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When Cole experienced crippling anxiety for the first time he was nearly 20 years old and didn’t know how to cope. With the help of loved ones and professionals, he found peace.

Cole grew up as a leader in school and sports. After high school, he left for his full-time missionary service in Argentina with enthusiasm. Soon, however, migraines, sleeplessness, and depression plagued his every day. His local mission leader counseled with him and encouraged him to return home and seek help.

It was the second psychologist Cole visited who offered a perspective that changed Cole’s life.

“Over a series of months, he helped me realize that it’s okay to accept what God gives you and to be humble enough to learn what He’s trying to teach you,” Cole recalls.

Through sessions of guided meditation, Cole learned to calm his mind and reconnect with his knowledge of God’s love and support.

“I learned that sometimes the feeling of God or Jesus Christ in your life is just calm,” he says. “It’s that type of calmness that can help us see the reality of God’s hand in our life. I think God’s grace lies in the fact that sometimes he’ll break you down to build you up into a person that you’ve never been before.”