Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Psyche.
How I Manage My Anxiety Without Medication
I learned to swim when I was about nine years old. Nobody taught me. In fact, I don't even remember how I learned. I just remember, one day, my mom had taken my siblings and me to the local public pool, where I had been swimming freestyle from one wall to another. When my mom noticed, she called out to me and said, "I didn't know you knew how to swim!"
By Landon Girod6 years ago in Psyche
Meeting Your Emotional Needs
I am not exactly sure how to start this article, but I think that it is important to discuss the importance of meeting one's emotional needs. In fact, for everyday life, it is vital, because if your own personal needs are not met, you start to withdraw from your interpersonal relationships, and become what some call a hermit. While every once and a while it is okay to hide in your shell, you need to make sure that this does not take over your entire life, because it is unhealthy to stay away from people for too long.
By Authentically Me6 years ago in Psyche
Bitters & Soda
Bitters & Soda is a raw, honest and sometimes embarrassing perspective of what modern sobriety looks like outside of an organized program. This is a first hand account. It is not a step-by-step guide to getting sober nor is it a sermon on alcohol abstinence for one and for all. I am an alcoholic and this is my personal experience.
By Lalie Kavulich6 years ago in Psyche
Being "Functional" With a Debilitating Mental Illness
Yesterday was hard for me. I was dealing with anxiety and the onset of what could have easily become a manic episode. I was repressing a panic attack from the moment I woke up until about mid-afternoon. And I fought myself every second throughout that day to keep from physically running away from work, and hiding somewhere to let the episode take me over. But I didn't because we were short-staffed, and that would have been devastating to my store.
By Birgitta Wild6 years ago in Psyche
What Fuels Body Dsymorphia
In third grade, much like my mother, or other women in my family, I grew a butt. At eight years old I had curves and had to jump into my pants while skirts were out of the question. One of my more vivid memories from my awfully white elementary school was being in a line, and being picked out by a girl with the "normal," kid body type. According to this girl my butt was too big, and I needed to do more squats. Without any knowledge of the effect that squats have on your glutes, I sat out doing squats for as long as my young body could manage. The wooden floors in my room creaked as I went up and down, not seeing any change in my curves that kept on increasing. This memory that is sempiternal in my brain wasn't the start of a successful fitness journey, but the beginning of my mild battle with Body Dysmorphia.
By Dakota Thomas6 years ago in Psyche
It Is Not the Disease of Drug Addiction, It Is the Disease of Addiction
It's not the disease of drug addiction, it's the disease of ADDICTION. When I was in an active addiction, even as a hardcore addict, I never believed addiction was a disease. After all, I made the choice to use drugs for the first time, like so many of us. Which is most often the argument made by non believers. However, when I made the choice to work on my recovery, I realized I am not just a drug addict... I am an ADDICT. The drug addiction is not the disease. It's the disease of ADDICTION. Dis-ease of the mind. Dis-eased thinking.
By Zach Beckwith6 years ago in Psyche
PTSD
It's no secret that individuals who struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are prone to living with intense symptoms of anxiety. I am no exception. Throughout my whole life, I just assumed I worried too much and I was insane. Prior to my PTSD diagnosis, I had no idea that I was struggling with a mental illness. I truly believed that I was the only person in the entire world that could not make it through one day without crippling anxiety and irrational fears. As my symptoms of PTSD increased, the only way I knew how to mitigate them was through the unhealthy method of self-medicating. I began coping with drugs and alcohol, unhealthy relationships, and utter avoidance. Over time, my unhealthy coping skills got the best of me and it wasn't long before I was exasperating the symptoms of my PTSD. My addiction affected my mental health in all the worst ways by inflaming the symptoms of my anxiety and PTSD. Once I was finally properly diagnosed and educated on post-traumatic stress disorder and I began to seek therapy, I learned that there are a number of healthy ways of coping with the symptoms of this mental health disorder. Here are a few of the coping skills I have learned in my recovery.
By Tricia Moceo6 years ago in Psyche
