Mental Health

Battle for the Physical & Spiritual Mind

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes ONLY and is backed up by verifiable references. This is NOT a diagnostic tool; however, this IS a tool to create awareness of mental illness. Should you or a loved one have any concerns or exhibit any symptoms described here it is important to talk to your Physician as soon as possible, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or the SAMHSA National Helpline at (800) 662-4357.

Real Wordz with DJ Quassy (Someone Who Understands)

The past two weeks have been quite interesting for me. I recently celebrated my birthday on the 17^thof April. That day everything was great (so it appeared to be). When my mother returned home from work that Monday something was quite off about her. I greeted her by saying “Mom! Do you want to hear my new song?” Which is something I have done since I was a child. Well, she shrugged her shoulders and walked solemnly into her room and closed the door behind her. Suddenly, I heard her crying, then she started chanting, and spewing things out of her mouth that sounded completely and utterly demonic. It didn’t take long for me to realize someone, or something triggered a paranoid schizophrenic episode in her mind. Mental illness has reared it’s ugly face again.

THE PHYSICAL BATTLE

Mental Illness & The Battle for Your Brain

The mind is the control center of our human existence. Medically, signals are sent from the brain to command the body to function. When the brain doesn’t function properly, it creates a domino effect of physical and mental issues and ailments. Pain becomes the language of life. According to Curable “Once stressors are identified, the brain begins to put the body into a state of fight or flight, causing real, physical effects in the body.”

Chronic pain conditions that some doctors see as “invisible” like, fibromyalgia, and lupus. Many respected scientists believe that controlling the way the pain is perceived can be of great relief. As a chronic pain patient that suffers from both fibromyalgia and lupus, I will say that I still need to explore that strategy.

THE SPIRITUAL BATTLE

Mental Health & The Battle for Your Mind

In a worldwide recovery group called Narcotics Anonymous they use a popular 12 step program to facilitate the recovery of the addicted. Step 3 encourages turning one’s life as known to a higher power in my opinion have always implied that it doesn’t matter which level of spirituality you are on. The battle for the way you think and believe has spiritual components. I am a Christian, so I believe in Jesus Christ. Some believe in others. Whatever the case it is important to understand that we live in a divine world with supernatural energy surrounding us daily both positive and negative.

In the Bible of the Christian faith Romans 7:25 reads “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.” (ESV) This passage expressing clearly that we serve the higher power (God) with the way we think. Faith is about how we think, optimism is about how we think, affirmations aims to shape the way we think! Likewise, negative energy around us also aims to shape the way we think, anxiety is about how we think, depression is about how we think, personality disorders, paranoid schizoid affective disorders. All about how to distort the way we think. 

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

If this battle of my mind has supernatural components to it how do I win? Well, for me I chose a side. I either wanted to feel good or feel bad. So, I decided enough was enough. I decided (in my mind), that I wanted to feel good. First a thought, then actions followed, finally full recovery! That was me. But I had to change how I thought about things. Moreover, I had to stop getting so angry so fast, I had to stop believing something always had to be wrong with me because I was used to things being that way.

I had to stop believing the lies of the negative energy around me and believing in the divine spirits that I claimed to believe in and follow. I had to minimize my exposure to shenanigans because shenanigans can get you caught up! Bottom line is for me, it started in my mind, and it ended in my mind. The bible tells me 2 Corinthians 10:5 We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. (NLT)

I started to demand change in my mind, and it happened. It was a process. However, I am happy to announce I can and do go through storms without encountering oppression from spirits of suicide, depression, anxiety, hopelessness, confrontation and many more!

YOU CAN DO IT!

Likewise, the bible instructs its readers in Ephesians 6:12 (NIV) “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

This scripture also reiterates the importance of understanding that none of our conflict is with people at all! We would love to believe so, but really the way the opposition is thinking is distorted as well which is why many mental health patients appear to be highly agitated. We all have a common enemy. This is not meant to be a bible lesson. This is merely an appeal to the minds of the sufferers and plead for you to fight the negative energy around you and take back control of how you think!

That may mean, seeing a professional that specializes in psychiatry. Maybe you may need a little bit of medicine to reset the chemical imbalance causing the distorted thinking. Maybe you would benefit from talk therapy to help you develop cognitive coping skills when faced with much trauma of distorted thinking. I cannot and will not ignore that there could be trauma linked to the developing of mental illness and I am so sorry that it ever happened at the expense of you living a fulfilling life with fulfilling thinking.

May I suggest that may be one reason why in my experience professionals have attempted to help me view and confront my trauma by a shift in my thought processes. I believe that if you are willing to see past what you can see, then you will begin to see a clearer future because you will believe in a better one for yourself or the one you love.

IN CONCLUSION

This mental illness journey has been an ongoing cycle for my mother. As a result, my siblings and I were victims of varying degrees of different abuse. We all view things differently today because we all experienced it in our minds differently. Today, my mother is a high function schizophrenic. She works hard, and she is the sweetest person. I had to realize and show a level of compassion for her that I could do simply because I am the one capable of viewing being neglected and abused as a child differently in this situation. She is so traumatized by her own abuse as a child that she cannot see past her hurt because she mentions the same things all the time.

However, I have grown past that. It has been a domino effect and battle for the minds of those in my bloodline which is why there is always generational and hereditary components to many of the spiritual mishaps and negative energy we face. Generational tics is what I call them. That is a conversation for another day.

Let me end by asking you something.

What’s really on your mind and why is it sanctioned to be there? 

Should you notice signs or symptoms of mental illness in yourself, your child, or someone you love. Speak to a professional promptly! Early intervention saves lives!

Some common symptoms to be aware of

• Increased sleeping and or fatigue
• Lack of interest in things once pleasurable
• Agitation
• Racing thoughts
• Fast or slow speech
• Crying spells
• Isolation
• Substance abuse
• Suicidal ideations
• Aggression towards people and animals
• Arson
• Self-harm
• Binge eating
• Dissociations
• Cutting school
• And more!

REAL WORDZ OF ENCOURAGEMENT BY DJ QUASSY

I am no professional who specializes in mental illness. My only qualification is a lifetime of experience. I know that you feel lost. I have been there. 10 plus years of depression, psychiatric hospitals, sedating psychiatric medications, misunderstandings, misjudgments. You name it! Lost things can be found. I was. Sometimes it just takes a little sound, a cry out for the right one to hear you. Let’s start with the words I started with. “Help me please!”

Today, it has been 10 years since I have had psychiatric issues putting me in psych hospitals on medications. I can think clear, and I can feel, and I love it! The system can be so messed up, but if you say the right thing to the right one, you will be heard and you will be helped! Good luck and God Bless!

#GetSOM via @dj-quassy & click here for more of my content!