anxiety

A look at anxiety in its many forms and manifestations; what is the nature of this specific pattern of extreme fear and worry?

Beyond Fear, Finding Courage
Are you hesitant? I can tell… Are you afraid? I dare not say… Have you glimpsed the other side? I always wondered… What if you tried? If only I could…
By Arjirisabout a year ago in Psyche
What is "Generalized Anxiety Disorder"?
Anxiety is a typical response to stressors, and everyone experiences stress in one way or another in their normal lives. However, many people struggle with anxiety disorders every single day and find it difficult to function in their lives and do basic things because of it. GAD is an anxiety disorder commonly associated with intense fear and worry about everyday events and situations. A person with GAD may feel overly concerned and worried about things for no apparent reasons. Persons with generalized anxiety disorder struggle to function in many areas of their lives because of their anxiety. The anxiety becomes so intense that it takes over their everyday life, causing them to have trouble at school, work, home, and even personal relationships.
By Slgtlyscatt3redabout a year ago in Psyche
Giveing Me Back to Me
Giving Me Back to Me I don’t know the exact moment I lost myself. There wasn’t some grand betrayal, no loud bang or crashing fall. It happened quietly. Softly. Like sand slipping through fingers—you don’t realize it’s gone until your hands are empty.
By Gabriela Toneabout a year ago in Psyche
Sobriety Changed Me
Day I Chose Clarity: A Sobriety Story It was a rainy Thursday afternoon, the kind of gray, heavy day that seemed to mirror everything I was feeling inside. I remember standing at my bathroom sink, staring into the mirror like I was trying to recognize the person looking back at me. My face was puffy. My eyes—bloodshot and tired—held a kind of sadness that wasn’t just from lack of sleep or too many drinks. It was deeper. Hollow.
By Gabriela Toneabout a year ago in Psyche
Dark Chocolate. First Place in The Metamorphosis of the Mind Challenge. Content Warning.
I didn't like Dr. Red. She was pretty, unprofessional, and impatient. Being that she was the only affordable psychiatrist in town, I didn't have a choice. The appointment was scheduled for 9:15 a.m. I arrived at the tall, beige building, just a block from my house, two minutes early. I carried my journal, as I always did, in case I spotted a Corvus brachyrhynchos—The American Crow. I had a fascination with drawing those birds. They were my favorite. No matter which direction they looked, their profile never failed to be anything less than elegant.
By K. Jeanetteabout a year ago in Psyche
In the Lot. Top Story - April 2025.
In the empty lot across the street from my house, which was a mobile like the other homes on Turner Avenue, Bailey took off her training bra and flung it in a birch tree.
By Jennifer A. G.about a year ago in Psyche
Setting Boundaries Isn’t Mean…It’s Survival. Top Story - April 2025.
I’ve always known how to set boundaries. It’s not something I had to learn from a book or therapy session; it’s something that came naturally to me as a form of self-preservation. From the time I was a quiet two-year-old trying to watch a movie in peace, I knew how to defend my space, even if I wasn’t speaking much yet. My uncle kept pestering me, annoying me with taunts, pushing for a reaction And he finally said, “You look like a pig in the face.” and little two-year-old me, fed up and done, replied: “Well, if I look like a pig in the face, then you look like garbage.”
By Cadmaabout a year ago in Psyche
Obnoxious
He called me obnoxious and I decided I was never going to have sex with him again. We had stopped making love a while ago. To be more specific: he called me “obnoxious,” the next day I asked for an apology, and instead he asked me to first understand where he was coming from. THEN I decided I’d never have sex with him again.
By Ariana GonBonabout a year ago in Psyche
I Drowned in Fire and Rose in Smoke
I Drowned in Fire and Rose in Smoke It began in a silence so thunderous it felt like the world had been muted mid-scream. Not the kind of quiet that soothes—but the kind that suffocates. That drips down the walls and seeps into the bones. I was not standing at the edge of a cliff. I was standing at the edge of *myself*.
By Gabriela Toneabout a year ago in Psyche
Unconditional Commitement
The Power of Unconditional Commitment: Choosing to Stay the Course In today’s fast-paced, convenience-driven world, commitment can feel like an outdated virtue. People are often encouraged to “follow their feelings,” “move on if it doesn’t serve you,” or “leave if it’s not easy.” And while there is truth in setting boundaries and prioritizing mental health, there is also something deeply transformative—and increasingly rare—about *unconditional commitment*.
By Gabriela Toneabout a year ago in Psyche
The Intimacy of Being Understood
There’s a soft kind of magic in being understood. Not the surface-level kind where someone nods while you speak or says, “I get it” out of politeness, but the deep, soul-touching kind. The kind that makes your chest feel lighter, your thoughts quieter. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it stays with you like the scent of someone you love on a piece of clothing.
By Farazabout a year ago in Psyche
What's the Difference Between Anxiety and an Anxiety Disorder?
Anxiety is a common human reaction and emotion that everyone experiences at some point in time. Stress and environmental factors often play a critical role in anxiety and how we deal with it. However, when anxiety is persistent and not necessarily specific to a few situations, it can become a disorder. While a lot of people throw around the term anxiety loosely, it is often misunderstood as to how it relates to our mental health.
By Slgtlyscatt3redabout a year ago in Psyche