Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Psyche.
The Black Stigma
I was born to two wonderful, loving parents. I am truly grateful for that. I used to make it a point to break every stereotype that was thrown at me. For example, I would style my hair a different way, listen to a different kind of music, make friends that were mostly white, and push myself to talk a certain kind of way. I would get told when I talked to adults, "You're so proper," and "You're not like those others kids." They never truly said it, but I always knew what they meant.
By Tianna Brianne8 years ago in Psyche
Relapse
Every day we face choices that can destroy what we have worked so hard to overcome. We don't always notice them, but they are always there, standing right under our nose but just out of sight. It's possible to avoid these triggers if you have completely disassociated your addiction from your life. For some, it is a false reality that they will never face the gut-wrenching pull to pick back up their old habits.
By Hannah Homewood8 years ago in Psyche
Coping with Social Anxiety
According to Mayo Clinic, social anxiety disorder (also known as social phobia) is essentially the feelings of nervousness, such as anxiety, fear, and self-consciousness, during everyday interactions. The most common being the fear of being judged or scrutinized by other people.
By Monte brogdon8 years ago in Psyche
Not Just Luck
Beginning my life wasn’t always easy. I was a baby, but everything seemed to difficult. As I began to grow up I would get bullied at school, at church, in the grocery stores, in my own house, my mother never really knew how I felt, my father was always working, and my older siblings could care less how I felt. I had a younger brother but... he was like 3 years old, he didn’t understand what was happening.
By Leslie Garcia8 years ago in Psyche
5 Myths About Mental Illnesses
Mental illnesses come in all shapes and sizes. Since there are so many mental disorders, there is also tons of misinformation that gets circulated throughout our society. Have you ever heard anyone say, “I’m so O.C.D!”? Well, this my friends, is incorrect. Not only is obsessive compulsive disorder (O.C.D) not an adjective, it’s also not synonymous with “being neat.” There are plenty of other misconceptions about other mental illnesses floating around our societal consciousness and I am here to dispel a few.
By Sarah Fennell8 years ago in Psyche
Living With Depression
When I was a kid, I was bullied so badly that even now when I have friends, I feel as though they don't really like me. This developed into severe depression and anxiety. I remember once in elementary school, an entire table full of girls (from my class) stood up and left as soon as I sat down to eat with them. There were two girls who stayed behind but still rarely hung out with me at recess. I learned that not everyone will like you, but why did NO ONE like me? I wasn't mean or rude, I was an average student, I helped kids in class with problems during class if I could, why didn't anyone want to actually be my friend? Oh that's right, my family was poor, that's it. It wasn't like we had nothing, we just couldn't afford certain luxuries. However, I loved my family life! We always had food on the table always had a roof over our heads, always had running water and electricity. In fact, the only time I was doing okay mentally was when I was with my family. The only problem was, I would avoid school by being "sick" if I could to avoid the mean kids as I called them. I never thought about killing myself, but more of, if I didn't wake up tomorrow it would be okay or maybe if I stand in the street a truck will hit me and it will all be over.
By TLC Hopkins8 years ago in Psyche
Living with Anxiety
When I was first diagnosed with an anxiety disorder 30 years ago, it wasn't as common as it is now for people to admit that they have panic attacks. It was rare for me to actually meet another person that had these same feelings as I did, and it was even rarer for others to understand what I was going through. I was told over and over by doctors, classmates, and even family members that I was faking it. If they could not physically see the pain I was going through, then it must not exist. I wanted to just give up. I wanted to isolate myself from the world because I was different and I thought I would never live a normal life again. That's what I wanted to do, but I didn't.
By Madison Stone8 years ago in Psyche
When Everything Changed
Once upon a time, there was a girl who was emotionally a mess. What I mean by that is her emotions were everywhere; one day she would be the happiest girl in the world, and the next she would be staying in her room, crying all day and night. The girl had no idea why she felt this way, so she decided to talk to a friend about it. Her friend had similar issues and recommended her to go see a therapist, so she scheduled a appointment.
By Shelby Spencer8 years ago in Psyche
The Journey I Took and Will Always Be Taking
As the title of this blog states, I consider the constant attempt to prevent my mental illness from affecting my everyday life to be an on going journey. Now, universally, the notion of a journey is commonly associated with arriving at some kind of destination. Well, sorry to disappoint, but personally I don't believe there will ever be a moment where that destination is reached. But it's not all a Snow Patrol album, don't worry!
By Renee Wells8 years ago in Psyche
