Do you feel blah and lackluster in winter? Are you struggling to function when the sun sets early and darkness cloaks the day in late afternoon? You are not alone, friend! You may be experiencing seasonal depression, which is a disorder linked to shorter days and less sunlight. If you are looking for solutions to help you heal, check out this week’s episode, 58-Three Ways to Heal Seasonal Depression.

Next Steps

1. Connect to God, read Psalm 27:1 and Isaiah 9:2.
2. Share this podcast with a friend, so they can heal depression with God.
3. Leave a review, so others can find encouragement in their healing journey.

Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethhopesteigerwalt/

Intro, outro, and trailer music “Bright as the Dawn” are licensed by Taizo Audio through Premium Beat by Shutterstock. #6193805

Disclaimer: I am not a licensed professional therapist, and unable to diagnose, treat or analyze depression or other associated mental illnesses. Based on Biblical principles and my personal experience of healing, I offer these holistic wellness strategies as a guide to bring healing from trauma and depression. You will receive natural healing support, Biblical encouragement, and nature-inspired messages to help you heal. Please see your doctor, psychologist, or professional therapist for help with diagnosing and treating mental illness. If you are severely depressed, to the point where you are considering suicide, please get help immediately! Your life matters, and you are loved and valued. It is possible to find hope and healing from depression.

Christians in Crisis https://www.christiansncrisis.com phone or text 1-844-472-9687. Started by Marriage/ Family Therapist Dr. Cheryll Holmes, this faith-based hotline offers a listening ear and counsel for severe depression and other mental illness issues.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Call 988 for emotional support through depression/Suicide.

If you have enjoyed this podcast, please send it to a friend, so they can discover healing from trauma and depression. Also, please consider writing a review on Apple iTunes or the host on which you listen. These reviews help spread the word about the podcast, so other people can rise above depression into wellness, like the sun ascending and reflecting on majestic mountains, a new day dawning.

Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethhopesteigerwalt/

Embarking on a New Year, we get to start fresh with new goals and new dreams. At least that’s how we’re expected to act, as we move into 2026. Some of you, however, may feel stuck, exhausted in your healing journey. Climbing up out of depression can feel like that, hard and challenging, like you are hiking up a steep mountain. In the midst of the journey, it is difficult to keep enduring. When you are struggling, put your hope in Jesus, who is a solid rock. You can depend on Him, to carry you and help you each step of the way. You can depend on Him, as a solid rock, when you feel your life is crumbling.

Last week and this week, I have reposted top downloaded episodes of this past year, which allowed me to spend more with my family. I look forward to serving you in the new year, helping you to overcome depression and thrive in confidence in your God-Created design. I stand with you, on the Rock and Firm Foundation. I encourage you with Phil 1: 6: “Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it to completion through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

In this week's episode, enjoy a reprise of a popular downloaded episode, 57-Facing Adversity? Stand on the Rock When Your Life is Falling Apart.

Next Steps:

1. Read Psalm 18 to encourage you through adversity. God is our Rock and faithful to help you.
2. Connect with me @ https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethhopesteigerwalt/

Intro, outro, and trailer music “Bright as the Dawn” are licensed by Taizo Audio through Premium Beat by Shutterstock. #6193805

Disclaimer: I am not a licensed professional therapist, and unable to diagnose, treat or analyze depression or other associated mental illnesses. Based on Biblical principles and my personal experience of healing, I offer these holistic wellness strategies as a guide to bring healing from trauma and depression. You will receive natural healing support, Biblical encouragement, and nature-inspired messages to help you heal. Please see your doctor, psychologist, or professional therapist for help with diagnosing and treating mental illness. If you are severely depressed, to the point where you are considering suicide, please get help immediately! Your life matters, and you are loved and valued. It is possible to find hope and healing from depression.

Christians in Crisis https://www.christiansncrisis.com phone or text 1-844-472-9687. Started by Marriage/ Family Therapist Dr. Cheryll Holmes, this faith-based hotline offers a listening ear and counsel for severe depression and other mental illness issues.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Call 988 for emotional support through depression/Suicide.

If you have enjoyed this podcast, please send it to a friend, so they can discover healing from trauma and depression. Also, please consider writing a review on Apple iTunes or the host on which you listen. These reviews help spread the word about the podcast, so other people can rise above depression into wellness, like the sun ascending and reflecting on majestic mountains, a new day dawning.

Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethhopesteigerwalt/

How is your heart faring this Christmas season? Joyfully connecting, you may anticipate family gatherings, opening presents, and special Christmas Eve Services. You celebrate Jesus, who came as a tiny baby in a manager 2000 years ago and became our Savior as an adult. Lighting flickering candles that cloak in a peaceful glow, you enjoy singing Away in a Manger and Silent Night. Christmas can also stress us out, as we wrap presents, cook, clean, plan and prep. For some people, holiday stress runs deeper, wrought with pain, depression and sadness. You may be grieving the loss of a loved one, and the chair where they used to sit is empty. You may tense up, because your family is not very welcoming, and relationships are strained. You may be struggling with deep depression from past trauma or like me, with cancer from Christmas past.

If you are struggling with despair this Christmas, the Lord Jesus sees and understands. He came to bring light in your darkness, hope to the hurting, peace in the chaos. Isaiah the prophet wrote about Jesus, 700 years before He was born.

Isaiah 9:2 "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned."

In this week’s episode, we will revisit Episode 12 from February, the most popular and most often downloaded episode of 2024. “Feeling Hopeless? Three Ways God Fights for You in Deep Depression” was part of a five-part series on proclaiming the names of God from Isaiah 9:6, and how He intercedes for us through struggles with depression. Go back and relisten to the other ones, too! In order, they were episodes 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 to discover God’s character as Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace from Isaiah 9:6.

May Jesus light your heart and give you hope in this Christmas season!

Next Steps

1. Read Isaiah 9: -9
2. Journal about ways God has fought for you through deep depression.
3. To be refreshed, go back and listen to the other episodes in this proclaim His name series. In order, they are episodes 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14.

Intro, outro, and trailer music “Bright as the Dawn” are licensed by Taizo Audio through Premium Beat by Shutterstock. #6193805

Disclaimer: I am not a licensed professional therapist, and unable to diagnose, treat or analyze depression or other associated mental illnesses. Based on Biblical principles and my personal experience of healing, I offer these holistic wellness strategies as a guide to bring healing from trauma and depression. You will receive natural healing support, Biblical encouragement, and nature-inspired messages to help you heal. Please see your doctor, psychologist, or professional therapist for help with diagnosing and treating mental illness. If you are severely depressed, to the point where you are considering suicide, please get help immediately! Your life matters, and you are loved and valued. It is possible to find hope and healing from depression.

Christians in Crisis https://www.christiansncrisis.com phone or text 1-844-472-9687. Started by Marriage/ Family Therapist Dr. Cheryll Holmes, this faith-based hotline offers a listening ear and counsel for severe depression and other mental illness issues.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Call 988 for emotional support through depression/Suicide.

If you have enjoyed this podcast, please send it to a friend, so they can discover healing from trauma and depression. Also, please consider writing a review on Apple iTunes or the host on which you listen. These reviews help spread the word about the podcast, so other people can rise above depression into wellness, like the sun ascending and reflecting on majestic mountains, a new day dawning.

Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethhopesteigerwalt/

Are you looking for a safe place to process dark soul emotions? Christian counseling sets itself apart, offering a place to heal with faith-based holistic encouragement. Our guest this week for part two of her interview is Meredith Koontz, a North Carolina Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associate, who shares the benefits of Christian therapy to help heal depression and move toward wellness. Last week she shared about choosing hope through chronic illness. Her faith and gratitude have anchored her for 22 years through the fatigue and complications of Crohn’s Disease, inspiring us to have hope through pain. If you haven't heard her story, check it out! Also join us for this week’s episode with Meredith, 55-How Christian Therapy Helps Heal Dark Soul Depression with Meredith Koontz, part 2.

*Top Five Percent Podcast in Christian Mental Health/Alternative Health*

Next steps:

1. Check out last week’s episode on Meredith’s faith through Crohn’s Disease! https://bit.ly/Choosehopethroughchronic-illness
2. If you need counseling, you can connect with Meredith and other therapists at https://summitwellnesscenters.com/
3. Another therapy option that Meredith mentioned is Better Health, which provides online mental health services: https://www.betterhelp.com/

Intro, outro, and trailer music “Bright as the Dawn” are licensed by Taizo Audio through Premium Beat by Shutterstock. #6193805

Disclaimer: I am not a licensed professional therapist, and unable to diagnose, treat or analyze depression or other associated mental illnesses. Based on Biblical principles and my personal experience of healing, I offer these holistic wellness strategies as a guide to bring healing from trauma and depression. You will receive natural healing support, Biblical encouragement, and nature-inspired messages to help you heal. Please see your doctor, psychologist, or professional therapist for help with diagnosing and treating mental illness. If you are severely depressed, to the point where you are considering suicide, please get help immediately! Your life matters, and you are loved and valued. It is possible to find hope and healing from depression.

