated, frenzied pace of twenty-first-century life.”²

What steps can we take in our own homes to counteract these lifestyle patterns that make us vulnerable to emotional distress? Based on the themes I’ve identified, here are several specific adjustments that those hurting emotionally can make to deepen their own emotional healing.

1. Retain hope in the possibility of deeper healing

“If ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true” (Alma 32:21).

One of the most common themes in healing stories was the presence of hope that incremental shifts toward better emotional well-being were possible. As one person said, “Healing is … about maintaining hope.”³ Many with mental illness have been told their condition was permanent. This was based on the belief that the adult brain doesn’t change. We now know better. Discoveries of brain changeability have expanded hope that fundamental shifts are possible, including for those facing mental illness.

The possibility of profound changes shouldn’t be surprising to those who believe in Christ. Speaking to those affected by mental illness, Elder Erich W. Kopischke of the Seventy taught, “Do whatever lies in your power and then ‘stand still … to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed’ [Doctrine and Covenants 123:17].”⁴ Having others around us who don’t give up on us can really help, as Dr. Daniel Fisher found in interviews with recovered individuals: “Over and over again, we heard, ‘I needed someone to believe in me.’”⁵

2. Make small and large life adjustments

“By small and simple things are great things brought to pass” (Alma 37:6).

Virtually every story of healing involved people learning new things and growing in different ways. Sometimes they made large changes. For instance, one woman said, “I came to realize that I had additional hurts, habits, and hang-ups to deal with in my heart. Within me there was selfishness, control, anger … and much more I had been blind to.”⁶

Other times people found smaller adjustments making a difference, such as keeping a gratitude journal, adopting a pet, or getting more exposure to sunlight. One person described the value of a little more stillness in his day: “I get up early enough to not have to rush in the morning. I take in the sunlight by standing at the window for a few minutes.” He then sits down to have a “slow, warm, and quiet breakfast”—without interference from his phone.⁷

3. Prioritize physical activity, nutrition, and sleep

“Cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:124; see also 89:18–21).

Increased levels of physical activity have long been known to boost mood. Nutritional adjustments can also make a difference in reducing depression.⁸ As Dr. Felice Jacka wrote: “Eating a salad is not going to cure depression. But there’s a lot you can do to lift your mood and improve your mental health, and it can be as simple as increasing your intake of plants and healthy foods.”⁹ Likewise, researchers have found that getting to sleep one hour earlier “corresponds with a 23% lower risk of major depressive disorder”¹⁰—with benefits to current depression and anxiety as well.

4. Adjust your mental diet and mental activity

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee” (Isaiah 26:3).

Those finding deeper healing often report learning how to view despairing and dark “mental content” not as a reflection of who they are but as something they are experiencing. As one brother recounted, “What was previously experienced as this kind of torture, being enslaved by the thought process, I was able to push back from that and just notice it as something a lot more innocuous, kind of like lying down on the bank of a river, just watching the stream float by.”¹¹

While it’s normal for us to view our thoughts as “reality,” it’s possible through practices like prayer, meditation, or therapy to learn how to see our thoughts and feelings more objectively and less personally. This, in turn, helps us to appreciate our capacity to choose how to respond to what’s going on inside—and to redirect attention to what is true and good.

Paying greater attention to what we bring into our minds can also support more healing. As President Russell M. Nelson recently cautioned, “If most of the information you get comes from social or other media, your ability to hear the whisperings of the Spirit will be diminished.”¹²

5. Pursue forgiveness and healing from past trauma

“God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

It’s common for painful things in the past (from early abuse to later trauma) to influence present emotional distress. A common pattern in healing stories is to not ignore these connections and instead to take them seriously. Rather than focusing on what’s wrong with people, one woman who had found healing suggested we explore more of what has happened to them.¹³ Fortunately, there is more awareness and professional trauma-oriented support to help people find healing from painful past events.

6. Deepen your connections with God and others

“They have come up hither to hear the pleasing word of God, yea, the word which healeth the wounded soul” (Jacob 2:8).

I was struck by how many stories of deeper emotional healing center on rediscovering a new connection with God. One man spoke of “hanging on to God’s promises” in scripture when no one else around him seemed to be able to help him.¹⁴ Elder Jeffrey R. Holland has counseled those facing depression, “Faithfully pursue the time-tested devotional practices that bring the Spirit of the Lord into your life.”¹⁵

Many others affirmed that coming to see their lives as having true worth, meaning, and purpose was an important part of their healing, as was connecting with others around them. One Church member found sweet connection to deceased family members by immersing himself in family history. He said that he gradually started noticing how he began to “feel lighter” as these connections deepened—to the point that eventually he “didn’t even notice the depression at all.”¹⁶

7. Increase your capacity and resilience

“We are more than conquerors through him that loved us” (Romans 8:37).

Painful mental and emotional challenges can limit our natural capacities in various ways. That leads many to seek additional help from a variety of outside supports as needed. These include qualified medical and mental health professionals offering medication or counseling, family, friends, and other helpful resources such as the Church’s emotional resilience course.¹⁷ Some unfortunately turn to illegal substances, alcohol, and other unhealthy escapes that may provide temporary relief but ultimately can be detrimental to long-term healing.

When used appropriately, outside resources can support us as we seek deeper healing. People who find more sustainable recovery report experiencing incremental growth in their emotional capacity and resilience over time.

Small Changes Make a Big Difference

None of the changes described above, of course, needs to happen all at once. Neuroscientist Alex Korb writes that “one small change at a time” can reverse the course of depression by creating an “upward spiral.” I once visited with a family whose depressed teenager felt unable to commit to anything except getting a little more sunshine. After two weeks of getting outside more to play sports with his father, this young man felt enough energy to experiment with adjustments to his diet, which triggered other improvements and a new momentum of gradual healing. This reflects “the aggregation of marginal gains” that Elder Michael A. Dunn of the Seventy recently emphasized.¹⁸

Another brother described how adjusting what he took into his mind had rippling benefits for other areas of life: “I started to be choosier about what [media] I watched, and who I hung out with because I had a really clear sense of how it was affecting me. And that influenced my sleeping cycle. And I started to rest more; and I realized I felt really good when I exercised. And I noticed what foods made me feel good and what foods made me feel sick.” He described these changes as a “domino effect … that cascaded into other fortunate turnarounds.”¹⁹

Dr. Korb explains: “In complex systems like the brain, even a little shift can change the resonance of the whole system. For example, exercise changes the electrical activity in your brain during sleep, which then reduces anxiety, improves mood, and gives you more energy to exercise [and interact with others]. Similarly, expressing gratitude activates serotonin production, which improves your mood and allows you to overcome bad habits, giving you more to be grateful for. Any tiny change can be just the push your brain needs to start spiraling upward.”²⁰

As you can see, deeper healing is not about attempting to change everything in dramatic fashion. That would be daunting even in normal conditions, let alone when feeling burdened emotionally. Even single adjustments can make a real, incremental difference. So don’t give up!

Seeing the way that gradual change is central to lasting healing has increased my appreciation for being a part of a gospel community dedicated to ongoing growth and eternal progression.

The good news is that these opportunities for growth are things we can prioritize in our own lives and homes. Prophets have repeatedly pointed our attention back to the untapped potentials within our own families—with President Nelson encouraging us in recent years to “transform [our] home into a sanctuary of faith.”²¹ With the inspiration of the Spirit, I believe we can make our homes sanctuaries of healing as well.

Our Lord knows the agony of crushing emotional pain and what can help us find deeper relief. However confusing mental illness is for all of us, I testify that the Lord is not confused. He knows exactly what can help us find more lasting emotional healing.