Photo by Nitin Arya from Pexels INTRODUCTION My relationship with mental health has been severely affected by my spirituality in positive and negative ways. Growing up as a child of divorced parents, therapy was introduced to me at a young age. Throughout elementary, middle, and high school, I saw therapists and guidance counselors. Each time, I grew a little more. It wasn’t until college, though, when I began to see that my mental and spiritual health went hand in hand. During my first real depressive episode, I hated myself so much that I thought I had to punish myself physically for God to forgive me. At the same time, I feared discarding the gift of life God had given me. That kept me going. Several years later, after graduating with my master’s, I had the most life-shattering nervous breakdown I’ve ever experienced. I felt like two people – the happy, beautiful, and bubbly me vs. th