Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Psyche.
Anxiety: We Can't Just Get Over It
"Just get over it," they say. It's harder than you think. Imagine having a little devil on your shoulder constantly. A little someone that has the exact same voice as you. It's telling you that if you talk to someone, they will hurt you, that they are laughing at you. The little voice that tells you you're ugly when you look at yourself in the mirror, even though the words that actually came out of your mouth were "wow, I look pretty good today." You can't just get over that.
Uniquely DessPublished 5 years ago in PsycheJust a Pill
"Just be happy." I'm sure you've heard that when you tell someone you're feeling down. And I'm sure you've thought in your head, "Oh, right. Ha, if only I thought of that."
RachelMorganPublished 5 years ago in PsycheDear Diary (Pt. 1)
Dear Diary, I don't think I have done this since I was the same age as the sixth and seventh-grade students I now teach. I'm all grown up now, I'm 24. I've graduated college, got my bachelor's degree, and I have my own apartment. I've lived here since July and my life seems to go up and down.
Awakening
I was the girl with a good heart. I was the girl that stood by those I loved no matter what. I was the girl who had her heart broken one too many times by exes and friends. I was the girl who got walked all over, made excuses for those who done it and continued to let them do so for far too long. I was the girl everyone ran back to when they realised they needed help or lost everyone else and I was the only shadowing reminder left of their life and authentic self.
LEANNE RANKINPublished 5 years ago in PsycheUnplug!
Limit your social media usage, or go the whole hog and ditch it completely! I totally get that some people's jobs or other commitments require people to use social media for important ends, but on the other end, tipping the scale considerably, are those of us who you could say are addicted to social media.
Rose WalkerPublished 5 years ago in PsycheECT: The Real Story
There are a lot of myths out there about electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), sometimes referred to as shock therapy, and quite a lack of accurate information. Probably the most common misperceptions come from the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, where ECT was essentially administered as a punishment, there was no anesthetic, and Jack Nicholson's character was incoherent afterwards. The reality of ECT is very different; it's a legitimate and very effective medical treatment, not a torture strategy.
Ashley L. PetersonPublished 5 years ago in PsycheAsking for Help
Help. Help! HELP! It's a hard thing to do; asking for help. Especially in certain situations. A lot of the time, we straight up refuse help because either we don't want to bother people, we were raised to believe we could do it on our own, or we firmly believe that accepting help is admitting defeat. Some of us suffer from all three of these problems. Sometimes, it's something as simple as asking someone to babysit. Other times, we're sitting in our own depression, afraid to ask for help or reach out. It's hard to think that we all haven't been in some form of both situations.
Michelle SchultzPublished 5 years ago in PsycheHelping Someone with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is not an easy condition to live with, either for the sufferer or the family. When I have a Post Traumatic attack, the way in which I can react can be unpredictable, and this can be stressful for myself, my other half, and my entire family. I can go for days, months, and even years and feel well; however, out of the blue that can change quickly. During an attack, I am moody, anxious, depressed, afraid, my perception changes, and I can be very sensitive to certain events.
Carol TownendPublished 5 years ago in PsycheThe Burden
What it means to be alone? What does that mean for me? It means half my life I had way prettier friends than I was. It means I was often the third or fifth wheel. It means I disappeared from the face of the earth when they were around me. It means boys rarely looked my way. It means that I wanted to kill myself almost everyday. It means my self-esteem was really low at this point. It means I gave up on me. It still means today that I don't like myself. And frankly, I don't know how to change that.
Singster JonesPublished 5 years ago in PsycheThank You!
I’m not keeping it a secret that the years leading up to now have not been very kind to me, but this article is not about that—and indeed is not about me. It’s about you. Yeah. I am talking to you, to every person that helped me in their own way to be here today. To every person that helped me do a step forward even if I was pushing myself a thousand step backwards. To every single one of you that kept on pushing me, that kept on supporting me, that kept on loving me even when I hated me the most. For a quick background, I was diagnosed with major depression and anxiety more than three years ago and once you have that combination, it never fully ‘goes away.’ Mental illness is such a sneaky little bastard and really unkind to most—but yeah anyway back to the point I am writing this article to thank every single one of you—from "you" that helped me to even do the tiniest little baby step, to "you" that helped me fly those milestones…
Mikaella LovePublished 5 years ago in PsycheIt's Okay, and So Are You
Whenever we are gloomy about the state of our lives, it often shows in our body language, in our facial expressions, and in the ways that we respond to others. Often, we are asked the age-old question, "Are you okay?" or some variant of the same, such as "What's wrong?" or "What happened?"
Alice B. Schellinger.Published 5 years ago in PsycheThe Process
There are so many ways to handle mental health issues and I can honestly say I've tried several different approaches. My most prominent approach however, would definitely be avoiding and ignoring it. That was a huge part of my problem leading into the summer going into my senior year of college. I suppressed all of the emotions that were starting to eat me alive, and was I slowly began to crumble and lose control. After my panic attack in June, I decided to reach out for help for the first time ever and let me tell you, it was not even slightly easy. Like I've mentioned before, I was always the one helping my friends and family and was always "the rock" and never felt like I needed help. I've realized it is hard for me to accept help because I was so accustomed to helping others, and I felt a certain pressure to always be okay. But once my emotions started to affect my everyday life in a negative way, I had to put my hard-headed feelings aside and accept that I was not okay.
Leah PollickPublished 5 years ago in Psyche