Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Psyche.
Anxiety Isn't Simple or Dramatic, It's Real
Staring down the final week of high school is both exciting and terrifying. Sitting here, the anxiety has officially hit me hard. My stomach is starting to feel fluttery, my heart is beating harder than normal (at least I can feel it on an intenser level), my breathing is getting tighter and tighter, my hands are shaking, and I can feel random muscles tightening. All signs of my anxiety starting up for no rational reason.
By Hannah Payne7 years ago in Psyche
What Depression Has Taught Me
My name is Guerline, but you can call me Gigi. I am 28-years-old and overcoming my battle with depression. Now, my life has always been very difficult. Dark days began to feel normal. Especially if it's all you're used to. Earlier this year I sat on my bed staring at a jar of prescribed pain killers wanting to do nothing else, but take a hand full and hope my internal and mental pain would finally end. In that moment, as I sat there, I began to see my future—a future that I know I want but unsure as how to get it. I saw all the things that I've always wanted right in front of me clear as day as if I had already received them. In that moment I decided that this isn't my time to go there's so much more that I need to accomplish. One of them was defeating this monster and not letting it win. With depression your mind suddenly feels as if it belongs to someone else, someone who controls your mood and spirit. I realized that I was allowing the pain that I was going through to define me and control my outcome.
By Guerline Gillot7 years ago in Psyche
It Started with a Pen
It was brilliant. Easily one of the best quotes I had ever heard (or had I read it?). It had been stuck on repeat, in my head all day. (Was it lyrics from a song I'd heard?) The arrangement of words flowed together so effortlessly in my mind. (But WHERE had it come from?) I was lying in bed and the words were keeping me awake. Then a lightbulb went off.
By Katie Bindel7 years ago in Psyche
10 Things to Remember When You Feel Anxious
Anxiety is a serious mind killer, and a really bad bout of anxiety can end up harming you in ways that you didn't even know were possible. Bad anxiety can make you lose your job, alienate yourself from friends, and even cause health problems.
By Ossiana Tepfenhart7 years ago in Psyche
Wahalalafia (Pt. 10)
Heyyy sorry for the delay. I think I want a dog, or a cat, and I'm going to name her Ignatia, or if it's a he, Ignatius. I love really random, crazy names. I'm so tired. exhausted. I've just come in after a pizza date with my therapist (let's call her Jane). She's amazing, and transparent, which is always a good quality in a therapist.
By Marie Osuamoh7 years ago in Psyche
Windows and Doors
It was indeed an interesting weekend. How Saturday morning started, it looked like it was going to be long and miserable. I had an incident with a fellow co-worker the day before, which got my anxiety going to the point where I attempted to call in sick on Saturday morning. I thought to myself since I haven't called in sick, I should be safe taking a day off. My anxiety was gnawing at me so terribly, I knew there was going to be another altercation between me and this co-worker because the management overheard how he spoke to me and was going to counsel him. Automatically, I thought he was going to treat me like I was the one that ran to management and complained. I knew I couldn't go to work. I called about three hours before my shift. What happened next shocked me. She wanted a doctor release for my return. I was stuck. I know most people wouldn't have let that bother them and not even attempt to skip work, but those with anxiety have a harder time making a decision.
By BIGG_JOE Vitality_Adjustment7 years ago in Psyche
Jordan Pritchard In...
As we all seem to do nowadays, I found myself deep in a Youtube rabbit hole. Watching videos from my youth and engaging in a dose of pure, uncut nostalgia. It was during one of these sessions that I happened upon a video in which Noel Gallagher, one of my all time favourite musicians and one of the reasons I learned to play the guitar apart from the appeal of chicks and trying to look cool, was being interviewed. When asked about his brother Liam, Noel quoted "He’s the angriest man you’ll ever meet. He’s like a man with a fork in a world of soup." It was a phrase I'd never heard before, and it resonated with me. It was almost a "red pill" moment in my life.
By Jordan Pritchard7 years ago in Psyche
It's Not Just a Feeling
From feeling blue to full-on depressive episodes, everyone has felt some sort of negative, sad emotion, though the difference between being sad and depressed are very great. It's not just depression either, it's anxiety, it's bipolar disorder, it's obsessive-compulsive disorder. I've heard from countless people, time and time again, about their problem with being taken seriously when it comes to them having a mental illness. I've also had this problem, being a funny, outgoing person, people didn't think I was depressed they told me "Oh, it's okay, it'll just pass!" It, in fact, did not pass. Let's just start with a little background story.
By Grace Xtra7 years ago in Psyche
Anxiety, Depression, Psychosis, and Insomnia—What Do We Not Understand?
In the last four years of my life, as I began to come aware of my relatively naive mind as a child/teenager/adolescent, I became hard on myself, feeling well... naive. Certainly ironic, but in turn, bringing me to realize that tomorrow we'll be further away from naivety than we are today.
By Ari Chesterman7 years ago in Psyche
Battling Anxiety, Where to Start!
I decided to write this story about myself, my upbringing and its psychological effects, how It affected who I am today, my behaviours and the decisions I made; feeling like I had to do certain things for people or for money. Mainly just in hope to try and discover or find myself somehow, within my story I will share with you the path of how I taught myself to overcome parts of my “damaged personality,” as some people have liked to call it. Along with the mental torture I have put myself through for as long as I can even remember. I have always grown up wondering, “what is wrong with me?” “there must be something wrong with me?” and the reason I would like to share my story is because although I wished I never experienced the things I had, not realising the dangers that could follow, but I have lived my whole life until now always wondering why? How come I am the one to blame? How come certain things are only done to me and no-one else? Why do I act this way? Why do I do that? Why can’t I allow myself to be happy and to feel loved? Why don’t I believe they like me?
By Paige Mckonkey7 years ago in Psyche
