Empowered through trials

EMPOWERED

THROUGH TRIALS

Photos by Kristen Staker. Graphics by Yichi Lu. Collage of Delphia Lloyd.

A BYUH graduate with a ‘major depressive disorder’ said there is power in looking back and seeing personal growth

BY XYRON LEVI CORPUZ

“There’s power in looking at your past and seeing how much you’ve grown and where you’re at because I realized now … that I’ve come so far, and I’ve become way stronger.”

Delphia Mihi Lloyd, who graduated in the Winter 2022 Semester with a degree in hospitality and tourism management, said, “Thinking about my story, I often forget to look back and see who I’ve been and where I’ve come from. And sometimes, that’s just because I get too caught up in the moment, or sometimes that’s because I don’t want to think about it, because I might feel embarrassed or ashamed or scared,” she said.

Lloyd from Caldwell, Idaho, said she has a condition called major depressive disorder, which is a chemical imbalance in the brain. “[It] causes you to have the inability to feel joy, or basically to enjoy life, even when you’re surrounded by the things and the people you love,” she explained. “There’s power in looking at your past and seeing how much you’ve grown and where you’re at because I realized now … that I’ve come so far, and I’ve become way stronger,” she said. “And I owe that to the Delphia before, to the Delphia who struggled and who wanted to give up. I owe who I am now to her; to the one sometimes I’m embarrassed about, and I’m grateful for her,” she continued, with tears in her eyes. When asked what she does to cope with her mental struggles, Llyod said what helped her was to have both hope and endurance. “When I’m going through my depressive episodes, I’ll just keep holding on to things that I have founded myself in [such as] the gospel, my faith, my family and serving others,” she shared. Llyod said her message to others who are also experiencing mental health conditions is to seek help. She commented, “The No. 1 and the most foundational thing I would tell people is don’t be afraid to get help. Please get help and don’t be ashamed.”

Portrait of Delphia LLoyd who wants to change the stigmas around mental health issues.

She added, “Your depression or whatever other illness you have or whatever you can consider to be a trial or witness in your life can actually be the biggest strength in your life and can become something that makes you more powerful than you realize. But that’s only if you take the time to get help and to really love yourself for who you are and where you’re at.”