Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Psyche.
Best Movies About Eating Disorders
My waistline and I are mortal enemies—and chances are, we always will be. I struggle with my weight. I struggle with the memories of facing verbal abuse from people, just because of the number on my pants and the number on the scale.
By Ossiana Tepfenhart8 years ago in Psyche
Depression: How To Overcome It
Learning how to overcome depression is something that not many people know how to do. Those who suffer from depression will tell you that it is one of the most unpleasant things that a person can experience and many believe that it is something that they can't control.
By Dallas Hemingway8 years ago in Psyche
A Letter to My 10-Year-Old Self
Dear Jerico, I’m writing to you on this non-particular day because it’s sunny, there’s not a cloud in the sky, the neighbors' roosters are crowing, and I’m feeling clearer. I can tell you it’s a beautiful day because, my goodness, it is. The only downside, I think, is that it’s hot and I’m sweaty. You’re probably confused as to why you’re getting a letter from a stranger, but I’ll tell you now that I am not a stranger. I am you from the future. 11 years older, exactly. Well, almost 12 years older. Your birthday is nearing.
By Jerico Santiago8 years ago in Psyche
Drowning Out of Water
Living with depression can be literal hell. You lose motivation to get out of bed, to eat, and to even shower. For some of us it's a sense of drowning while being able to breathe. Depression comes in waves; some days the water is calm and relaxing but the next it can be a 2 week long hurricane of emotions. Some days we don't shower, brush our teeth, or even get out of our pjs. It can even get as severe as not grocery shopping, paying bills, or calling into work/school.
By Hannah Homewood8 years ago in Psyche
Liberation
We all, as humans, have our moments of weakness. We have those moments where maybe we're not completely sure of who we are. Unless you're like me, that feeling ends. Every morning I wake up, and I'm unsure whether Tigger or Eeyore will be making my decisions for me. I have a Bipolar Disorder. My specific Bipolar Disorder is when I have rapid mood swings that are beyond my control. One moment I could be on top of the world, but in the next, it could be falling down around me. There is no liberation in my mind.
By Sierra Brown8 years ago in Psyche
Sleep Paralysis
I was five or six when I first experienced it. I would "wake up" to find the room swirling with shadows and flames, everything was in black in white, terrible creatures would come crawling towards me, but I was definitely still in my room. Sometimes I'd even see or hear my parents, but they were always just out of reach. The most memorable part of the ordeal though, was the fact that I couldn't breathe. I'd try to yell for help, but no one would hear me or see me writhing for air because in reality, I wasn't moving at all. I was only a kid so I didn't know what was happening to me. As soon as I was able to move I'd go running into my parents' room screaming, "I can't breathe!" (While clearly breathing) and crying about what I'd just witnessed. Of course they didn't know what I was talking about and over the years they did everything they could to help. To them it was a combination of extremely vivid nightmares and asthma attacks.
By Kerri Simmons8 years ago in Psyche
Not Everything Happens for a Reason, but That's Okay
There have been numerous accounts of tragedy and heartbreak that I have experienced throughout my 22 years on Earth, all of which I remember so vividly it is almost as if they occurred just last night. What I remember even more vividly, however, is confiding in a person close to me who, after expressing sorrow and concern, proceeded to say to me that this had to have happened for some reason greater than the human mind can even begin to comprehend. While these words were intended in the most consoling way possible, in order to aid me in accepting what had happened to me, I was repulsed at this reaction each and every time. In a world where tragic events occur with no explanation whatsoever and we are left wondering what we did to deserve this and why this had to happen, it has become human nature to adapt the ideology that everything happens for a reason beyond our capability of understanding so that it is easier to accept them and move on with our lives. Realistically, however, everything does not happen for a reason, and living by the idea that it does is not as effective as one may think.
By Abbey Walters8 years ago in Psyche
Truth of Depression
Taylor feels that she lives a good life. She feels that she has friends, a supportive family, and everything she needs as well as some wants. Nothing traumatic has happened to her or to any of her close friends and family recently. She is active in school, sports, and in the community. She loves to be with friends and continues to love reading and being with her family as she always has. However, during finals week, Taylor has felt more overwhelmed with schoolwork and feels there’s not enough hours in the day. With this stress, Taylor wonders if she may be depressed.
By Jasmine Lass8 years ago in Psyche
Trigger Warning: Depression
Sometimes depression is really warranted: when friends bail, leaving an aching heart and lonely schedule, or when lovers disappear and stop responding to your calls. But then there are other days, days like today, where nothing at all causes the depressive state; it just happens. Yesterday was Monday, so the depression made sense, and the weather was shitty too, which would also warrant a lowered mood. But today, today is Tuesday, one day closer to Friday, one day farther from Monday. The weather isn’t awful, and the sun is shining. So why? Why, today, is the depression once again eating away at my flesh and bones like a hungry, blood guzzling, monster?
By Donna Sczygelski8 years ago in Psyche
The Quitter Chronicles
I've dropped out of school way too many times to count. I graduated late, at the age of 21. Boy, did that ever hurt my self-esteem. I'd log into Facebook and see people posting university or college grad photos, while I was trying not to die off the pills I took. This feeling would make me take more pills. Probably take another big gulp of Bombay, too. You obviously don't know my story, but you'll learn my history soon. I'm three years into recovery. I only consume vaporized nicotine and synthesized caffeine now.
By James Harrison8 years ago in Psyche
What’s Left of Me
The nearly empty glass dropped from my hand. I felt my grip loosen and gasped, but time seemed to inch forward at a crawl. The edge tilted towards the floor, gravity’s inexorable grip drawing the last inch of wine one drop at a time into the gray shag carpet. The fabric absorbed the impact of the glass, rolling it under the table without shattering it, leaving a red stain, like blood, behind it.
By Chadlai Shade8 years ago in Psyche
