Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in Psyche.

Mental Health Mama
Mental health, something so widely talked about yet so hushed. Combine motherhood with mental health and you'll really turn some heads. I'm a 26 year old single mom to a six year old little boy and I've struggled with mental health for many years. As a teenager I was diagnosed with ADHD, depression, PTSD, anxiety and OCD. Later on in my life, after I had my son I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and that was the biggest blessing of my life. Everything made so much more sense of my life. They tried diagnosing me as a teenager with bipolar but it was brushed off as a teenage drama queen (which was also true) but I wasn't able to start being me and living my life until my bipolar diagnosis. I was able to get on the proper medications (highly reccommend talking to your doctor about Rexulti if you're looking for the right fit for you) and was able start researching my mental health and making sense of things like manic episodes. Being a mom and being bipolar is hard, somedays it feels impossible but I just want you to remember you're not alone. There are plenty of other parents out there trying to manage both and somehow succeeding. Somedays are better than others, somedays I can't get out of bed. Otherdays I find myself in a manic episode obsessively cleaning until everything is perfect. I know my son knows something is off with mommy but he doesn't love me any less, and your kiddos don't love you any differently either. I encourage anyone struggling with their mental health, parent or not, to get help. Don't be too afraid to seek support. Here in Colorado Springs we have a facility called Mentally Strong that I wish everyone knew about. They're a group of people who genuinely care about their clients and focus on empowering YOU to choose to be mentally strong despite the hard times you might be going through. I've been utilizing mentally strong for the last year and a half and I'm finding it's easier to be a mama with support. Find other parents that are struggling and partner up, be there for each other. It may take a village to raise a kiddo but it can also take a village to keep ourselves together at times. Don't be afraid to find your voice and seek support so you can be the best you!
By Tatiana Rainey6 years ago in Psyche
Life before and after diagnosis of Bipolar effective disorder
My name is Olga and I suffer with Bipolar disorder. I am writing this article to help others in understanding what Bipolar disorder is, how its started and what I have been doing so far to manage my condition. In this article I will explain giving examples from my own experience so its easy to understand when it comes in detecting the Bipolar disorder and therefore getting the right help at the right time before it escalates into more severe form of illness that requires hospitalization.
By olga nunn 6 years ago in Psyche
How Art Therapy Can Relieve Stress
One of the moves that children start out with, as soon as they're able to, is holding a crayon. As soon as they can do that, they start to draw. Being creative and making art is a human impulse. Artists are the ones who tell the truth, which is often why in hard times, they can be seen as a threat and are the first to be censored. But creating art heals the mind, spirit, and body.
By Amanda Doyle6 years ago in Psyche
Recovery Is a Different Road
I wouldn’t precisely describe the journey that I’ve been on for the past few years as recovery from mental illness. I think a better way to describe it would be to say I’ve been learning to manage my illnesses and putting coping strategies in place to improve my quality of life. From the outside that might sound quite cold, clinical even. From the inside, it’s been a process of acceptance, trial and error, patience and tenacity.
By Alicia Brunskill6 years ago in Psyche
Resilience
Being someone with a colourful past and dealing with anxiety, I am determined to be my most resilient self. It all started in the magazine section of my previous workplace. This ‘Health & Wellness’ magazine caught my eye; their focus for the month was ‘breathing’. Inside the magazine , the authors explain different mental and emotional inklings we deal with in our day to day lives and how to handle them in a more healthy, productive manner.
By Anisa Ali6 years ago in Psyche
A Piece Of Me
Just a warning to start out... This content may be triggering, may bring up some emotions, feelings... but it is my story being told by me in hopes to inspire, educate, and provide motivation, hope, and healing. Be gentle to yourselves, please.
By Nia Wheat6 years ago in Psyche
An Anxious Girl's Guide to Staying Active at Home
It's no secret to anyone who knows me: I have anxiety. I'm fidgety, I get nervous easily, and it usually ends up with me having a bag case of jittery legs and way too tense shoulders. I tend to release energy with going to the gym, heading to a store, or walking dogs. With COVID, I haven't had that opportunity for outdoor activities. I've also been working my 9 to 5 job every day, keeping me inside without having to commute in and out of the city. To recap, I've been anxious about the virus, anxious about not being as active as usual, and anxious because the name of my mental illness is "General Anxiety Disorder" (Let's not mention the Depression, OCD, etc.). I have a lot of nerves with few outlets. Luckily, I've always been a creative lady, so I've found a few different ways to keep myself going in these trying times. It's the little things that matter to me, and by doing these small activities, I've stayed active and kept my mental health in a good place.
By Sam6 years ago in Psyche
Untwisting the Knot
I've always loved going to the gym. I love the feeling of my body working and the rush of endorphins it gets from being challenged. Sometimes going to the gym is my only outing, as I'm a student that often studies from home, and it's where my body finally gets its chance to work as my mind rests.
By Cassandra Lawrence6 years ago in Psyche
Where There Is Pain There Is Overcoming and Hope
This is the story of my bout with severe depression and a longing to be free from it. I want to warn you first that the story is true and that it may contain triggering words. Please read at your own risk. This doesn't end in tragedy. There is a silver lining in all this.
By Jade Kelly6 years ago in Psyche
Honey
I love the silence. The absence of all noise around me, all but maybe the occasional chirping of a bird, or the quiet shift of my feet on rock or grass as I sit in my own silent world. It is only in nature and nature alone, that I find what it is I am continuously searching for. It is only with the heavy thickness of a valley meadow, or the thin, whispering atmosphere of a rocky peak, or merely the dampness of a forest floor after a fresh rain as if the earth itself was filled like a sponge with the waters of the heavens, thus dulling out all the noises, all the distractions; the entire cacophony is still.
By Joshua Grady6 years ago in Psyche
The Self Obsession with Psyche Imperfection
Despite the fact we have a conducted thought process to conduct what to say, somehow a certain sentence slips through that makes this self-scrutinizing turmoil begin and it just doesn't stop.
By Samantha Parrish6 years ago in Psyche
Back to Basics: A Gleaning of Contemporary Native American Mental Health Issues. Top Story - July 2020.
Savage warmongers or animal-loving pacifists? Uncivilized beasts or trainable inferiors? Early settlers of North America perhaps debated these questions amongst themselves when encountering the indigenous peoples of The New World. Regardless of the discussions that took place, one thing is certain: the decimation of Native American (NA) populations is a black mark forever ingrained in United States history.
By Thomas Christopher Luongo6 years ago in Psyche