Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in Psyche.

The Plights of Mental Illness and Relationships
Hello everyone! To start out, here's a little backstory to get us started. I'm a recovered anorexic whose eating disorder developed as a product of PTSD, most of which stem from childhood abuse and sexual assault. So, effectively, I have a great deal of experience dealing with mental illness and my management of it. Unfortunate, sure, but true. I've been admitted to treatment twice in my life, gone through multiple programs and therapists, and I'm at a point where I can safely say I have a good understanding of my psyche. I'm learning to take care of myself and acknowledge the symptoms of my illnesses when they arise.
By K. Tice7 years ago in Psyche
The Benefits of Nature on Mental Health
If you have ever gone for a walk to feel better after a rough day, you know that being outdoors can have positive effects on the psyche. While expending the energy from walking also provides benefits, just being exposed to nature has been found to be emotionally and psychologically advantageous. Scientific research continues to uncover new ways that nature promotes a more stable state of mind.
By Kari Oakley7 years ago in Psyche
How Art Can Help Relieve Your Anxiety
Anxiety makes you focus on something that harms you – a thought or action that makes you nervous and uncomfortable. What if you could focus instead on something that makes you calm?
By Adi Wallach7 years ago in Psyche
Triggered
I am a survivor of domestic abuse. When most people learn that they are surprised. More than once I have been told that I don't act like a "victim," my attitude is too bad, or I appear to be too strong to let someone hit me. The truth of the matter is, that's not how abuse works. It wouldn't matter if I was Mr. Universe with the will of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, if someone wants to bring you down, they will. It's a matter of how they do it.
By Edward Anderson7 years ago in Psyche
Psych Meds Made Simple
Medications can seem overwhelming. There are so many of them, so many possible side effects, and so much information that can be found online that may or may not be reliable.
By Ashley L. Peterson7 years ago in Psyche
Confessions of a Binge Shopper
I’ve been down on my luck for almost a year now since my inevitable university convocation. Within eight months, I’ve managed to obtain four jobs and lose them all before 2018 came to an end. If there are any acclamation for a person acquiring four jobs and still ending up unemployed after twelve months, I think I deserve all the accolades. However, this is not the point I wish to address and I can save my employment woes for another article.
By Alystair Kade7 years ago in Psyche
The Merciful Blue Sky
A girl with hazelnut hair with eyes to match, sat on the edge of a cliff. Forests of huge redwoods surrounded her, green as ever. She was looking out at the brilliant blue sky, it was clear and refreshing. Not a cloud in sight. As her gaze settled on the vastness above, she was remembered the friends she lost. Her best friend, her best friend's brother and her lover. She saw all those lost memories, all those wonderful times in a vision above her. She looked down below her, watching her dangling feet and the worn sneakers that barely clung to them. Such a long way down. But she could see her friends down at the bottom waving up.
By Avery Burroughs7 years ago in Psyche
Friends with Benefits: My Anxiety and I
I can't tell you when exactly I had my first anxiety attack. I can't tell you when I first felt its clutches on my life. However, I can tell you the first time that I knew I needed to get help.
By N (just n)7 years ago in Psyche
Succumbing to Mania
It's 4 am, I'm lying in bed, and again sleep is elusive. The electricity begins to crackle and shoot through my body. The world is dark and still. My room is quiet and safe. I pray desperately for sleep to take me. The only thing I want is to sleep. But sleep won’t come because the demons are creeping back in. Everything is awakening. I’m coming back to life. I want to do all the things at once. I want to strip naked and run. I want to scream and laugh. I want to dance. But most desperately I want to fuck. I want to make things to write and paint. To tell my story. Maybe I should get up and clean the house. Let’s crank the music up and get some one here to have some fun with. Maybe go to the park. Can we swing? Can we play? What if I take a shower? Drown myself in the bath? Oh, dear God why does this happen? I need to sleep. I need to get up. If I just let myself go, I could be happy. I could have fun. It could be great. The possibilities are endless.
By Alice Griffin7 years ago in Psyche
A Personal Tale of "Millennial Depression"
Growing up, I was a kid who craved attention. Looking back now, as a 26-year-old millennial battling mental illness, I seek to peel back the layers and delve into the question of, “why?” It is indeed an important question to ask, as my seemingly constant need for validation is a large part of the personal struggles I fight daily.
By Olivia Petras7 years ago in Psyche
Labeling Your Inner Darkness
“People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid facing their own souls. One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.” ~ Carl Jung
By Chris Hansen7 years ago in Psyche
Gaslighting
Have you ever made a life choice that went south faster than a six second Vine? I'm not talking about eating gas station sushi, or getting a Japanese character tattoo. I'm talking about gambling on happily ever after with your childhood crush and having it turn into a six-year dance with the devil. Gaslighting was a term I became familiar with only after the uncoupling, and in hindsight, was more insidious than the alcoholism, financial abuse, and opioid addiction that accompanied it. What follows is an abridged telling of a much longer tale.
By Traci Reason7 years ago in Psyche