recovery

Your illness does not define you. It's your resolve to recover that does.

Mental Health, Alcohol, and Finding Yourself
"Who are you?" "What are your interests?" "What are you good at?" "Where do you see yourself in the future?" All of these questions. At age 23, still unanswered. How do you respond when you haven't known yourself in years, and are unsure if you ever did? My denial started 15 years ago. My diagnoses six years ago. I was always the quiet one. The girl who did not have many friends, and avoided relationships when I could. The girl who could not figure out why she lacked interest in activities. The girl who spent her days sleeping, and in online chat rooms, pretending to be someone else, avoiding actual human contact. At eight years old, all I wondered, is why I was so different than my peers. I spent many years wondering but eventually grew to think that, how I was feeling, was just who I was. I sat envious of the girls who seemed to have it together. The ones who were so popular and made friends easily. When people would try to talk with me, I gave short responses, if any at all. I spent all hour of the day and night locked away in my room, talking to strangers. "I am fine. I just did not sleep well," I would respond when people asked me what was wrong. I would burst into tears in the school counselors office, not knowing why I was crying. I could not control myself. Towards the end of high school, I was asked what I wanted to do in the future. But how could I respond to that question, when I did not see myself being alive after the age of 18. Two failed attempts at my life, and I was determined to get it right eventually.
By L8 years ago in Psyche
To the Girl Who Didn't Eat Today
To the girl who didn’t eat today, I know it’s hard. I’ve been there. I know how it feels. I know what it’s like to go to bed so hungry but so angry at yourself, because how dare you be hungry. You’ve had an apple today. That’s enough, right?
By hannah irelan8 years ago in Psyche
Emetophobia
For many people the title of this piece will be a foreign term. It ends with "phobia," so clearly it is about fear – but of what? A phobia is defined not just as a fear, but as an irrational fear of something. Common phobias include irrational fear linked to fire, spiders, snakes, heights, germs, etc... Emetophobia is a lesser well-known phobia, despite it being not all that uncommon. It is the fear of vomit, vomiting, people who are vomiting or who will potentially vomit. Vomit, vomit, vomit. Even writing that word several times is an exercise in exposure therapy. The mere word can trigger panic.
By Lauren Friesen8 years ago in Psyche
Battling Depression. I Chose to Be Here
12th of October 2009. That’s the date I was diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. I was 15 at the time, in high school, and couldn’t explain or comprehend when I was drowning. I thought I was weak—strong people didn’t need help. I didn’t understand.
By Sophie Rose8 years ago in Psyche
Addiction and Rehab - Everything You Need to Know...
There is still some taboo about rehab, however, it is one of the most effective ways to counter an addiction and despite what you may think, addiction in America is a growing issue with the Surgeon General stating that one in seven Americans will be affected by drug or alcohol addiction, a problem costing the country over $442 billion each year.
By Wilf Voss8 years ago in Psyche
Dealing With Mental Health Issues
Growing up, I always struggled in school. There was never a year where I could just sit back and relax and not have to worry about failing all my classes. I was "diagnosed" with a learning disability at a young age, though, so I was able to get the extra help that I needed, but it was definitely never enough. I also struggled at home, constantly forgetting to do chores or small tasks my mom would ask me to do and I would always get in trouble for it. I was never the kid to talk back to their parents. My mother wouldn’t tolerate it if I tried anyways, but it wasn’t like I was a bad kid. The only times I would get in trouble was me just "forgetting" about something either at home or at school.
By Sarah Burr8 years ago in Psyche
How to Ease Ascension Symptoms and Work the Steps
There is a great awakening occurring right now, at this very moment. Many souls are choosing this point in time to awaken from their slumber and become present and active in the 3D world to prepare for the ascension to the 5D. Many of us are addicts living in recovery and on our own, special spiritual path of the steps. What does this mean for us? What does the ascension process mean for us? While the future points along this path hold great promise, the steps along the way are not always the easiest, especially for the recovering addict. However, with the daily practice of the 12 steps we can achieve a bit of a head start and ease the ascension process.
By Lady Red8 years ago in Psyche
Happiness
I know way too many people with mental health problems, and one of these people is me. I have always been someone that loves to spend time by herself but in the last four years these moments became dark. I felt lonely even though I had friends. I had some traumatic experience in life. I know many people had experienced worse things in life and that those people came out stronger. Well with me it was the other way around. When my parents divorced, I blamed myself and because of that I tried to take care of my little brother who was two at the time. Now he is almost 13 and I still do it, but he hates it. I am always trying to keep everyone around me happy. I didn’t care about myself because as long as my loved ones were happy, I could move on. This sometimes came to moments where I cried myself to sleep because I didn’t show how broken I was. I still don’t show it.
By Unknown Love8 years ago in Psyche
Suicide Survivor
So, my kids' dad and I split up almost a year ago. We were having issues for quite some time, he says that it was before I even got pregnant that they started. After I had the twins it became worse and worse. I was constantly home with the kids alone while he was out working or doing his kickboxing. My mother in law would come and help me as much as she could. When we split I pretty much went into a downward spiral. We had voluntarily signed custody over to his parents while we figure ourselves out because neither of us were financially or mentally capable of being full time single parents doing it all on our own.
By Brie Smalley-Melmore8 years ago in Psyche
Suicide
I had a feeling of need to tell my story today; I don't know why but I am going with it, so here it is! OK guys I wanna tell you a story of a completely broken girl. It’s real, it’s messy and maybe hard to read. But I want to tell it in the hopes it may help someone else. Suicide! It’s real and people get so low they feel completely hopeless and don’t bother seeing a point in trying anymore. I know this because this is exactly how I felt.
By Dagny Desiree8 years ago in Psyche
Relapse
September 2017 seems worlds away now. I was discharged from the mental health services up in Yorkshire and moving my stuff back down South to London. I was in a good place. I'd completed therapy and, armed with my medication, I felt like I could take on anything. I felt like the world was my oyster, and that I could now cope without the help of professionals.
By Skylar Rose Pridgeon8 years ago in Psyche
This Is the End. Or Is It?
It's no secret that when you're seemingly ploughing through everyday life, with a metaphorical backpack full of depression and/or other mental illnesses weighing you down in the process, life can seem simply unbearable.
By Renee Wells8 years ago in Psyche