Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Psyche.
Stir
I sat slumped low in my chair in the fluorescent waiting room, staring blankly at the posters on the walls. “5 Steps to Better Sleep,” I tried to read them but I lost interest. “Breaking the Cycle of Depression”, “YOU can prevent suicide”. Cartoon people in happy, bright colors danced across the glossy surface as I smirked. I avoided eye contact with other students sitting next to me in the arranged, upholstered chairs. Cheery women wearing headsets answered phones and made appointments behind glass windows at the front of the room. Plastic plants sat on wooden end tables that overflowed with self-help pamphlets and tissues. A small flower pot filled with some sort of beans held a bouquet of pens with different paper daisies duct taped to the ends. I chose purple.
By Erin Ebert8 years ago in Psyche
A Polarizing View of Bipolar
At 49, after many a Dark Night of The Soul or a Howling at the Moon had brought me to study Psychology, delve deeply into Spirituality, analyze myself thoroughly, learn my anomalies, my personal triggers, the behaviour patterns, and pretty much feel I had a solid grasp of what Bipolar meant to me, how it played out or rather manifested within my core biochemical being...along came my new partner!
By Dorn Simon8 years ago in Psyche
Getting Up
I think we can all agree that getting out of bed can be difficult. Staring at the ceiling and thinking "Why should I get up?" is a tough start to any day. What helps me is reminding myself that the only thing I can really control is the amount of effort I put into accomplishing my goals, so if I don't get out of my bed, then I have just relinquished the only power I possess. Once I beat that question, another pops into my head: "Is there even enough time left in my life to reach those goals?" which is a bit more concerning. You might put together a solid plan to finish in a predetermined time, but ultimately life happens. And no matter how much time you have or how meticulous your plan is, life can still mess it up for you, so now the more daunting question becomes: "Is there enough time for me to bounce back from every unforeseen problem that comes my way?" The answer is what gets me out of bed: Belief. What else can you do besides believe that you yourself are a driven enough individual to push through any barriers that stand in your way, believe that your friends, family, and teammates will be able to help you when you need it the most, and if you believe in a higher power, that they will be looking out for you. Some people get out of bed because they're hungry or because nature is calling. But what's the point of rolling yourself into another 24 hours of eating, working, and sleeping again unless you actually believe that it's getting you closer to your goals in the unforeseen time you have?
By Jonathon Lombardi8 years ago in Psyche
Signs of Depression in Young Women
Most of us know how common depression is. People ranging from all ages can suffer with the mental disease — whether you're a 70-year-old women or a 22-year-old man. It doesn't matter what age you are, depression can randomly appear out of the blue, or a traumatic incident can cause its appearance. And depression is a real life ruiner — it's something that should be dealt with through mediation and talking with loved ones about.
By C.C. Curtis8 years ago in Psyche
Being Honest about Mental Health
October 10 marked World Mental Health Day. As someone who suffers from depression and anxiety, mental health is something which plays a large role in my life on a day to day basis. There are many ways in which I could write this post — from my experiences of depression to how to handle a panic attack — but I would like to talk about something which I found helped me to understand, accept and ultimately combat my depression: honesty.
By Emily White8 years ago in Psyche
Derealization
Imagine, if you will, completing a task. Let’s make it a very simple task: brushing your teeth—a very mundane, everyday task that we all do. You wet your toothbrush, squeeze out the gunk, and begin to brush. You rinse out your mouth and begin your day, or end, depending on when you brush your teeth. (You should really do both, but I’m not here to preach.) Now, imagine wondering if you really did brush your teeth. You remember being in the bathroom, you remember brushing, but the whole time you were doing it, you felt as if you were watching yourself do it. You were looking through a window at yourself, or watching yourself on tv. You run your tongue over your teeth. Yes, you know you brushed them, but it doesn’t feel like it was you. Yes, sometimes this happens when you are so used to doing something that your brain goes into autopilot. Imagine, from the time you wake up to when you can finally get some sleep, feeling like this. You have this feeling of being disconnected, of having a sensory fog over every aspect of your life. This, my friends, is derealization, something I’ve been struggling with for the past ten years. Now you get to hear my story. Well, at least, I think it’s my story.
By Dekker Christopher8 years ago in Psyche
Drowning
A sailor set out one dark night to journey across the ocean. She didn’t know a single thing about sailing, on what lay ahead, but that was the exciting part, the journey, the unknown, and the purpose. She felt determined find more of herself, and as she looked beyond, she took one deep breath, pushed her foot off the sand; her last touch of solid ground for a while. There was no way for her to know what lay ahead, but she felt ready. The ocean offered more than she was ready for, the waves tossed, the stars moved, navigating became tricky. She came across islands, and different people, in whom she learned many lessons. She felt full of hope when leaving each island, but soon found despair with weeks and weeks on the ocean alone. The winds blew when she needed it calm, and it was calm when she needed the wind. The ocean roared when she needed peace, and there were no one around when she felt alone, but she journeyed on. She had a purpose; she was on a search for herself; she wanted to become more than she was. Her purpose pushed her on, and the ocean pushed her back.
By Emily Green8 years ago in Psyche
Introduction to F
There isn’t much I like to discuss with friends and or family. Over the years I learned that keeping everything on the “low” is a much better way of avoiding any sort of conflict. I might even update my profile so that, on the off chance, I don’t get recognized. My friends seem to think I have grown colder and at times I feel the same, but that’s not the case. I’ve grown, I have grown older, wiser, I have learned from my past mistakes. But I am still young and have much to learn, the process will sometimes suck but I’ll learn regardless.
By Fernando Gomez8 years ago in Psyche
How To Expand Your Consciousness
While most people are convinced a successful life depends on conventional education, there's another kind of instruction universities doesn't teach. That's spiritual education. Knowledge of the one consciousness, a superior intelligence that lies within every one of us. If you access that higher consciousness, you're accessing a brand new level on life itself. You'll begin to see life in a whole different way, you'll start noticing a lot of details in every aspect of your life. It's like jumping into a plane and watching the landscape from above. Solely with this, you'll reach a state of being only achieved by great masters, just as Jesus, Buddha, Hermes, and contemporaries like Eckhart Tolle and Adyashanti.
By Diego Escalante8 years ago in Psyche
