Bio – Cherise Perkins

Cherise Perkins lives in Northwest Arkansas.  She has a Bachelors of Arts degree in Psychology with a Minor in Writing from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.  Her website is www.cheriseperkins.com.  She is a singer/songwriter with songs available for others to record.  Cherise has most recently performed at the National Quartet Convention in Louisville, Kentucky and the Branson Gospel Music Convention in Branson, MO.  Her record label is Jericho Records which is part of Zion Music Group in Nashville, TN.  She has released three songs to Southern Gospel radio in the last 12 months with her latest single “He Loves Me” at #9 on radioactiveairplay.com.  She is a mom and wife with a full time career and part-time ministry.

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Dear Cherise,

I have been feeling blue for the past several months.  I do not have any reason to feel this way.  My job is good.  Everyone is healthy.  I feel guilty for feeling this way which makes it even worse.  I know how blessed I am, but can not seem to shake this feeling of doom.  I can’t even watch the news anymore because it just upsets me more.  Do you have any advice for how to pull out of this?

Kim from Tennessee

Dear Kim,

First of all, you are not alone in this.  There is documented evidence that Seasonal Depression is a real thing.  The cold hard winter we have had has a direct correlation to our emotions and general well being.  Lack of sunlight is a huge contributor to Seasonal Depression.  I can not diagnose this, but only give you my opinion.

You might want to see your doctor to rule out any underlying illness.  If the doctor determines that Seasonal Depression is a factor, he/she may recommend the following:  Vitamin D supplements, occasional tanning (to make your body produce Vitamin D), and exercise.

You bring up a very valid point about watching the news.  I truly believe that if the media were to come out and say that things are looking up, we would all start feeling freer to purchase things and live life to the fullest.  If you’re already pre-disposed to feeling blue, the bad news around the world will definitely make it worse.  Maybe you should skip the nightly news and have your husband fill you in on anything important you need to know about.  This at least alleviates the full drama so often depicted in the news. 

It seems sad to me that good news does not bring in the ratings, while bad things do.  How is that affecting us in our everyday lives?  I think it’s a huge negative.  I would personally love to see more good stories than bad. 

The news on the economy gets even the best of us worrying about our jobs and finances.  To alleviate that, I do suggest everyone put together an emergency cash account for 6 to 8 months of living expenses.  This way, if you do have a loss of a job, you can survive while looking for another one.  Planning is key to alleviate the financial pressures of life.  Focus on paying things off as well and do not get into more debt at this point. 

Another way to feel better is to do something nice for someone else.  This could be a friend or charity.  It gives you so much positive energy when you give back to others, plus it allows you to see how much worse your issues could be. 

Do not feel guilty for being depressed.  It is not something you can always control.  It could be a chemical imbalance as well that is treatable with medication by your doctor. 

Lastly, wakeup thankful for the day, health, family, and jobs.  So many people do not have these things.  Let’s thank God we do every day.  Let’s pray for those who don’t.   While we are at it, let’s pray for Kim too. 

Please send your questions to cherise.perkins@yahoo.com for next month’s article.

Love in Christ,

Cherise Perkins
Email:  cherise@cheriseperkins.com