coping
Life presents variables; learning how to cope in order to master, minimize, or tolerate what has come to pass.
Afraid of the Dark No More
I spent years being afraid of the dark. As a child I felt terrified of the dark but I never knew why. I had conjunctivitis at the age of three and woke up with my eyes glued shut with muck but I already felt afraid of the dark by then. My mother used to think it was because I watched horror movies with my dad (before I was three) but I already felt the fear before then. As I grew and learned I became more and more afraid of the dark until...
By Gabriella Grace8 years ago in Psyche
Are You MAD?
Hello, before I say anything let me ask you; What if you are? Mad, that is. What then? What will you do? These questions play a special part, you see. For if you turn out to be mad, then the next step is very important. Seeing how you go about it, that is.
By Giosis Santini8 years ago in Psyche
Let's Talk About Mental Health as Writers
As I’m writing this, I’m sitting in the library of my university, desperate to be productive. I have a brand new notebook, brand new pens (coloured fine-liners to be snazzy!), and an iced soy chai latte from Starbucks. All of these things give me the illusion that I’m about to do something big, but that’s not always the case.
By Sharna Bennett8 years ago in Psyche
Life on the Edge
Everything was fine — at least that's what everyone around me thought. I was happy, dancing around, laughing out loud and having the greatest time of my life. I had everything I ever wanted, or at least that’s what they thought I wanted. All things considered I should be grateful for what I have or had. But, when the lights were turned off and there was no one around, the smile turned into a frown and tears flowed down my cheeks. Many nights I cried myself to sleep with a heavy heart. It was the only way to relive the pain… to feel whole in some way. Relive the heaviness. In the morning, I was the happiest person you'd ever meet. The smile and joy was back on my face. Truth be told, I was never happy, but being "happy" meant no one would keep asking me "what is wrong?" or say "you need to talk about it." See, being “happy” meant no more questions, no one trying to pry into my life. But I was never happy, I was alone with my thoughts.
By Irene Maina8 years ago in Psyche
My Sadie
Meet Sadie. She is my constant companion, my 'go to girl', and my life saver. I'm Sue, Sadie's mom, and I have bipolar disorder. When I say she is my life saver, I am not referring to her rescuing me from rushing waters or pulling me out of an inferno. She saves me from falling into the depths of despair that comes with my illness. Look at those eyes. There is nothing but love there. No judgement, no awful stigma. Nothing but pure, unfiltered love.
By Sue Ryerson8 years ago in Psyche
Mind vs. Body
For years I battled depression and anxiety without even knowing, or understanding, what was actually happening inside my mind and inside my body. Growing up around the traditional western medical model, I was trained to treat my mind separate from my body. So, I went to therapy and talked about my feelings until all of my tears were gone and I was too exhausted to go on, but yet, I never actually felt better. It does help to say what was going on in my mind and to try and articulate what I was feeling, but I still went home feeling sluggish, overly fatigued, and unmotivated to do anything other than sit in my bedroom and sob.
By Devin Bowes8 years ago in Psyche
Just Listen
You ever feel stuck? As if life is just passing you by yet you’re just standing still? People tend to say “oh you’re just not living enough, live in the moment, risk it all, blah blah blah” but what they fail to realize it may go deeper than just lack of motivation. Personally, I have been battling depression for the past 4 years and to be honest it’s even harder to overcome it as an adult simply because life is so stressful for most of us and everyday is another challenge. I didn’t want to get hooked on Psyche meds, so I decided I was going to fight this depression along with my anxiety ALONE! What's even worse is that no one understands how you feel because, in their mind, you’re just being crazy or overdramatic; they tell you to just get up and brush it off and that the grass is greener on the other side, no one really takes the time to sit down and hear how you really feel and try to understand your thought process, so now you feel all alone which makes your depression worsen. I didn’t understand why I felt so overwhelmed with sadness all the time, I mean, part of my problems were that I was always arguing with my mom and my boyfriend as well (and I mean real hardcore arguing). They didn’t understand how I felt, my anxiety would manifest itself as anger and rage and frustration, I hated my life but I hated myself more; always felt like I wasn’t good enough, that no matter how hard I tried, my efforts to please everyone and make them happy were never enough. I got to a point where I started contemplating suicide, didn’t care if I hurt people around me with my death; they didn’t care about me while I was alive right? I started to binge eat and purge, I became so bulimic that my body would just automatically vomit by itself everytime I ate something. My physical health and my mental health were severely declining and I had no one there for me but my faith. I would be at work just sitting there when my anxiety would kick in for no reason. I would get an overwhelming nervous feeling, my heart started to race, i couldn’t handle this anymore, this had to stop! So I started writing down all the negativity in my head and one night I realized what my REAL problem was: I was living for others and not living for myself. I was so programmed to live to satisfy other people that I was leaving myself behind, I wasn’t doing anything that made me happy at all!! So I decided things were going to change, that I was going to do things I always wanted to do, like dancing , working out and losing all the weight I gained from eating my feelings while I was depressed, I started living for ME! And let me tell you how amazing it felt to break away from those chains, I began to Love myself again, I began to see the beautiful part of me! I didn’t want to die anymore I wanted to live. I know our main goal in life is to find true happiness but you will never find it unless you have it within you, because that’s where happiness truly lives. Now I'm not saying mental health isn’t a real thing, not everyone is capable of overcoming certain mental disorders, that is why I want people who read this to know that whether it’s them or someone they know with a mental health disorder, you are NOT ALONE ! Please read the signs and if anyone you know says they want to kill themselves, I beg you don’t dismiss those words, take them very seriously because some people mean what they say: Always listen because you might just save someones life!
By Jey Hernandez8 years ago in Psyche
Only Human
Naturally, we are inclined to draw near to others. Even making small efforts of contact with another is seemingly innate, holding a loved one’s hand, leaning on a shoulder for comfort, or simply a shared and warm embrace. Intimate relationships are considered an essential component in the composition of a happy life. The mutual dependency of friends, family, and romantic partners provides a respite in times of heartache or grief, often encouraging feelings of comfort. Many of us go about our daily lives without thinking twice about whether our loved ones will always be around. When we need reassurance we can pick up a phone and call a friend and procure console. Be that as it may, life for those living with a condition called "Autophobia" from the Greek word “Auto” meaning ‘self’ — suffer from the unusual and certain fear that they will be abandoned. People who suffer from Autophobia struggle to maintain deep personal connections, resulting in a perpetual state of grievance, due to the effects of this condition — which include: depression, crippling fear of intimacy, and low self-esteem.
By Sam Sapien8 years ago in Psyche
Crochet for Mental Health
I have been struggling with my mental health for a while. I finished my undergrad degree in Zoology and had no idea where to turn! My whole life I had been within the education system - just keep studying for the next exam. But at least I knew what I was doing!
By louise harper8 years ago in Psyche
Fear of Lack of Control
Some might say death is the greatest fear of the ego but even that can be simplified down to fear — fear of lack of control. The ego is constructed as such that it can only feel powerful if it feels like it has complete control. It takes time for the ego to construct itself in childhood and then the remainder of life is spent deconstructing said ego again to return to that innocent, natural state of spirit that we are originally created as. I recall only too well the first time it was put to me by a teacher that fear of lack of control is the underlying fear of all people and particularly of those people who are not coping well. I initially resisted the idea as my own ego did not want to entertain the idea that I might be responsible for my own unhappiness in any way. Over time though, I have seen it in action, in myself and in others.
By Gabriella Grace8 years ago in Psyche
