Top Stories

Stories in Psyche that you’ll love, handpicked by our team.

Recovery Is Possible
What is our "Real Self?" I mean, aren't we all putting on a facade for everyone? When we meet people, don't we put our best foot forward? Don't we want to make a great impression when we try to get a job? Authentic Self seems elusive, or so I thought. Oh, that's just "Dime Store Psychology." You see, I had one of those jobs that I had to put on many faces.
By Jeff Johnson4 years ago in Psyche
Beating Depression's Beaten Path
Human beings are creatures of habit. We have a subconscious bias toward doing everyday things in certain ways that feel comfortable to us. I put my left sock on before the right one, but I always put my right shoe on before the left. I brush my teeth in a certain pattern; I shave my face from left to right. Whatever the task is, I definitely don’t remember choosing the particular way in which I complete it. As a child I learned the basics but as I grew older I simply found a way of doing them that just felt comfortable to me. If not by the lack of discomfort, but by the reinforcement achieved by repetition. Either way, our brains employ a flavor of the ‘path of least resistance’ strategy with these simple tasks; that being said, would it not make sense that our brains also employ this strategy with other functions buried even deeper in our subconscious?
By Mac4 years ago in Psyche
My Mom's Tale
Before I begin, I would like to clarify that this article is not to bash my Mom whatsoever. It is in fact quite the opposite. My argument is that people who use and abuse substances deserve compassion, not condemnation or judgment. It is something that took 17 years for me to understand. After 17 years, I'm finally on my Mom's side instead of fighting against her.
By kasey gresham4 years ago in Psyche
I Didn't Know I Had Social Anxiety: Here Are The Subtle Signs
Earlier this year, I was diagnosed with Social Anxiety Disorder. It was the last of the 3 anxiety disorders I got diagnosed with, and one that I frankly did not expect. Despite considering myself a mental health advocate and having a fairly good understanding of anxiety disorders, I even fell victim to the stereotypes of social anxiety.
By Alisan Keesee4 years ago in Psyche
Inner Gaslighting: Are You Gaslighting Yourself?
What is Gaslighting? Gaslighting is a form of mental abuse in which a person manipulates another person into doubting their own sanity. The term “gaslighting” comes from the 1938 stage play Gaslight, and subsequent Hollywood classic, in which a husband tries to make his wife think she is going insane. In the play, the husband dims the lights and blames it on an imaginary broken gas lamp.
By Kate Strong4 years ago in Psyche
ADHD Is My Superpower
Did you know that October is National ADHD Awareness Month? I didn't either until a couple days ago. Whoops! It seems like there is a day for everything anymore; National Ice Cream Day, National Hot Chocolate Day, National Hangover Day, National Personal Trainer Awareness Day-wait, what? If you have a personal trainer, aren't you already aware of them?
By E.L. Martin4 years ago in Psyche
How to Help People
My friend’s mother committed suicide. I knew her well. I was always staying over at the family home when young, it was a beautiful, double-fronted property on a hilltop overlooking the town.
By Jamie Jackson4 years ago in Psyche
Self Love For 'Devalued' Kids
It's no secret that the early years of our lives shape who we become as adults. Isn't it frightening how so much of our childhood is out of our hands? A devalued kid is someone raised with little to no praise, validation, positivity, or acceptance. The result is things like poor self-esteem, passive-aggressive or avoidance behavior, and people-pleasing personalities. Such behaviors may have begun as survival or coping mechanisms. As grown-ups, it feels as if we left our parents' house and packed the wrong baggage. We've held onto the baggage for so long we don't how else to live. We don't know where or how to start building the right tools we need to let ourselves grow into our potential. Omar Hameed describes The Devalued Self in The Devalued Self: Childhood Emotional Abandonment, Devaluation of the Self, and Anxiety:
By Danielle Eckhart4 years ago in Psyche
How to Protect Your Mental Health and Wellbeing
We’ve become slaves to our gadgets. Every hobby is now seen as a potential side hustle and money-making machine. We no longer do things for the sake of enjoyment. If you’re not monetising a skill you’re seen as if you’re an alien.
By Rejoice Denhere4 years ago in Psyche
The Secret Life of Dreams: The Ins and Outs of Sleep.
I’ve always been interested in other worldly topics, often wondering whether there is life after death? Do ghosts exist? And is that demon I see in sleep paralysis really trying to possess me?
By Emm Margaret4 years ago in Psyche
A letter to my young self
This is a letter to my young self & all persons who feel the oppressive weight of living under cultural and patriarchal restraint. Especially for those journeys that have been made more arduous due to intersectionality and for those who seek to heal from experienced traumas. It can feel like a lonely road travelled when our song feels dissonant to those around us. When individuality that follows the social norm is what is expected of us. When we are asked to be everything and expected to question none of it. When we keep space with those that do not keep space for us. When we find ourselves seeking other’s approval over our own. When we stop being crafters of our own story, stray from our path, and allow others to dance us along on marionetted strings. When we continue to witness the collective pain of marginalizing policies.
By S. Rae4 years ago in Psyche
I Had to Write Words Backwards for 2 Whole Years Or Else My Friends Would Die
My OCD stole my writing from me. No seriously. A mental illness versus my existential purpose and still there were no winners. Just a loser. Just me.
By em4 years ago in Psyche