coping
Life presents variables; learning how to cope in order to master, minimize, or tolerate what has come to pass.
The Girl Who Remains
Each day, a little of our yesterday fades away. A memory blurs into a forgotten moment forever lost in the past. A lock of hair clipped away, a favorite over-worn pair of sneakers we finally discard, a hand-written letter with missing words in faded ink. We keep sentimental relics but do not always realize their significance until the devastating period of retrospect requires them to remind of us a happy once-was that we can no longer conjure in the present. Every new cycle, we transform ourselves into a new us, on each new today — though time is relative. We brace ourselves for what lies ahead in each new tomorrow. Only tomorrow seems as distant as yesterday when our sadness causes time to screech to a halt.
By Amanda Karenina8 years ago in Psyche
Abyss
Sometimes when we are going through a rough patch, we don't know what it is to feel, we feel numb inside and sometimes the feeling never seems to leave the body. The pain screams in the pit of our stomach, the thoughts run all over the body making it feel colder. What will happen if we stop feeling?
By Emily Buehner8 years ago in Psyche
The Cocoon
The most vivid memories I have from grade school all have two things in common: shame, and the desperate, seizing feeling of not belonging. At this point in my life, those memories are all stills. All of the characters’ voices are mine; faces are only a flash of color. But the accompanying emotions, and how I internalized them, have not left my side.
By Elizabeth Olson8 years ago in Psyche
The Rambling Thoughts of an Insomniac
It's two o'clock in the morning and I'm still awake. The ghosts of the past as well as the stress of the present play hell with my mind, and so I don't sleep. Sleep has always been illusive to me, always just out of my reach. Every day I tell myself, "I'll sleep tonight because I'm really tired," but I rarely do. Mr. Insomnia is my best friend. I've been a pal of his all my life. You see when you are a child of abuse, in bed is a precarious place to be. You are never more helpless than when you are asleep. It ranks right up there with being naked in the tub. I need to relieve the tremendous emotional energy that is building up and spilling over robbing me of sleep and carrying me to the edge. I've been taking notes on every piece of paper I can find to get the feelings and thoughts out in some semblance of order. It’s my way of downloading, if you will, all the thoughts in my head.
By Shirley J. Davis8 years ago in Psyche
How Music Helps Me Stay Mentally Stable
I love music. In fact there is not one genre of music I don't like. I can listen to anything, party, dance, rock, pop, blues, country, and the list goes on... Music has a good impact on my mental health; however, what I choose to listen to depends on the mood I am in during the day, and if my mood changes, what I listen to does too. For example, if I am in an angry mood, then I usually listen to heavy rock. The reason why is because much of it is explosive (like my anger) and as a result, it helps me to get those angry emotions out without harming myself or others. If I am in a good mood, then it's dance and this is brilliant, because I tend to do a lot of housework, and I often end up dancing to it.
By Carol Ann Townend8 years ago in Psyche
Cracked
At the time I was introduced to Kintsugi—a Japanese art form, in which broken pottery is repaired using lacquer mixed with powdered precious metals: silver, gold, and platinum—I could truly relate to broken pottery; I felt ugly and useless, irreparably damaged. I was, for what seemed to be the hundredth time, in an outpatient treatment program for adults struggling with mental illness after yet another stay in a psychiatric hospital. I felt depressed; I felt hopeless; I felt hideous from the inside out. I honestly believed myself to be truly, irrevocably broken, and I saw no end in sight to the emotional turmoil or mental torture. I could not see any light in my life, because I was being buried wholly by the innumerable shards of my own destroyed self—the bits and pieces of my dysfunctional existence that I was clinging to for dear life, despite the pain they were causing myself and those around me. I remained stuck in this deep, dark rut of familiar pain until I was given information about Kintsugi by a counselor in this treatment program. Upon discovering this practice, I came to the realization that being cracked could be a positive in my life; because I am cracked, I have the opportunity to become the person I am meant to be, full of unique traits and beautiful imperfections, and, through those cracks, light has the potential and opportunity to infiltrate my darkness.
By Hannah Easop8 years ago in Psyche
Coping Mechanisms & Children
Some children very early on in their lives must come up with coping mechanisms, these are used to help the child process and be able to function while carrying the baggage that has been placed on them at such a delicate age. It’s no secret that some children have to deal with complex adult situations that they shouldn’t have to, but for some reason or another the universe found it fitting to throw them into an unwelcoming or harsh environment that the child did not choose. While unpleasant to think about and truly unfortunate that this happens, the best they can do is create their own coping mechanisms.
By Cheyann Strom8 years ago in Psyche
Anxiety and Depression Ruined My Life, Now I'm Taking It Back
It is something that has taken me a long time to fully acknowledge, I had always tried to play it down or shrug it off. I've often mentioned in passing my struggles with anxiety and my depressive moods, but I cannot recall a scenario where I went into great detail about it. More often than not, I just brushed it off with the admirable, if sometimes misguided, stoicism society tends to encourage. Even in 2017, talking about mental health still appears to be a stigma. It's hard to admit you're struggling, let alone tell another human being or a group about it, putting yourself out there, allowing yourself to be vulnerable is extremely daunting. Also, people generally do not want to hear anything other than "positive vibes only," it's less of a hassle to say you're okay and put a brave face on things, even if it's just for show.
By Michael Jones8 years ago in Psyche
My Own Personal Nightmare
Some days I wake up and I feel like there is this weight on me, and I have a sinking feeling in my stomach as if I am about to throw up. I realize that the monsters have come back for a visit, and I prepare to go through the day with their constant nagging and whispering in my ears. At some point during the day they leave me, as if going on a slight break so we don't get sick of each other or to go home and rest for a while, but they always come back to bother me... usually when I am in a great mood.
By aureliablood8 years ago in Psyche
Today, You Will Forget that There Is a Tomorrow
They say that it’s better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all. They say the good ones always leave us too soon, and that sometimes, if you love them, you must let them go. These are things that I have heard about my aunt since the day she died. These are things that I don’t know I would have told myself.
By Cordell Green8 years ago in Psyche
