Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Psyche.
My Meds Make Me Fat
I was never the size extra-extra-small that seems to be so idealized in Western society. In my earlier adult years I was around a size 8, and I was totally content with that. I never had any interest in dieting, and disagree with fad diets on principle, because I firmly believe that eating should be pleasurable and about healthfulness.
By Ashley L. Peterson7 years ago in Psyche
Dealing with Conflict While Having Anxiety
I’ve been dealing with anxiety since I was about 10-years-old, and at that age, I only really experienced it when I was in the presence of a specific person. I had a traumatic experience because of this person. At 10-years-old, I was shouted at badly and it’s affected me ever since. However, for the longest time, I didn’t know I had anxiety. I also developed depression about three years later because of bullying. It takes a lot out of you. I learned to hide my emotions as I didn’t want anyone to know what was happening—this included my friends and my parents. I also became very secretive and started isolating myself.
By Annie Curran7 years ago in Psyche
Mental Health Stigmas Exposed
What comes to mind when you think of a person with a mental illness? Do you steer clear of and distance yourself socially from people who suffer from mental illness? Do you think of someone who is dangerous or harmful to your well being? This is the result of mental health and illness stigmas.
By Alyssa Rolfs7 years ago in Psyche
The Magic of Embracing Depression
Depression is a dark hole that consumes the brightest of people. I've had depression as long as I can remember, it's always been with me, looming over me, a heavy suffocating space that I can't escape. Sometimes when you're in a good place and life is being kind to you, your depression can pull you into a darker world, it feels like self sabotage and punishment. You feel isolated, scared and alone. It feels as if your entire existence is about being a slave to your darkest thoughts. There are times when I can't overcome this feeling, I have to sit with it until it passes. Currently it has lingered for months, it has transformed many times into different fears, pain and loneliness. Sometimes people don't understand because they think that a simple fix is all it takes, but that is not always the case. We live in a world that is busy, full of unknown horrors and promises of doom. There are two sides to every story, promises of hope too. I find myself dwelling on many problems in our society, with myself, finding my happiness and understanding I cannot control the universe. It's a fate I find overwhelming to deal with. How can you move forward? A few years ago I attended many different forms of therapies, the most unusual and surreal experience was hypnotherapy. I received a form of therapy which taught me how to relax, to be still in the moment and watch my feelings like waves of the sea. In this time I was the worst I'd ever been, I could barely leave the house without passing out from panic attacks or vomiting from fear. This form of meditation is something I've recently started practicing again when my feelings are too much for me to cope with. We live in a world with one outcome but many different perspectives. We cannot see everything at all times, we don't know everything and for some people that is a daunting feeling, including myself. Meditating has allowed me to watch my fears, it has allowed me to open up to the idea of a different perspective. Recently I managed to isolate my fears during a meditation session, it gave me my power back from the suffering of my mind. I channeled what was causing my great fear and pain into a solution that was manageable for me, what can I do to help this fear I have, how can I work towards overcoming it?Our society is very fast paced at the moment, everything must be now, no patience. Patience is one of the strongest skills you can learn, it's what you do in between those moments that matters. I'm not entirely healed, I don't think I ever will be. I'm going to be continuously drowned by waves for the rest of my life, but if I can learn to float it might make the struggle a little easier. - Hannah
By Hannah Kirkman7 years ago in Psyche
Mental Health and Apology Fatigue
I've been writing for some time for a particular audience of which I have been a member: women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder. But recently, I've noticed that much of what I write can be helpful to anyone with a nonvisible, behavorial challenge... men and women. So, while this is written specifically pertaining to PMDD, it is dedicated to anyone who finds him or herself in the predicament of having to say, "I'm sorry" a lot.
By Cheeky Minx7 years ago in Psyche
My Life with Depression
Depression … A word that can make your whole world crash down around you... It was back in 2015 when my mum suggested that I went to the doctors. After disagreeing with her and saying that I didn't want to go, I went … Only to be told that I had depression. My heart dropped, I was nearly 16 and didn't exactly know what depression meant. I hadn't even left school yet ... I didn't think I was old enough to be diagnosed with something like that. I’d never even thought about it! I didn't know that it would have had such an impact on my life … My moods were really low, I was sleeping a lot, I wasn't going out with friends, I had really low self-esteem, I was always negative about everything and I always seemed to be angry.
By Mollie Major7 years ago in Psyche
Pitfalls of Your Mind
Throughout the day, we evaluate our experiences within the narratives our own mind creates. We respond and react to the events we encounter, often in the form of “This happened, hence I think/feel/act as such.” It is perhaps easier to pinpoint how our actions lead to certain consequences, but what we often miss is how our thoughts shape our experiences in the first place.
By Gulce Sakallioglu7 years ago in Psyche
How to Survive Depression Even When You Desperately Don't Want To
Don't let the smile fool you —I am NOT a happy person. Throughout the 10 years of my ongoing war with depression, I've become an expert at how to appear happy even when every vein in my body is screaming at me to cut it open.
By Mikaila Mack7 years ago in Psyche
Shame Before the Internet
Being a child of the 80s, I grew up in a time before constant surveillance. Although, just because I have a clean criminal record, doesn’t mean I didn’t have my grubby little mitts into some nefarious behavior. But kids my age were lucky to not see it end up on the internet within minutes. At worst, your hijinks would end up as a quote in an AOL profile instead of trending nationally with a clever hashtag and a screenshot of your unassuming face, causing instant shame.
By Jeffery Paul7 years ago in Psyche
Music Has Literally Saved My Life
Music is powerful. It has the ability to lift you out of dark and terrifying places that your mind tends to drift to when you feel alone, scared, depressed, etc. I was born in 1982, the time of big hair, boomboxes, The Breakfast Club, and the internet wasn’t really a thing yet. Music kept me company and was my friend throughout my childhood. I remember listening to the radio at night and having the sounds of Bon Jovi or Def Leppard fill my ears as I fell asleep. It was a simple time back then, just me and my music.
By Christina Scanlon7 years ago in Psyche
Who Needs a Therapist When (Pt. 9)
Today was not a bad day at work. Busy, but that's normal. Hectic, and chaos, but that's just what happens in a public library. Interpersonal drama is at a moderate average, because none would be impossible in a workplace that is 95 percent female, but no one is really pissy right now.
By Haybitch Abersnatchy7 years ago in Psyche
