Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Psyche.
"Group: How One Therapist and a Circle of Strangers Saved My Life"
I'll start by saying, I was shocked at how much I was able to relate to this story, having never partaken of group style therapy myself. What made this story so relatable for me were the overarching issues which sent Christie to therapy in the first place: an overwhelming sense of loneliness beginning at a young age, an eating disorder, a dysfunctional family dynamic, being sexually assaulted. I personally relate to each of these topics in some way.
By Emily Goswick5 years ago in Psyche
Everyone Knows, One Helps
Everyone Knows, One Helps I can say with certainty that my childhood was rough. There will always be someone who had it worse, but therapy and memes have taught me that comparative suffering isn’t useful. With a narcissistic mother and a bipolar father, my siblings and I were caught in the fray and all reacting as we best knew how, trying to protect the younger sibling or siblings as much as we could. When home is a warzone, you learn to find solace somewhere else. Anywhere else, really. I clung to teachers and mentors, soaked up affection from friends and their parents, and threw myself into every activity I could manage to avoid extra time at home.
By Elizabeth Hunter5 years ago in Psyche
Once More With Feeling: What I've Learned after Meditating over Half My Life
I first started meditating when I was 12 years old. At that time, I always thought that life was out to ‘get me’. I never truly felt settled, particularly in school. I was never bullied, but I did feel pressure to be wary of my words or what I did, as it would not be met with the most understanding of companies.
By Sion Evans5 years ago in Psyche
my mental health & Covid
Recently, I had the unfortunate pleasure of testing positive for good ol' Covid (I'm currently fine and am back at it with normal life). However, I live with someone who lies within the "higher risk" category, so I went straight for the extreme solution. I packed up some of my things and went off into our guest bedroom where I would stay for ten days. During my isolation, I had A LOT of time for eating, sleeping, binging TV, and many other mundane activities. The one thing that I did the most though was think.
By Bad At Being A Girl5 years ago in Psyche
You Oughtta be Ashamed of Yourself
In my own experience, all emotions have their root in love or fear. While it may seem binary, I propose that we live in one or the other. That is to say, each moment, each decision will be a choice to endorse love or fear. Unfortunately, many of my moments in life have endorsed fear and my decisions have manifested that in the short term or long run. Like we are inclined to do, I have justified many of these decisions to feel better about them. Fortunately, I'm continuously shown love, which enables me to make decisions in love at times too.
By Caleb Baker5 years ago in Psyche
So You Think You want to be A Hoarder?
I posted a simple comment on a “tips for eliminating clutter” Facebook page tonight and my phone exploded!!!! I asked my family if I would be liable when someone had a heart attack from emotional overload! The post literally had 133 comments in just a few minutes! Were people even reading it at this point? Here is the post:
By VNessa Erlene5 years ago in Psyche
Life with Co-Occurring Disorders
As a child, I never seemed to feel as if I fit in. I always seemed to be the odd man out. I remembered being incredibly sad and depressed even as a pre-teen. When a “friend” (let’s use that term loosely) decided she hated me and that everyone should too, I started planning my suicide. I was only 11. My mother knew I was always lashing out, always crying, or always anxious, but we all thought it was a phase. Looking back, I could see why. I don’t hate my parents for thinking that.
By rachel west5 years ago in Psyche
Optimism-Happy Go Lucky Bulls%*t, or Not?
If you are like me, the first time someone told you to be more optimistic you were probably having a hell of a day, that turned into a nightmarish week, which led to the month of doom. Then some over-energetic sap came along and told you that “you just have to be more positive,” as they skipped their way into their hot yoga class while sipping on a twenty-dollar, imported espresso, cashew fusion milk, latte. If those seven words did anything other than stoke the fires of fury already burning inside of you then you are a better person than I am.
By Nigel Leadbitter5 years ago in Psyche
Anxiety: A journey through poetry. Ep.1
Here we are. Bags packed. Ready for a journey of discovery into the heart and soul of anxiety. This series is for everyone. Whether you're new to anxiety or a veteran of many battles, one thing is certain; we have all experienced the same feelings. The tragic beauty of anxiety is that it is relatable. So by extension, as a community it should be easier to identify and support each other. However the bitter irony being that anxiety can, and often does, cause us to retreat into ourselves. Over the coming episodes, I will explore the raw feelings anxiety creates which many of us have but cannot communicate. The objective? Converting honest anxious experience into a creative medium that people understand, building bridges that form relatable connections with those in and outside our community and most importantly, understanding ourselves.
By Chris Lambert5 years ago in Psyche
