In 2005, I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder while staying at UCLA’s medical center in Los Angeles for several weeks over Christmas. Back then, to me, the severity of my diagnosis was already scary, but what was even scarier? Feeling I was alone. “We don’t talk about this at home,” said actress Taraji P. Henson to The Root Institute, describing the reality for many African Americans, who often, as I did, felt they are alone in their grappling with psychological pain. But Henson doesn’t want anyone to feel alone in this fight. It’s why the therapy advocate started the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, a nonprofit focusing on the mental health of the black community. “We suffocating as a people,” said actress Taraji P. Henson, explaining why she had to get out front and get talking about her therapy journey in order to help others also struggling with mental health issues. From turning off the news and social media as “self-care” to grappling with generational trauma, check out this wide-ranging conversation on why “if something is too much, step away, step away, for your own strength,” says Henson.