Episode 109: How Depression Made an Impact on Our Marriage and Faith
On this podcast, we usually sit down with guests to talk about marriage and family life. But in this episode, we wanted to get personal and share a piece of our own story—specifically, how depression has impacted our marriage.
We have been married for over 30 years and have five children together, but what we didn’t know until the birth of our third child is that one in seven women experience postpartum depression (PPD) after birth. Postpartum depression can wear many different faces, such as sadness, anxiety, panic attacks, anger, and intrusive thoughts.
What neither of us could predict at that time is that the birth of our baby would move us to one of the hardest valleys we’ve faced as a couple. Today, we’re sharing what we learned as we adjusted to life with a growing family—while also navigating the effects of this mental health struggle.
In this conversation, we share:
- How stress and depression can impact marriage
- What postpartum depression looked like in our story
- The importance of leaning on one another
- And more!
If you and your spouse are going through a hard season or a mental health issue is taking its toll, we hope this conversation will bring some hope and encouragement your way.
Links:
- [BLOG] Depression: Where Pain Met Love in Our Marriage
- Christian Care Connect (Mental Health Assistance)
Our Takeaways:
1) There’s no shame in struggling with mental health. Whether you, like Joanna, struggle with postpartum depression, or you have some other kind of mental health issue, you don’t need to feel guilty or hide what you are going through. It took us a long time to seek the help we needed because we harbored feelings of shame around our struggle. The truth is, you never need to pretend to have it all together or put on a happy face when you’re in pain.
2) Actively pursue community. Even if you aren’t struggling with postpartum depression, everyone needs the support and care of a loving community as we go through life. Part of finding your social community is being willing to both give and receive care. The more we can build relationships with “our people,” the more likely we will be to reach out for help when we need it.
3) You are not alone. This is the most important thing we want you to take away from this conversation. Struggling with any type of mental health issue or a dark season of life can feel isolating and cause you to withdraw from your support system. When you feel the urge to pull away, we encourage you to do the opposite and draw closer to your community, your spouse, and your Father God. The reality of God’s love is transformational. He sees you, hears you, and can guide your steps toward healing today.
If you are navigating a mental health struggle or a hard season right now, we would be honored to add you to our prayer list, recommend some trusted mental health resources, or both. Click here to contact us—we are here to help however we can.
