Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Psyche.
15 Daily Affirmations for Anxiety
Anxiety is a burden and it can come out of nowhere. I suffer from anxiety and sometimes it can feel like your whole world is just crashing down and there is nothing you can do. Anxiety is scary but whenever I feel any type of anxiety coming on, I turn to these affirmations to get me through it. From my experience, the best way to calm down an anxiety attack is to ground yourself and affirmations are a great way to do that. Affirmations have a calming effect & can help you change any negative beliefs you may be having. They can also serve as a distraction. I pick 3 or more & continuously repeat them to myself until I start to calm down.
By Natalie Layfield6 years ago in Psyche
Good Enough
I spend so much time not confident in who I am. I often think others are judging me by my appearance or because they don’t like the person I am. I have started to try to remember the times that I did feel good about myself, and I try to remember what I felt like in that instance, so that I can start to crave feeling like that so often, I can begin to make a habit of it.
By Tosha Maaks6 years ago in Psyche
Empaths
Empath is a growing term these days, more and more people are awakening to being an empath, and some might not even know what being an empath is. For those of you who don't, an empath is a person with the ability to tap into other beings' emotions. These other beings are usually humans or animals.
By Cassandra Lillico6 years ago in Psyche
My Path to Body Positivity
I've always had a rough relationship with my body image. Most people say I am beautiful. I have compliments on my long legs, that I have a nice butt in my jeans without it being said in a vulgar context, that I have a nice figure. But that still effects me when I am all by myself and I have to look at my figure in the mirror or when I sit down and I can feel my stomach pressing against my arms. It's different when the positive affirmation from a friend's point of view can't really help me when it's my own body. It's like the generic saying goes, "You never know what someone's going through until you've walked a mile in their shoes". I've tried to explain that it's a sweet sentiment but it doesn't change how I think. In return, my answer is dismissed and I'm cut off with more "positive affirmation" that I don't know what I'm talking about, that I have to stop being negative. I would try to explain to another person that I'm not trying to be negative, I'm trying to explain why I can't accept that positive remark because I hate my own body and I can barely look at it half the time. That's the way I thought several years ago.
By Samantha Parrish6 years ago in Psyche
What Living with Anxiety is Really Like
This article doesn’t offer a scientific explanation of what anxiety is, nor does it go over the common physical symptoms, simply because the majority of people know that information already. What they may not know, is everything that goes through the mind of someone with anxiety on a daily basis and thus, this is meant to describe exactly what an anxious person is thinking in everyday situations, and the consequences of those thoughts. It’s important to know what is going on inside their mind to be able to better understand their emotions and actions. To the millions out there with these same experiences, you’re not alone!
By Rachel Pers6 years ago in Psyche
My Story of Redemption Part I
This journey starts long before I was diagnosed. As a teenager, I had always felt off. Not bad or crazy - just off. I felt like I was on the outskirts of society. Friends did not come easy to me. I didn't seem to be able to communicate well. It was like my mind and my mouth just wouldn't line up. I had so many emotions all the time. Anxiety, depression, paranoia. I couldn't seem to distinguish them. All my emotions would hit me at once. I just didn't know how to handle them. This sensation continued throughout high school and past graduation. Even though I had trouble with friends, I enjoyed a very close relationship with my family. I am the oldest of four children and have two wonderful parents. So when I graduated, I decided to attend college close to my home. I thought that life would be different at college. I was sure I would "find myself". Things were different but just not how I had thought. I had a wonderful roommate and it seemed my luck with friends was changing. So I felt that I could do anything because I now had friends. Now what I found out was my roommate had connections....connections to parties. So I started drinking. At first it was just for fun. Then I realized that drinking numbed my thoughts and emotions. I didn't have to fight my feelings when I was drinking. So it became a lifestyle. I would start the day with beer and end it with shots. I didn't realize I was becoming an alcoholic. Then drinking led to other things. Smoking, drugs and eventually petty theft. (I am not saying that all drinking is bad, nor am I saying that drinking always leads to more. This is just what happened to me in the mental state I was in.) I thought this was great. I was enjoying myself and not fighting my emotions. The thing was, deep inside, I knew something was wrong. I started distancing myself from my family. I wasn't attending any of my classes. So started the spiral. I didn't like what I was doing but I couldn't stop. If I stopped drinking and getting high, then I would have to fight all the thoughts and emotions flying through my head. So I kept going with this lifestyle but started to not enjoy it. I started hating myself and everything I did. I....just....couldn't.....stop. Then came the night it all fell apart. I was laying in bed, in the dark, crying. Nothing was right. