advice

Advice and tips on managing mental health, maintaining a positive outlook and becoming your happiest self.

Loving Somebody Who Doesn’t Love Themselves
It can be tricky being in a relationship or caring about someone who sees no worth in themselves. The most important thing is balancing your own self-love and trying to teach them that they are enough. Everybody is different and reacts differently to certain situations, you will know your partner and how to deal with most situations.
By C Marie8 years ago in Psyche
Sleep Paralysis
I was five or six when I first experienced it. I would "wake up" to find the room swirling with shadows and flames, everything was in black in white, terrible creatures would come crawling towards me, but I was definitely still in my room. Sometimes I'd even see or hear my parents, but they were always just out of reach. The most memorable part of the ordeal though, was the fact that I couldn't breathe. I'd try to yell for help, but no one would hear me or see me writhing for air because in reality, I wasn't moving at all. I was only a kid so I didn't know what was happening to me. As soon as I was able to move I'd go running into my parents' room screaming, "I can't breathe!" (While clearly breathing) and crying about what I'd just witnessed. Of course they didn't know what I was talking about and over the years they did everything they could to help. To them it was a combination of extremely vivid nightmares and asthma attacks.
By Kerri Simmons8 years ago in Psyche
5 Ways to Help with Mental Health Breakdowns
The majority of the people I have met in my life do not know what to do during a mental health crisis. And from what I heard from others who go through mental health issues like myself, this is the norm. Stigma is no longer an issue -- the issue now is that our allies are not equipped with the right tools to help. It took my romantic partner 3 months of being constantly by my side to finally learn what I needed during my breakdowns. There was little that the Internet could provide for him.
By Aelita Yoon8 years ago in Psyche
Introvert or Extrovert?
So I’ve been getting a lot of people asking me if I would consider myself introverted or extroverted. A lot of times I’m told that it’s confusing because one day I’ll want to be around everyone and have all the fun I can and the next I just really want to be by myself with a book and maybe some tunes.
By Ghost G.8 years ago in Psyche
I Love You
My heart breaks every time I hear about suicide, especially when it is a teen because I know what it is like to feel alienated by depression and anxiety. My journey started my sophomore year of high school. I started getting panic attacks so bad, my doctor thought they were seizures, since I have a history of them. I spent a lot of time at the nurses or in my counselor’s office, feeling embarrassed and panicky. That continues and my junior year, second semester, I had to be home bound. I finished the semester home bound and started fresh my senior year, only to have my dad pass away 14 days before my birthday. With these things piled up, I have thought about suicide a lot, but, looking back, I'm glad nothing serious happened, because I have a life to live and have this journey to share. I have self-harmed to the point of almost needing stitches. I used to look in embarrassment at my scars. They are ugly and only remind me of bad times. Today, I can't change that. What's done is done and the scars are there to tell a story. Today, I look at my scars and think how far I came. I have been free from self-harm for a couple of years and I am able to see my scars and turn them into positives. Yes, it did happen, I can't change that. What I can do, is to say "Wow, I haven't done that in a long time because today I am happy!" My scars tell the story of the past, my actions and positive thoughts will tell the story of my present and future!
By Maggie Dunn8 years ago in Psyche
Say Goodbye to Antidepressants...
You're feeling low, depressed, in despair and you just can't shake it off so you turn to your GP and the majority of them will offer to put you on anti-anxiety or antidepressant medication. This is what they are trained to do. According to an article in The Guardian, 64.7 million prescription items for antidepressants were prescribed in 2016 to patients which is an increase of 3.7 million issued in 2015. Why is this? It is seen as a way of getting you out of that difficult time that you are having but what if that difficult time is with you for a long time? What if these tiny, white but deadly pills are destined to be your little friend that you have to visit on a daily basis and if you for some reason, forget to visit your trusted friend, then you really do start to wish you had never met your new companion.
By KC8 years ago in Psyche
Frustrations
I like to think I am a laid-back, carefree girl. This is not true. Not. At. All. I have many irritations throughout the day: Being startled awake by knocking at my door; repetition of my alarm; slow people on the road; rude people in general; disrespect to anyone's personal life; constant swearing; disrespect to anyone's religion; singing words wrong. I could make a whole list of the little pet peeves and irritations I have during the day. Everyone has things that annoy them of course, but it's important to not let these things stop us from living our life. If we are too focused on the things that limit us, we will never be able to live up to our full potential. So the solution? Think of all the wonderful things that are in this world. Can't think of any? I'll give you a list.
By Emily Wright8 years ago in Psyche
For 'People Like Me'
So, thanks to the power of social media, huge influencing companies, and celebrities, and of course, brave and strong advocates, the taboo around mental illness is starting to be torn down. In fact, since this movement, there are more and more people continuing to come out about their struggles and diagnoses.
By J B8 years ago in Psyche
Be Aware of Your Thoughts
The first piece I wrote “As Within, So Without” was about realizing that you create your own reality and that everything on the outside reflects what is on the inside. If you have come to a place where you can resonate with that a bit, then the next step is to learn to become aware of your thoughts. Our thoughts are powerful. Thoughts are energy in motion. Thoughts are things.
By Melissa Matheson8 years ago in Psyche
Plans Changing With Borderline Personality Disorder
Those with BPD can be impulsive. We may go out and spend all our money on new clothes. We may gamble it all away. We might suddenly decide to drive down a motorway at 3 o clock in the morning without a seatbelt.
By Shaye Goodenough8 years ago in Psyche
Silence Is Golden
The holiday season is upon us once again, and I find myself plagued with the annual dilemma of how to handle sending my sister a Christmas present. Last year it was easy; I just ordered something off of Amazon, and had it shipped to her with a gift receipt. I figured that was easy enough - how hard could it be to please a seven year-old? The year before that, I had just moved out and money was tight, and sending a heartfelt card seemed sufficient enough to let her know that I love and think about her (without breaking the bank). But this year... this year would be significantly tougher. I know that if I send my sister a present, or even reach out to her in any way, I'd have to deal with a whole new monster -- my mother, who at this point is at the bottom of the list of people I'd like to be in contact with.
By Lea Hodge8 years ago in Psyche
More Cruelty
What do you do when people only ever seem to offer you more cruelty along with that which they've already put into your life? I wish I knew, I really wish I knew. Maybe you turn the other cheek, or simply shrug it off? Maybe you combat cruelty with cruelty, or with love and compassion? I just don't know.
By Tim Lawson8 years ago in Psyche