recovery
Your illness does not define you. It's your resolve to recover that does.
I Too Am the Face of Addiction
I’ve never met a person struggling with substance abuse that wasn’t fighting it in some way. Addiction is a destructive illness that divorces parts of the brain from itself and suspends the sufferer in a constant state of self-battle, like a person continuously drowning who can reach the surface just long enough to elongate the suffering and glimpse redemption yet never fully break free. It shouldn’t be a surprise that the suicide rate among those with this terrible affliction is so high. You can only go through this mental abuse for so long before you reach a breaking point. It doesn’t matter how strong you are. Torture breaks everyone eventually.
By J. Shifman6 years ago in Psyche
The First Word
I have considered myself a writer since I was a teen and could string together words that sounded deep. I have talked about writing a book most of my adult life. I have come up with interesting titles. I have thought about the content. I have sat in front of my computer for hours staring at it hoping that the words will form. I am a fraud. I am not a writer. I have no degree in literature or journalism. I have never written a single word that a career as a freelance writer could be built upon.
By Jessica Harrison6 years ago in Psyche
6 Reasons Trauma Survivors Should Journal
The Whats and Whys of Journals Journals are one of the first things mentioned on the list of self-help tips and tricks for trauma survivors who are working on healing. Most therapists recommend journals as part of the treatment plan, often giving homework in this regard.
By Surviving Childhood Trauma6 years ago in Psyche
My life was changed in a day
On Monday 13th May 2019 I was a normal 18 year old student, went out clubbing that night like every other week. On the tuesday I woke up with a splitting headache, I thought it was just a hangover. it was a really sunny day and my friends and I decided to go get a meal deal and sit outside and then head to the library. I found it hard to concentrate and ended up leaving the library as the lights were affecting my vision and my headache was horrendous.
By Isobel Ford6 years ago in Psyche
Society's Impact on Body Image
How often do you scroll through Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, or any other social media platform, and see beautiful women, gorgeous men, and individuals that appear absolutely perfect? For me, it’s daily. As a freelancer and lover of social media, I use my platforms often, and I’ve grown tired of the unrealistic standards society has created. This image that everyone has a perfect life, a rocking body, and a mountain of money is a lie. No one is perfect, not even that Instagram influencer model with the perfect tan, beautiful house, and travel history one dreams of -- she has struggles, worries, and dreams she wishes to achieve just like you and me.
By Shaley Speaks6 years ago in Psyche
Swimsuits and Lingerie for Mental Health Awareness
Last year I had the absolute pleasure of being part of the UK Calendar Girls competition, rasing funds for Mental Health Awareness and The Chestnut Appeal for Prostate Cancer, two charities I find particularly important in our current times. My gorgeous and always supportive husband Stephen drove me to the photoshoot and later on did all he could do so I got a lot of visibility, furthering my modelling career at the same time as promoting the two charities. It was overall a hugely enjoyable and worthwhile experience!
By Sandra Tena6 years ago in Psyche
Broken and Rebuilt
It didn't start out the way it ended, in the beginning it was a good relationship but slowly things went south over the course of years. In 2014 is when it began to fall apart. Our workplace shut down for a remodel so we were relocated to another store an hour and half away. We worked the same shift, so it was easier on the both of us. This is when it became apparent I wasn't as important as I thought. While he ate out at restaurants with his crew, I wasn't eating or if I did it was the cheapest I could get. I would dig for change in the car sometimes just to get something to make it through the day.
By Lisa Staires6 years ago in Psyche
Willpower is a concept designed to demonstrate we will fail
I have worked with behavioral change models, hypnosis, meditation, and performance improvement for over twenty five years. I’ve become increasingly skeptical about the concept of willpower, and concerned by the marketed self-help obsession that surrounds it. It's always in the media how you might be broken and how you can pay for a product, service, or experience to get you on the path to being better. What I am sharing here is the accumulation of many years of thought, research, and exploration on this topic.
By Joseph Crown6 years ago in Psyche
The girl who was afraid of her voice
Let me tell you a story about a little girl who grew afraid to talk. She was a chatterbox. She loved attention. She loved love. The thing she loved best was giving hugs, because she always got one back too. She was happy and vivacious. She doesn’t remember exactly when it happened, when the Change took hold. At some point, she was told to keep quiet. She was told no one cared to hear her. She started learning that she talked too much. She tried to be quieter. She would bite her tongue until it bled. Then, she was told to shut up. “Shut Up-It’s not Your Place to talk". She was told that the word ‘love’ meant it’s ok to hurt people, as long as you say you’re sorry afterwards; as long as you buy them a treat or give them a hug. She was taught to ‘be seen and not heard’ and when she was heard there would be hell to pay. Her voice brought beatings, her voice brought lectures, more punishments that exceeded her crimes. She was taught that respect was owed, not earned. She learned that her body was not her own, her mind she was not allowed to make up. She was taught that to love someone, you had to fear them, actually be afraid of them, of displeasing them in the slightest. She learned how to read every minute nuance of body language. She found out when she could get away with using her voice and when she better not even try. Her body was stronger than his, but she had been instructed in such a way that her head was unaware of this possibility.
By Sabrina Hunt6 years ago in Psyche
Recovering from Domestic Abuse
It's been over a year since I left an abusive relationship I was in for about 15 months. It doesn't seem to be a long time to be in a relationship but it really messed with my head. A year seems like more than enough time for recovery but I am still struggling. Just like our perception of domestic abuse can be lacking, our perception of the recovery from an abusive situation can be lacking too.
By Rebecca Clark6 years ago in Psyche
