Jalen’s mind was running a thousand miles a minute when he walked into his psychiatrist’s office that day. After lying down on a chaise lounge in the room, he sighed, saying: “sometimes my brain feels like a bag of popcorn...popping out of control with thoughts of my past, present and future.”

“I understand,” his therapist said, “Close your eyes and let’s explore what’s going on in your mind.”

Jalen followed his instruction...and immediately felt as though he was actually traveling through his thoughts. Looking around his brain, Jalen realized everything around him was made up of conversations, memories and emotions from his past. Squinting, he saw the things his therapist had encouraged him to normalize in his life. Asking for help... Taking mental health days... Setting emotional boundaries... and more things he wished he’d been able to say.

He walked a little further and saw a piece of artwork he made while healing from a traumatic event in his life. His dreams had been filled with painful memories of the trauma and the people he’d lost along the way because of it. The artwork also reminded him how much progress he’d made since that painful time... But thinking about his traumatic past still wasn’t easy. A flood of emotions rose within him until—all of a sudden—his brain went dark. Triggered by the memory of his trauma, Jalen felt trapped in the negativity of the past.

“The brain responds in interesting ways when it experiences something traumatic...” he heard his therapist say. “Don’t blame yourself for the actions you took while healing.”

Jalen’s mind lightened at this truthful reminder. He saw the hand of a dear friend emerge from the fading darkness. Smiling, Jalen was filled with a new appreciation for the people in his life who had walked alongside him, supporting him all along. Climbing out of his thoughts, Jalen heard his therapist say, “there are many challenging steps we must take to ensure our relationships promote a healthy mindset.”

Accepting responsibility to care for his mental health, Jalen determined the emotional boundaries he still needed to set with his friends and family. As he opened his eyes, he began to cry tears of healing. Tears of gratitude and growth that marked just how far he’d come.

Looking up, laughing, he said: “I should do this more often.”