Christians in Crisis https://www.christiansncrisis.com phone or text 1-844-472-9687. Started by Marriage/ Family Therapist Dr. Cheryll Holmes, this faith-based hotline offers a listening ear and counsel for severe depression and other mental illness issues.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Call 988 for emotional support through depression/Suicide.

Have you ever felt overwhelmed and stressed with chronic health problems? You are not alone. Meredith Koontz was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, which is an autoimmune condition that affects the digestive system, when she was 15. Struggling with fatigue and depression, she forges forward with hope, as she anchors herself in her faith in the Lord. Hear her incredible story of courage and faith on this week’s episode, 54-Struggling in Health? Choosing Hope through Chronic Illness with Meredith Koontz.

Next Steps

1. If you are experiencing depression and need a counselor, connect with Summit Wellness Centers in North Carolina, where Meredith works. https://summitwellnesscenters.com/
2. Read these books to encourage you: The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom and Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard.
3. Listen to next week’s episode on Meredith’s gratitude through chronic illness.

Intro, outro, and trailer music “Bright as the Dawn” are licensed by Taizo Audio through Premium Beat by Shutterstock. #6193805

Disclaimer: I am not a licensed professional therapist, and unable to diagnose, treat or analyze depression or other associated mental illnesses. Based on Biblical principles and my personal experience of healing, I offer these holistic wellness strategies as a guide to bring healing from trauma and depression. You will receive natural healing support, Biblical encouragement, and nature-inspired messages to help you heal. Please see your doctor, psychologist, or professional therapist for help with diagnosing and treating mental illness. If you are severely depressed, to the point where you are considering suicide, please get help immediately! Your life matters, and you are loved and valued. It is possible to find hope and healing from depression.

Christians in Crisis https://www.christiansncrisis.com phone or text 1-844-472-9687. Started by Marriage/ Family Therapist Dr. Cheryll Holmes, this faith-based hotline offers a listening ear and counsel for severe depression and other mental illness issues.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Call 988 for emotional support through depression/Suicide.

If you have enjoyed this podcast, please send it to a friend, so they can discover healing from trauma and depression. Also, please consider writing a review on Apple iTunes. These reviews help spread the word about the podcast, so other people can rise above depression into wellness, like the sun ascending and reflecting on majestic mountains, a new day dawning.

Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethhopesteigerwalt/

When you are struggling with deep depression, you may feel alone, hopeless, stressed. In the midst of the heartache, God cares and wants to help you. You can cry out to Him. He is ready to defend you and deliver you from the trouble. Check out this episode of continuing the two-part series of gratitude from Psalm 107. 53-Remember God’s Deliverance in Deep Depression from Psalm 107.

*Top 5% Podcast Worldwide in Christian Mental Health/Alternative Health*

Next Steps

1. Meditate and journal on Psalm 107. In what ways has God delivered you from deep depression? How can you express your gratitude to Him?
2. Have you listened to part one of this series? Here is the link to catch up! 52-Distressed? Remember to Give Thanks for God’s Goodness from Psalm 107. https://bit.ly/3LW6iS5

Intro, outro, and trailer music “Bright as the Dawn” are licensed by Taizo Audio through Premium Beat by Shutterstock. #6193805

Disclaimer: I am not a licensed professional therapist, and unable to diagnose, treat or analyze depression or other associated mental illnesses. Based on Biblical principles and my personal experience of healing, I offer these holistic wellness strategies as a guide to bring healing from trauma and depression. You will receive natural healing support, Biblical encouragement, and nature-inspired messages to help you heal. Please see your doctor, psychologist, or professional therapist for help with diagnosing and treating mental illness. If you are severely depressed, to the point where you are considering suicide, please get help immediately! Your life matters, and you are loved and valued. It is possible to find hope and healing from depression.

Christians in Crisis https://www.christiansncrisis.com phone or text 1-844-472-9687. Started by Marriage/ Family Therapist Dr. Cheryll Holmes, this faith-based hotline offers a listening ear and counsel for severe depression and other mental illness issues.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Call 988 for emotional support through depression/Suicide.

If you have enjoyed this podcast, please send it to a friend, so they can discover healing from trauma and depression. Also, please consider writing a review on Apple iTunes. These reviews help spread the word about the podcast, so other people can rise above depression into wellness, like the sun ascending and reflecting on majestic mountains, a new day dawning.

Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethhopesteigerwalt/

When you find yourself distressed, try remembering ways God has helped you in your time of need. Focusing on His goodness and His redemption and expressing gratitude to God will lift your spirits and help you to be resilient. Gratefulness is not just a once-a-year-deal, but helpful for mental health all year round! You won’t want to miss the new episode 52-Distressed? Remember to Give Thanks for God’s Goodness from Psalm 107.

*Top 5% Podcast Worldwide in Christian Mental Health/Alternative Health*

Next steps

1. Meditate Psalm 107:1-9 and remember ways to give thanks to God!
2. Check out other episodes on Gratitude
   1. 39- Are you a Whiner or Wise? Five Ways Gratitude Enhances Mental Health https://bit.ly/3JBsS12
   2. 40-Sleepless? How Science-based Gratitude Enhances Your ZZZ’s and Zest https://bit.ly/4lTkeZ2
3. Listen next week to discover ways God delivers us from deep depression.

Intro, outro, and trailer music “Bright as the Dawn” are licensed by Taizo Audio through Premium Beat by Shutterstock. #6193805

Disclaimer: I am not a licensed professional therapist, and unable to diagnose, treat or analyze depression or other associated mental illnesses. Based on Biblical principles and my personal experience of healing, I offer these holistic wellness strategies as a guide to bring healing from trauma and depression. You will receive natural healing support, Biblical encouragement, and nature-inspired messages to help you heal. Please see your doctor, psychologist, or professional therapist for help with diagnosing and treating mental illness. If you are severely depressed, to the point where you are considering suicide, please get help immediately! Your life matters, and you are loved and valued. It is possible to find hope and healing from depression.

Christians in Crisis https://www.christiansncrisis.com phone or text 1-844-472-9687. Started by Marriage/ Family Therapist Dr. Cheryll Holmes, this faith-based hotline offers a listening ear and counsel for severe depression and other mental illness issues.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Call 988 for emotional support through depression/Suicide.

If you have enjoyed this podcast, please send it to a friend, so they can discover healing from trauma and depression. Also, please consider writing a review on Apple iTunes. These reviews help spread the word about the podcast, so other people can rise above depression into wellness, like the sun ascending and reflecting on majestic mountains, a new day dawning.

Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethhopesteigerwalt/

Have you ever had a wonderful friend, with whom you laughed, cried and shared life, then suddenly they left? That pain of rejection can stab like a sword, leaving a gaping wound. Even Jesus was rejected, when his disciples abandoned him. He was hurt when people, who once shouted Hosanna and praised him, turned just a few days later, shouting crucify instead. Yet through it all, He endured, knowing that His Father loved him in the depths of despair. He loves you, too, more than you can ever know. If you are hurting, come soak in His love. He is the friend, who loves at all times, and He is waiting to embrace you. His love, which is high and wide and deep, is everlasting, and will carry you through each day. 51-How God Lavishes His Love to Heal Rejection.

*Top 5% Podcast Worldwide in Christian Mental Health/Alternative Health*

Next Steps

1. Read Ephesians 3:17-19, and 1 John 1:3.
2. Ask God to show His Love to you, in a real and personal way.
3. Share this podcast with a friend!

Intro, outro, and trailer music “Bright as the Dawn” are licensed by Taizo Audio through Premium Beat by Shutterstock. #6193805

Disclaimer: I am not a licensed professional therapist, and unable to diagnose, treat or analyze depression or other associated mental illnesses. Based on Biblical principles and my personal experience of healing, I offer these holistic wellness strategies as a guide to bring healing from trauma and depression. You will receive natural healing support, Biblical encouragement, and nature-inspired messages to help you heal. You will receive tips to thrive after trauma. For help in diagnosing and treating mental illness, please see your doctor, psychologist, or professional therapist. If you are severely depressed, to the point where you are considering suicide, please get help immediately! Your life matters, and you are loved and valued. It is possible to find hope and healing from depression.

Christians in Crisis https://www.christiansncrisis.com phone or text 1-844-472-9687. Started by Marriage/ Family Therapist Dr. Cheryll Holmes, this faith-based hotline offers a listening ear and counsel for severe depression and other mental illness issues.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Call 988 for emotional support through depression/Suicide.

If you have enjoyed this podcast, please send it to a friend, so they can discover healing from trauma and depression. Also, please consider writing a review on Apple iTunes. These reviews help spread the word about the podcast, so other people can rise above depression into wellness, like the sun ascending and reflecting on majestic mountains, a new day dawning.

Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethhopesteigerwalt/