coping
Life presents variables; learning how to cope in order to master, minimize, or tolerate what has come to pass.
10 Natural Ways to Reduce Stress on the Go
It’s not uncommon to feel stressed every now and then. Even as a yogi and meditation practitioner, I notice I still get stressed in certain situations. For example, I went for a massage last week and the masseuse told me my shoulders were extremely tight. I have been tensing my shoulders up recently without even realizing! Sometimes I'll bite my lip or forget to breathe deeply. These are pretty common signs of stress, and before we can do anything about reducing the amount of stress we experience, we must first be aware of it. Make an effort to notice when you are biting your nails or tensing up, it’s your body’s way of communicating to you. Whenever I notice myself tensing up, I take it as a sign to realign. I prefer natural ways to reduce stress on the go so I can better listen to my body at all times. These things usually help me return to a calm state of mind without having to rely on a pill.
By Michelle Estevez7 years ago in Psyche
Living with a Mental Illness
INSTEAD of being a wave of relief, my diagnosis crushed me. I had been smacked with two hyper-stigmatised labels that I didn’t want or deserve. Medication seemed the logical route, and even though I still take it regularly, I can’t shake this niggling feeling in the back of my mind that I’m not "authentically" me when I’m on them. I’m some societally subdued version of my former self. Not only have my negative emotions have been numbed by meds, my positive emotions (my crutches) too, appear to hang and exist, seeming just indifferent. The age-old adage of Jekyll and Hyde is somewhat blurred with mental illness. It isn’t a straight dichotomy, a line that says this is where my illness ends and I begin. At times it feels like you are your illness, and your illness is you. In some ways, I am unable to excuse my erratic, manic behaviour, because my illness and I (in those moments) appear as one. And it is this constant struggle to define yourself in the midst of an illness or on a shorter scale, an episode, that I have found the hardest to deal with. I myself can’t remember a time when I wasn’t anxious or worrying about what people think—but it’s a constant debate in my head as if this is just personality or illness or a mixture of both. But, one thing is for sure, that even in your darkest moments, your ingenuity and your positive moments are the authentic, true you.
By Tabby Weir7 years ago in Psyche
The Art of Breathing
Life at times is full on, fast-paced and challenging. One minute you're on top of the world and another minute you're in the slums. The mind is such a powerful system. Your thoughts literally create your perspective and your perspective forms your life. You are what you think.
By Luke Joseph7 years ago in Psyche
Who Needs a Therapist When (Pt. 12)
When I was very small, I had a recurring nightmare that I was being crushed by a boulder. Upon waking, rather than leaving the nightmare behind, I was visited instead by vivid, disturbing hallucinations: My body was shrinking. I would stare at my fingers, tapping them together as my hands became smaller, daintier, and near invisible. Yet, even with my eyes closed, the sensation was there—the shrinking, dissipating feeling as I feel myself swallowed, suffocated by my suddenly enormous bed. Panic would swell as I'd spend what felt like an eternity gripped in the certainty that I was shrinking down to nothing.
By Haybitch Abersnatchy7 years ago in Psyche
Vitality Adjustment
It sounds so easy, doesn't it? Getting it all started. To some people getting things started isn't a thought at all. Every day there are examples of people that do amazing things just by following their passions. Still sounds simple, right? If you follow what you dream about and have a strong passion to carry out those dreams it should be easy to get started. Right? It sounds to me that someone would be overly eager to do something that they are passionate about, get started without anything or anybody to get in their way. It is easy, for some. There are those that deal with what nearly 20 percent of Americans deal with on a daily basis and that is some sort of an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders can attack a person in many different ways. Some people may deal with one or two symptoms, some may have several symptoms that never give any warnings on when they are coming and going. It is a never-ending whirlwind of thoughts and emotions that sometimes control a persons life to the point to where they have to go see a physician, possibly take a prescribed medication, seek group counseling, or even take an all natural route with modern alternative medicine. I have said many of times, and you may quote me, "The people that deal with an anxiety disorder cannot explain it, and those that don't, cannot understand it."
By BIGG_JOE Vitality_Adjustment7 years ago in Psyche
Don't Call Me Crazy
Past: I don’t remember much about Christmas 2014 other than my life changing. Maybe that’s all I need to remember, at least for this narrative anyway. With every holiday season comes the hustle and bustle of making lists, purchasing gifts, and catching up with family and friends. Schedules are hectic and some level of pressure or stress makes an appearance during this time. For me, the holidays equated to higher levels of stress than I usually experience. Being a mother to a perfect now seven-year-old boy, like most parents, I am trying to check off everything on his Christmas list. I shamelessly admit that yes, I am one of those parents who may buy a little more than what’s really needed. I never fail to formulate an annual holiday budget but I also never fail to adhere to it, all the while anteing up my stress levels. Nevertheless, as hectic as it gets during the holidays, the shenanigans are also fun. The mishaps, crammed schedules, gift hunting, last minute shopping, under-cooked or overcooked dishes, family dysfunction, cheesy commercials, timeless Christmas carols, never-ending photographs, an excessive amount of glitter and red… all of these components plus some is what makes the holidays the holidays and I was okay with that… until 2014, when I was not.
By Erryn "Writer_Dye" Howard7 years ago in Psyche
Anxious and Sad
I feel like my anxiety has become a fashion trend for people who want to seem quirky or alternative. That my depression has become nothing more than a way for people to express their first world problems. They don't understand why I can't sleep, can't have a quiet moment, and why medication is so terrifying to the creative mind.
By Sydney Scarlet7 years ago in Psyche
Who Needs a Therapist When (Pt. 10)
So, up front. This is not a call for help. This is not a request for care. I am perfectly capable of committing myself to professional care if my ideation goes from, "well, that'd be nice" to "let's do this." I'm good at means reduction and putting safety measures in place. So please refrain from any helpful actions. That is not what this is about.
By Haybitch Abersnatchy7 years ago in Psyche
My Life with Depression
Depression … A word that can make your whole world crash down around you... It was back in 2015 when my mum suggested that I went to the doctors. After disagreeing with her and saying that I didn't want to go, I went … Only to be told that I had depression. My heart dropped, I was nearly 16 and didn't exactly know what depression meant. I hadn't even left school yet ... I didn't think I was old enough to be diagnosed with something like that. I’d never even thought about it! I didn't know that it would have had such an impact on my life … My moods were really low, I was sleeping a lot, I wasn't going out with friends, I had really low self-esteem, I was always negative about everything and I always seemed to be angry.
By Mollie Major7 years ago in Psyche
Music Has Literally Saved My Life
Music is powerful. It has the ability to lift you out of dark and terrifying places that your mind tends to drift to when you feel alone, scared, depressed, etc. I was born in 1982, the time of big hair, boomboxes, The Breakfast Club, and the internet wasn’t really a thing yet. Music kept me company and was my friend throughout my childhood. I remember listening to the radio at night and having the sounds of Bon Jovi or Def Leppard fill my ears as I fell asleep. It was a simple time back then, just me and my music.
By Christina Scanlon7 years ago in Psyche
