What Psychosis Was Like for Me—And How I Found My Way Back

I don’t talk about this often, but I think it’s important:
I experienced psychosis. And I recovered.

For me, it didn’t show up as one dramatic moment. It was slow. Stress, not sleeping, pushing myself too hard — all the things I told other people to watch for—I ignored in myself. I thought I could handle it. I’ve always handled it.

Then one day, something shifted. The world didn’t feel like the world anymore. My thoughts didn’t feel like my thoughts. I couldn’t trust what my brain was telling me. That was the scariest part — losing confidence in my own mind.

I wasn’t “me” for a while.
And it took time to come back.

Recovery wasn’t magic. It looked like:
• Medication I didn’t want but needed
• People checking in when I tried to isolate
• Sleep—real sleep
• Someone saying, “You’re going to get through this,” before I believed it
• A lot of quiet days that felt boring but were actually healing

There were moments I worried I wouldn’t fully return to myself.
But slowly, I did. And I’m still here — more grounded than before.

The part I want people to hear most is this:

Psychosis can happen to anyone.
Smart people. Responsible people. Helpers.
It doesn’t mean someone is dangerous.
It doesn’t mean they’re “gone forever.”
It means their brain is overwhelmed and needs care.

I used to carry shame about it.
Now I carry understanding — for myself and for others.

I don’t define myself by that experience, but I don’t erase it either.
It’s part of why I do the work I do.
It taught me to pay attention to my limits.
It taught me that asking for help is strength, not failure.
It made me softer with people who are struggling quietly.

If you’re going through something that doesn’t make sense, you deserve support—not judgment. If someone you love is struggling, stay close. Steady companionship is often the thing that keeps someone tethered.

I’m still learning, still healing, still growing.
But I’m here. And I’m okay.
And if you’re not okay right now, that doesn’t mean you won’t be.

We come back.
We find ourselves again.
Even after the mind feels like it has gone somewhere else.