Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Psyche.
5 Simple Ways To Soothe A Panic Attack
This past week brought up something that I haven't experienced in a while: a panic attack. It felt like my entire body was on fire, I was short of breath, and I felt like I couldn't move or think. It had been a long time since I had a panic attack. Since it had been some time, I didn't really remember how to handle it. It was an experience that felt so foreign, yet so familiar. So what did I do? I dug up some old notes I luckily had on my phone and mustered up the energy I had left to try and come down from what I was feeling. It wasn't easy, but eventually it all worked out. I thought that since I'm sure I'm not the only person experiencing this right now (or ever), I'd share my 5 simple ways to soothe a panic attack that work for me. I hope they work for you, too.
By Alexandra Picerne5 years ago in Psyche
Delusion Diner
I made sure I was alone. Just me, myself, and the motley crew of industry workers flirting in the back until I need a cup of coffee. This was my time. Me at my best. Alone at 4 am in a small diner in rural Nevada, taking note on the various details of what it is to be human. I can read people. If I know anything, it is that 4 am is the best time to observe the intricacies and rare truths that belong to a certain breed of people. Years of social isolation and reprogramming to meet the standards of what it means to be a regular person, are finally beginning to pay off. My necessity to understand how people live and think has become my super power in the form of storytelling. The stories we tell ourselves to tell others what to tell us.
By Christy Ann Clark5 years ago in Psyche
Pete’s diner
I watched her throw silverware around and shuffle pots and pans the last 15 years of my childhood. Every night. Religiously. I never quite understood why and I never asked. She’d stare into a seemingly empty wall but her eyes told a different story. They were bright and awake and a sideways smile would creep into the side of her cheek like a spider pulling the last thread of her web.
By Michelle Tucker5 years ago in Psyche
Escape to the deepest world
Sometimes, exclusion is a good thing. I'd prefer not to be lured into acceptance, only to find vanity and delusion there. A frown or sarcastic remark may contain more treasure than the smile of some fake resting face. A wound in season is a most faithful friend, so please, intimidate my pride with a critical gaze.
By Brigida Levonna5 years ago in Psyche
The importance of mental health support when returning to work
Coronavirus has made returning to the office a period of great anxiety. But returning to work after a pandemic is only part of the disparities between a healthy work-life and good mental health. Data is increasingly providing evidence that our psychological resilience is on the decline: according to one survey, only 13 per cent of people in the UK reported that they had good mental health.
By Jack Johnson5 years ago in Psyche
EMDR - Knots in the Yarn
I’m no stranger when it comes to baring my soul. I believe my vulnerability strengthens me. But I’m pretty private about the most traumatic events and patterns in my life, because well, I figure no one really needs to know, we all carry life’s baggage, and for the most part, there are many things that are nobody’s business.
By Catherine Kenwell5 years ago in Psyche
My Depression Nancy
Everyday I wake up and tell myself I will take care and do right for myself and by my family. Then I come back to reality and in about ten minutes; I’m on the couch wrapped up like a burrito and telling my kid to grab a Capri-Sun and pop tart for breakfast because I’m just so unbelievably unmotivated I can’t make myself move. As a mother you’d think I would live for my child and use her as the ultimate motivation, but sometimes the post partum depression just doesn’t go away. Or in my case it was like welcoming back the worst best friend I’ve ever had. Let me introduce you to Nancy: my Depression. Nancy comes and goes as she pleases but for a small period of time I really thought I had moved on and away from her.
By Alison Williams5 years ago in Psyche
The Marble
When discussing habit and addiction in the human mind, it can be helpful to think of one’s entire brain as a marble course. Your mind is the marble, rolling down an endless expanse of possibility. Where will the object go? The object will always go where it is easiest to go. Sometimes this changes when new variables are added into the equation, and sometimes it remains the same. Think of a marble rolling down a course; if there is a downward slope, eventually gravity will draw the marble in that direction. But the added variable of a plastic blockade, or a finger exerting force in the opposite direction; well these are liable to change things, most importantly the decision at the end of the day that all of these calculations attempt to count toward: where is it easiest to go?
By Miles Rafael Bairley-Ujueta5 years ago in Psyche
