Can a person overcome mental illness? For some it's a slow process and others a quick recovery, some calling it a miracle. For me It has been a gradual healing process.
I was hospitalized 6 times and diagnosed with paraniod schizophrenia. Although my first book "Don't Call Me Crazy," is fiction inspired by my true story, it reveals the lie I told which lead to a diagnosis which may be incorrect.
Overcoming mental illness has a lot to do with learning yourself, learning your triggers, learning how your past is apart of your future. When I was at a loss of mind, I heard the words, “Forgive yourself.” I had never read about forgiving one self nor have I heard anyone speak on this. It was heard from a higher power. When you don’t forgive yourself, you hold in all of that guilt and shame and it builds up until you explode. You have to find someone that you can trust to tell your most daunting secrets to. Some people run to the bottle or drugs when they are in pain. They never learn how to cope. I wrote my books to teach people how.
There’s a verse in the bible that I love. Hebrews 10:17 “And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” So when we repent, God forgets our sins, so why are we remembering them? Why are we holding on to them? For many adults with mental illness, they are holding on to sins they committed as a child. A child is vulnerable. A child makes mistakes because they are unaware of the difference between right and wrong. You have to repent, walk away from your sin, and then as God told me, “Forgive yourself.”
Swiyyah Woodard is a Baynews9 Everyday Hero, seen by 2 million viewers, for surviving mental illness and teaching others how to overcome. She received her BA degree from USF in Psychology and Certification in Creative Writing. She is author of ,"Don't Call Me Crazy! I'm Just in Love," and "Don't Call Me Crazy! Again," now available!
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