Quoting Malcolm X and supporting Maslow’s theory*, I told my therapist that I couldn’t find peace because I didn’t have freedom.  She proceeded to present me with a book called Man’s Search for Meaning, countering that freedom is something to be achieved in the mind.

In the darkest of darkness came-forth the beginning of all light;
Little did I know that this piece of literature would forever change the way I perceive life and its struggles. The main points of the book can be based upon these two quotes:

• “He who has a why to live can bare with almost any how” – Nietzsche
• “Man is not disturbed by events but by the view he takes of them” – Empiricus 

I was unable to construe the root of my psychological suffering, the ultimate reason for my restlessness and apathy.  It was not the physicality of my oppression but the hindrance of my thought process. Life mirrors my every though; and as I keep my thoughts positive, life brings to me only good experiences.  Perspective makes a tremendous difference in your psychological health. 

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Self actualization is the highest level of psychological health at which one reaches his or her higes potential and values truth, beauty, goodness, faith, love, humor, and ingenuity. Abraham Maslow described self-actualization as “the need to become more and more what one is, to become everything that one is capable of becoming.” Maslow differentiated between two different categories of needs: basic needs and metaneeds. Basic needs – physiological needs, belong and love, and esteem needs – are the deficiency needs and are essential and urgent. Metaneeds come into play once the basic needs are met and include spirituality, creativity, curiosity, beauty, philosophy, and justice. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is arranged with the basic needs on the bottom as they are the most fundamental and powerful needs. *Lower level needs must be met before before the next level of needs can be satisfied.