A Life Should Not Have Perished

I felt blue today for no obvious reason.

I spent some time searching for music on Spotify and found a few soothing pieces that helped calm my mind. As I listened through my headphones and slowly felt re-energized, I realized my sadness had not come from nowhere. It came from a YouTube video I watched the night before.

The video began with a police call. A woman reported that her friend had died by suicide in his apartment.

The story then asked a heartbreaking question: Why would a successful young entrepreneur, a graduate of Cambridge, take his own life at only twenty-eight years old?

The video shared his life story.

He was brilliant from a young age, excelled in school, and left China at sixteen to attend a prestigious boarding school in London. Later he was admitted to the University of Cambridge. After graduation, he started a high-tech company with several friends. They raised capital. The company grew quickly. By every outward measure, he was succeeding.

And yet, beneath success, something deeper was happening.

Life can bring both opportunity and temptation. At twenty-four, he fell deeply in love with a woman older than him. He left his fiancée with little hesitation. Later he learned she was married, but he continued the relationship for four years.

At twenty-eight, he was forced out of the company he had co-founded.

Eventually, he ended his life.

Whenever I hear about someone dying by suicide, my first thought is this:

Depression killed them.

Not weakness. Not failure.

Mental illness is real. Depression is real.

For too long, society blamed those who died by suicide as if they simply lacked strength or willpower. But I believe many of those choices are made while the person is in the grip of severe mental illness—just as cancer can take a body, depression can take a life.

Depression kills.

The most devastating outcome of untreated mental illness can be death—whether by harming oneself or harming others. When depression becomes severe, a person may lose the ability to think clearly or feel hope.

I know this because I have been there.

Twenty years ago, when I was in my thirties, I often felt life had no meaning.

Every day I went to work with a practiced smile on my face. By the time I got home, I felt emotionally exhausted and mentally drained. But the moment I opened my front door, I put on a happy face again for my husband, my toddler, and my parents.

Inside, I felt empty.

Often during my commute, I thought, If I died today, I would have no regret.

When my second child was two years old, I had a nervous breakdown. I thought about crashing my car.

I was saved by my therapist, an experienced, gentle-hearted psychologist whom I still see today.

During the darkest part of my depression recovery, she reminded me again and again to think about my two young children. Her words helped pull me back to reality when my mind wanted to disappear.

That is why stories like the one I watched last night stay with me.

The young man in the documentary had struggled with depression before.

After being admitted to Cambridge, he experienced overwhelming pressure and intense anxiety from competing with brilliant classmates. He sought treatment and was able to continue. Later, during his senior year, his depression returned.

He improved again with treatment.

But life kept bringing stress.

He entered a complicated relationship with a married woman. The relationship reportedly became emotionally unhealthy. He also spent less time focusing on work and was eventually demoted from CTO to engineer before being forced out entirely.

I do not want to judge anyone involved.

I only want to share what I have learned through my own mental health journey.

1. Stay away from toxic environments and toxic relationships

Mental health struggles are often deeply affected by the people and environment around us.

Those living with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or emotional trauma may absorb negative energy more easily.

If you recognize that someone consistently hurts your emotional well-being, it is okay to step away.

Love and control are not the same.

Years ago, my therapist gently told me that part of my emotional pain was connected to family dynamics, especially growing up with a very controlling parent.

She told me:

“Your recovery will be much harder if this environment doesn’t change.”

It was incredibly difficult.

Asking my parents to move out of our home felt painful and culturally complicated. But with support from my brother, we made that change.

Looking back, I am deeply grateful.

Sometimes healing begins with a boundary.

2. Find people who truly support you

Supportive relationships are essential for emotional wellness.

For anyone living with mental illness, having a caring spouse, family member, or trusted friend can make an enormous difference.

Home should feel emotionally safe.

Feeling loved, supported, and accepted strengthens resilience.

Feeling controlled, neglected, betrayed, or emotionally unsafe can deepen anxiety and depression.

Healing rarely happens alone.

3. Let go of what is harming you

Letting go is painful.

But sometimes it is necessary for mental health recovery.

This may mean releasing:

·       a high-paying but emotionally draining job

·       a toxic relationship

·       unrealistic expectations

·       the pressure to prove yourself

·       a path that no longer brings peace

If something is crushing your spirit and threatening your well-being, it is okay to release it.

Protecting your mental health matters.

Your life matters.

4. Be open to change

One phrase I heard during outpatient treatment stayed with me:

“People often choose to stay in hell rather than make a change.”

Change feels scary.

The unknown feels uncomfortable.

Habits, even painful ones, feel familiar.

For years I lived with constant negative self-talk:

I am stupid.
I can never do this.
I’m not enough.

I learned that self-talk shapes emotional health more than we realize.

Slowly, intentionally, I practiced replacing those thoughts:

I am capable.
I can do this.
I am worthy.
I am growing.

It felt awkward at first.

But healing often begins with changing the words we speak to ourselves.

There is hope

There are many paths toward mental health recovery.

Therapy.

Medication.

Support groups.

Faith.

Rest.

Boundaries.

Learning new coping skills.

Daily self-care.

But healing begins when we are willing to believe recovery is possible.

That young man’s life should not have ended so soon.

A life should not have perished.

And if you are reading this while struggling with depression, anxiety, emotional pain, or hopelessness, I want you to hear this:

There is hope.

There is light.

Healing may feel slow.

But brighter days can come.

Keep seeking help.

Keep reaching out.

Keep walking one small step at a time.

(Copyright © 2026 Moonlite Factory Blog)