Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Psyche.
Drowning in Tears
2019 was supposed to be the best year yet. At least that’s what I told myself when it started. So far, I have experienced more loss in my life than any year I’ve lived before. I lost my aunt to brain cancer a week after being diagnosed. I lost both my oldest and youngest dogs—13 years old, and two and a half years old—a week apart from each other.
By Kristina Julian6 years ago in Psyche
Mental Health
How do you deal with pressure or stressful situations? When I cast my mind back to past job interviews, I can’t help but to focus on one generalised question in particular that always seems to crop up. "How do you manage your stress/workload/etc?"
By Diary Of A Modern Mummy 6 years ago in Psyche
An Average Looking Mess
Welcome to my insane life. My name is Alex. I'm 20 years old, but sometimes I feel like I'm 12. I have generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, and panic disorder. I'm in college, living by myself. I have a boyfriend, a mom, a dad, a sister, a brother, a dog, and a small extended family. I'm an overeater when I get anxious, causing me to have body dysmorphia. Yep, I'm a hot mess, actually, an average looking mess.
By Ally Schrieber6 years ago in Psyche
Seasonal Depression
Ahh it is that time of year once again, the clocks have gone back an hour, making 5 PM feel more like 6 PM, and it gets dark at 4:30 PM. Not only is the outside world seemingly greyer, but your outlook on things may be as well. You start to feel down and have no explanation for why you feel this way, other than it's just the weather; then you are dealing with Seasonal Depression.
By Hannah Elliott6 years ago in Psyche
Acceptance: Freedom Is Found from Within
"Freedom is found from within." When I heard #JonathanVanNess say that in an episode of #QueerEye, something resonated deep within me. I work with students who frequently struggle with self-acceptance or even being accepted by family members and friends for a range of reasons. Adults sometimes struggle with the same thing, for a range of reasons; sometimes the lack of acceptance that we might have can paralyze us for years.
By Christina St-Jean6 years ago in Psyche
It’s Never Mentioned or Talked About
MENTAL HEALTH: “A Person’s condition with regard to their psychological and emotional well-being.”—Google Often times in African Americans or Black peoples households, mental health is overlooked. Many dare not to bring the topic up because of how the family members will react. It’s seen as a joke and therefore swept under the rug. A few years back I experienced this. I was going through a lot at the time with my family. I was suffering from depression and had absolutely no one to talk to. I was trying to act normal like everything was okay. Deep down I knew it wasn’t. I started only going to school when I felt like it and wasn’t eating for days sometimes a week at a time. I noticed that I had become extremely isolated and rarely left my bed. I would spend hours upon hours sleeping. Not binge eating, not working out, not cleaning, not watching tv, not dancing. Just sleeping. My first love is cheerleading, always has and always will be. I stopped cheering and dancing instead stayed home and cried. I had no one to talk to. I was emotionally, mentally, and physically tired. I couldn’t express how I felt to anyone. At first I thought it was temporary but it wasn’t. My family completely ignored the fact that maybe I was struggling after everything that had happened. I was looked down on like I was a burden to all of them. I never mentioned depression to them because it would’ve been looked at as an excuse. No one in my family has ever mentioned depression until recently but, still no one takes it seriously. I lost hope and faith in myself. I was completely crushed. When I was finally able to get out of the situation and start recovering I felt ready. I had spent months in this sickening mindset and was ready to get out and escape. So when I got the chance I hit the ground running. I started focusing on me and my well being. Picked up my weight a little bit and getting back active. At first it was hard, when I started back cheering I would run half a mile and start seeing colors. I was dehydrated and still barely eating so I always felt like I was gonna faint. That’s when I started noticing how much it had effected my body, not just mentally but physically. I kept pushing myself to just keep going every day. Now almost a year and a half later I’m still recovering. Many times I think back to those days and just say thank you. I’m honestly so glad that I’m not in that predicament anymore. I was so broken and I’m now working on myself. Really putting the pieces back together. Depression and overall mental health is the conversation that no one is ready to have but everyone NEEDS to have. It’s very real and needs more attention in Black households. I don’t know if it’s the pride or whatever else but, it’s needs to be talked about. Stop calling us crazy when we say something about it. It’s very real and very much so a problem. The symptoms or signs aren’t always gonna be the ones you see in the videos or on tv. Just because you can’t always see it doesn’t mean someone’s not suffering from it. But then again, it’s the conversation we aren’t ready to have. —Leah Symona
By Leah Symona6 years ago in Psyche
How and Why I Left Facebook
I was your typical college guy. Fun, outgoing, social. When social media came along and everyone was on it, I continued on that path and did the same. It was fun. I posted status updates ranging from every time I had a coffee to every time I went on vacation. It gave me a great sort of validation to be the one with over fifty likes on a photo of my dog, of all things. Yet it was also the beginning of a nightmare that I barely escaped from.
By Abdullah Masood6 years ago in Psyche
How I've Recovered from My Suicide Attempt This Time Last Year
From October 2018, my mental health began to deteriorate following the passing of my grandfather on 30th September 2018. Grief is different in everyone. Some know how to cope with it, whereas some don’t. For me, I’d never fully experienced grief. I’ve lost loved ones in before my grandfather passed last year, but I wasn’t old enough to understand grief overall.
By Lewis Jefferies6 years ago in Psyche
My Journey Through Psychosis
October 14, 2019 marked five years from when I slipped into psychosis, lost majority of my memory, and had to go back to one of the facilities I spent my teenage years in. So, for today’s blogging challenge I thought I’d share my experience along with some helpful advice to others who may have experienced this frightening event. As well help others find ways to help a loved one if they ever find themselves in this type of situation.
By Crystal Ward6 years ago in Psyche