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know where to go. My parents could have helped but I had completely alienated them. So I thought I found the answer. A dull razor blade. I laid there trying to cut myself with an old razor blade. Then my roommate came in. She saw what I was doing and ran to find someone to help. When she left, I ran. I went out a back door of the dorm and ran. Unfortunately it was raining and I was in my pajamas. I heard police sirens coming and decided I needed to hide. I thought if I just hid for a while, everyone would forget about me and leave. I obviously was not thinking straight. I had also lost the blade in my rush to leave. I found a small back porch on one of the dorms. It was wooden slats with a small staircase. It didn't keep the rain off of me completely but at least it was somewhere to hide. I spent most of that night under those stairs in the mud. I couldn't even end my life successfully. As it was nearing dawn, things seemed to quiet down. I took a look around and couldn't see any people or police cars. So I made my way back to my dorm. As I entered the lobby it was very quiet. I thought I was safe now. I could go back to my dorm and act like nothing happened. Then off to my right I saw movement. It was my roommate and a police officer. There was nowhere to go. I was too tired to run again and just didn't have any fight left in me. They took me to the hospital to be evaluated. Once it was determined I was okay, I thought this was the end of it and I could go back. Like I said my mind was out of control at this point. They gave me two options. They would either admit my to the psychiatric hospital, or I could call my parents and go home with them. This was a very difficult decision. Obviously I did not want to go into a hospital but I had distanced myself from my family. In the end, I always knew I could go home. So I called my Dad. I just told him I was okay but needed to be picked up at the hospital. So he came. I couldn't say anything, I just showed him my wrist. He cried and hugged me. It was obvious that he didn't know what to say or do. He drove me home and the ride was very quiet. He must have been embarrassed somewhat because he didn't tell my Mom what happened. I went to bed and He told my Mom I was sick. Later that week my parents went back to the dorm and got all my things. I spent a week in bed. I just slept. This is the beginning of my journey but it is not the end. This was the first time I tried to end my life but it would not be the last.......
By Heather Troutman6 years ago in Psyche
I Was Misdiagnosed for Years
When I was a child, I was extremely happy and energetic. My mom and grandmother will tell you that I bounced all over the place. I loved to read, I loved to play, and I loved watching and helping my grandmother in the kitchen. I had my ups and downs, but who doesn’t? Nothing ever seemed out of the ordinary. In middle school, though, things seemed to change a little bit. I went to a different school than my friends, and these new kids were not as nice or as kind to me. The way I had made friends in the past didn’t seem to work as well as it had before. It threw me for a loop, but I kept working and getting good grades.
By Dahlia Baerga6 years ago in Psyche
How Drug Abuse Affects Dental Health: 3 Ways to Beat the Addiction
When the topic of addiction comes up, we often think about the damage done to an individual's personal relationships, finances, and mental health. Beyond all of these consequences, however, there are also the physical problems caused by repeated drug use. One of the most impacted areas caused by substance abuse is the mouth, especially since this is the entry point for many substances. If you are currently addicted to a substance and are concerned about your health, let's take a closer look at exactly how drugs impact dental health and what you can do to overcome your addiction.
By Carlos Fox6 years ago in Psyche
Top Ten Tips for Dealing With Anxiety
1. Exercise: this might seem odd, but physically exerting yourself can relieve mental stress. Exercise lowers cortisol (your body’s stress hormone). Try to find an exercise routine that makes you happy – yoga, running, kickboxing. It needs to be something that makes you happy or you won’t do it, right?
By Missy Is Me6 years ago in Psyche
