coping
Life presents variables; learning how to cope in order to master, minimize, or tolerate what has come to pass.
It's Only Energy
As I sat amid one of the darkest and most painful experiences of my life, trying to create some sense of normalcy out of anything at all, I put a piece of jewelry in my mouth and bit down to close the clasp. Suddenly, I gasped in mortification at a crunching sound and my inner critic barked out obscenities at me inside my head which sent me into floods of tears—I’d broken off my front teeth! It occurred to me for the very first time in my life that maybe teeth were not supposed to be used as pliers at all and I wondered in awe how I’d never recognised that fact before but such was my horror and I was in such a dark place inside, all I could do with any of it right then was shame myself and hate myself even more. I had no resources to do anything any differently and my neural networks were conditioned for criticism, shaming, nastiness, abuse, and self-loathing—it’s all I’d ever known by the age of thirty five. I was an exemplary student for the teachers I’d had in those lessons and I had Mastered the art well. Being kind, gentle, and loving to myself was a complete mystery to me then, and I was afraid of anyone else who didn’t abuse me too, often avoiding anyone who seemed "nice." I was sure that if I went near "nice" people, they’d see my "stains" or that something dark about me would infect them. Here I was finally sitting with someone "nice" and allowing them in and I broke my smile! The last minuscule speck of self-respect I had been holding onto shattered along with my front teeth in that moment and I surrendered all pretense at sanity right there and then, it was the final straw for me after months of humiliation, tragedy, and losses. I truly felt as if I had nothing left to be and it would be another 12 years before I would recognise the gift of that night at all.
By Gabriella Grace7 years ago in Psyche
Mental Health and Me
It’s hard to talk about mental health, especially on a platform as scrutinised as the internet, without legitimising your stance with a prologue of your own personal mental health issues. Therefore, I hope my story is enough to qualify my two cents on the matter. If not, I beg forgiveness and, without a hint of irony or sarcasm (as my tone of writing often suggests), apologise for the insensitivity.
By The Naughty Christian7 years ago in Psyche
I'll Never Start by Saying "Dear Diary"
The first time I studied poetry was in sixth grade, when I wasn’t that mentally fucked up. Even then- I had a ball with it. I learned about limericks, haikus, poetry that’s the words formed into an image (which is pretty damn cool), and I had several assignments that were simply “write poetry about whatever you want.” This was how my foot got in the door.
By Elijah James7 years ago in Psyche
Does It Get Better?
A lot of people have depression, anxiety, or both it seems. I was never actually diagnosed with depression, but I've had trusted adults I confide in tell me it seems like I do. I was diagnosed with anxiety when I went to my counselor for the first time.
By Alexis Bellaw7 years ago in Psyche
Growing Up Suicidal and How It Has Affected Me Today
Pictured above is me at my happiest. Who wouldn't be happy to pet goats at the zoo? Even as an adult, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. That whole day was a nice escape. You probably can't tell, but I was battling some really serious mental issues at this time. And I say you probably can't tell because of the look of satisfaction on my face with my new goat friend.
By Jonathan Miciano7 years ago in Psyche
Cutting Through Chaos
I've always been a planner. I like knowing what I'm going to do in a given day, who I'm going to hang out with, where I'll be going, if I need to spend any money. One thing I've never been able to plan is self harm. It comes out of nowhere. I don't fit it into my schedule. I don't expect to do it any given day. I don't have specific days or times when I do it. It just happens. And that's what a lot of people don't understand.
By Laura Bruns7 years ago in Psyche
Four Steps to Pulling Yourself out of a Relapse
Relapse is a completely normal part of recovery. Everyone has bumps in the road and moments where they slip back into behaviors that they’re trying so hard to stop. Some relapses may seem harder or last longer than others but any relapse, no matter how small, can be detrimental to recovery if you can’t pull yourself out of it. It’s also extremely important that you begin correcting those behaviors as soon as you notice you’re engaging in them again, because the longer a relapse goes on, the harder it is to pull yourself out of it. Sadly, there’s no set list of things to do that are guaranteed to pull you out of a relapse but here are four things I’ve noticed helped me and can be tailored to fit how you personally need help restarting your recovery.
By Mina LeAnn7 years ago in Psyche
Breaking Free Pt. 3
Last night (Monday night because when I went to try and post this I could not because Vocal was under maintenance) I got trapped in my own negativity, and what started my downward spiral of a thought process was how my mother wrote to me in a poem about how everything I was telling people after they kicked me out was a lie.
By Iiliana Williams7 years ago in Psyche
