A maze within itself. At that juncture, I did not know what to do. I had lost touch with reality, which is a lot to process—especially issues of safety and the feeling of vulnerability in that moment. Those sensations lingered in my mind. The disturbance to my psyche and the quest to feel normal became defining points where I now marvel at the person I became through it all. As my brother Abdul once said, I became a better person because of that experience.
I encourage you not to be consumed by your circumstances, because what matters is who you become in the process. Our greatest challenges can bring forth our most profound attributes. I realized that I have always had an introspective nature. As a child, I often found myself alone, observing others as they played. That introspection remains part of who I am today, even with a family. It has made me well-suited for writing, something others have encouraged me to pursue for years.
Through therapy, I learned how to use my introspective nature to my advantage. As expressed in a song by The Temptations: “Take a stroll through your mind, and you will be surprised at what you might find.” There is an inner world within us that can produce remarkable outcomes. However, being consumed by our struggles can become overwhelming and burdensome.
My journey awakened qualities that had long been dormant. I became aware of the power of thought—that as a man thinks and believes in his heart, so he becomes. This truth is echoed in scripture, which teaches us to “let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” Experiencing mental illness changed the trajectory of my life, but it also became a way for the Creator to reveal His strength through me.
Amid life’s storms, the Creator always provides and remains a source of comfort and peace. Scripture emphasizes trusting in Him—leaning not on our own understanding, but trusting with all our strength, knowing that He will direct our path. I learned that when we allow circumstances to dictate the quality of our lives, we create unnecessary suffering.
Hopelessness and powerlessness are at the core of depression and anxiety, trapping a person in emotional turmoil and clouding judgment. When no resolution seems visible, it becomes a dangerous place to remain. Yet there is power in the word within you—it can restore hope, break mental captivity, and free you from the limitations of your own imagination.
Hope itself is life-giving. It breathes new energy into your being and lifts the weight of distress that can otherwise lead to deep depression. My turning point came when I chose hope—when I sought guidance and accepted that my previous way of thinking was no longer effective.
The renewal of the mind was not a new concept to me, but I eventually gained the language and experience to fully understand it. I have seen it from both perspectives: as a patient and as a clinician. I now recognize this as part of the Creator’s way of revealing my purpose—to serve others. I recall a minister once saying that the Creator will place you in a situation, bring you through it, and then send you back to help others overcome the same struggle.
My journey into mental health began with a personal need to understand what it meant to lose something as precious as the mind—and to have it restored. In truth, the mindset I had before my illness needed to change. Losing my mind led me to realize that I needed transformation—a renewal of the mind. I had been conditioned to a way of living that limited my perspective. It became clear that to truly serve the Creator, I needed to become a new creation in Christ.