Top Stories
Stories in Psyche that you’ll love, handpicked by our team.
Every Second I Hold my Breath
I never thought I could fear the water. To be touched by it, to taste it, to be engulfed by it. My whole life has been in water.
Leah HarrisPublished 3 months ago in PsycheHow to Cope With Emotional or Psychological Trauma
Pretty much everyone will experience at least one traumatic event in their lives. But sadly, most of us will experience at least three or more. And these events can leave us with feelings of fear, sadness, anger, and confusion. These emotions can last a long time, and if they aren’t processed properly, they can interfere with our daily lives.
Leonora WatkinsPublished 3 months ago in Psyche"Don't You Miss Drinking?"
I guess the best way to start this is just to dive right in. My name’s Emily, I’m an alcoholic and I’m very open about it, which, to each their own it’s anonymous for a reason, I’m just not a good rule follower. I know for a fact that it catches people off guard when I offer up this little morsel about myself. How do I know? Because it’s usually followed by “really?!” (yes really, thanks for asking), or “Oh no you’re not!” (oh, but I am), or my favorite, “but you don’t look like an alcoholic!” (now tell me, what exactly does an alcoholic look like?).
ec from clePublished 4 months ago in Psyche
A Date With Water
I have always loved the water. I soak in hot springs. I mud and salt my bare body in murky lakes. I pray in holy rivers. I swim naked in Japanese bath-houses with other naked women. Immersing myself in water is the only time I truly switch off from the world. When I turn the tap labelled H all the way to the right with just a little bit of C, I dunk my head in as the ceramic bowl fills. I feel my hair soak and my ears fill with growling minerals. My nose and face are exposed in the hot damp air, just enough for me to breathe. I close my eyes, and I listen to the waters thunder. If I keep my eyes shut long enough, I envision myself lost at sea, floating away from a sunken ship. The water is not rough, nor cold. I float through the night, staring up at the stars that blanket the sky. I see huge stars, tiny stars, a white full moon with a blank staring face. The sinking ship is far from me now, I have no guarantee of surviving the night. But in this sea, I am completely safe, for if death should come I couldn’t ask for a calmer one. In essence, everything is sweet.
Melissa Angius SalvatorePublished 4 months ago in Psyche- First Place in Sister Circle Challenge
Brei.
Brei, In all fairness, I have not known you for a long time. A few years. Yet, you have endured more in the small amount of time I have known you, than people I have known my entire 30 years of life.
Franchessica HannawackerPublished 4 months ago in Psyche 
Morning routine
Peering into the woman who stood before me, I got lost in the uncertainty of her glare. Unemotive eyes hiding the tension held between her shoulders, pulling her posture inward. The routine sigh wasn’t deep enough to release the tightness that wrapped around her chest. Quiet judgments filled the air, even in silence they were all I could hear, I guess I never quite learned how to love the reflection I saw in the mirror. Clumsily, I collect my things. Frightened by the echo of my mascara hitting the bathroom sink, still not a cacophony bold enough to bring me back to the moment. I had drifted down the deserted path of my anxieties, absent of the wisdom I held my standards to, and there was no end in sight. Alerted by the reverberating call coming from my torn coat pocket, it was time to force myself out the door.
TheLateBloomPublished 4 months ago in Psyche
Rules To My Life.
I have suffered from depression for a little more than half of my life. It is a rough road to living and being satisfied when dealing with depression. Throw in a little obsessive-compulsive disorder and you really have a recipe for some fun thought and behavioral patterns. I require a set of rules to keep myself above water. Through the creation of these 'life rules,' I have made it easier to enjoy my life. Let's just get right down to it;
Franchessica HannawackerPublished 5 months ago in PsycheWhat I Learned From Rejection
Rejection is what you make of it. Many paths we take in life include the possibility of facing rejection. It’s not about if we will face it but how that makes the most difference.
Nicole WaitePublished 5 months ago in PsycheProfile of a Young Black Creator & Mental Health Advocate
When I was graduating from high school, my older sister told me that college is the place where I'll make my lifelong friends. I prayed then that she was correct because I couldn't imagine getting through such a big change in my life without good friends by my side. I've come to realize that my sister was right because throughout my college journey, I made a few friends who I can definitely see being there for the biggest moments in my life. In my freshman year of college, I met an unassuming but incredibly creative young man named Raymond Campbell III and since then he's been a friend that I know I can always call on and he's doing great things in his life.
C.R. HughesPublished 5 months ago in Psyche
Five Rules of Adventure
01. “He was a bit of a closed book.” - Go to Page 2. ____________________________________ 02. As you rifle through your late father’s meager but neatly organized possessions up in the family attic, you come upon a little black notebook under a stack of old photo albums.
Nikita EmtsovPublished 5 months ago in PsycheIgnoring The Comment Section On Social Media
It’s 3am. My boyfriend is fast asleep. Our Golden Retriever is fast asleep. And me… I’ve turned to my side with my mobile phone brightness turned right down low. I’m careful not to make sudden movements as I scroll… and scroll… and scroll.
Fiona Teddy-JimohPublished 5 months ago in Psyche3 Tips for Hypochondriacs
If you read my article that I published for my birthday, then you will know a little bit about me. Long story short, I suffer from agoraphobia and hypochondria and have for a very, very long time now. You would have also probably noticed that I have written articles on coping with agoraphobia. Remember, I say coping, not cures. I have personally never found a cure, but I have found methods of coping that makes it less daunting to deal with. I have never written one about my hypochondria because until about 2019, I had never really found a coping mechanism for it.
Annie KapurPublished 6 months ago in Psyche
