recovery
Your illness does not define you. It's your resolve to recover that does.
Thank You!
I’m not keeping it a secret that the years leading up to now have not been very kind to me, but this article is not about that—and indeed is not about me. It’s about you. Yeah. I am talking to you, to every person that helped me in their own way to be here today. To every person that helped me do a step forward even if I was pushing myself a thousand step backwards. To every single one of you that kept on pushing me, that kept on supporting me, that kept on loving me even when I hated me the most. For a quick background, I was diagnosed with major depression and anxiety more than three years ago and once you have that combination, it never fully ‘goes away.’ Mental illness is such a sneaky little bastard and really unkind to most—but yeah anyway back to the point I am writing this article to thank every single one of you—from "you" that helped me to even do the tiniest little baby step, to "you" that helped me fly those milestones…
By Mikaella Love7 years ago in Psyche
My Mental Health Reached Breaking Point and I Almost Never Saw Christmas 2018 . Top Story - January 2019.
Mentally and physically, it was a rough night. From forty mile an hour winds to high waves, this night changed my life in two ways. My life could have ended, but instead made me realise I’m not alone. I stood on the edge of the pier watching the huge waves slam into the sea walls. The rain started to fall as I contemplated taking my own life. Me, a twenty one-year-old deciding whether or not to take my own life? That’s not right. Three out of four suicides (75 percent) are by men, which is the biggest cause of death for men under the age of thirty-five. I gazed off into the distance, squinting my eyes trying to picture the Isle of Wight out in the far distance, but that wasn’t working. The fog was getting thicker, making the scene more impactful and almost like a dream.
By Lewis Jefferies7 years ago in Psyche
Who Needs a Therapist When (Pt. 4)
Me. I need a therapist. Thank you internet for being one. All tips will go to someday affording a real professional. So, I've been having a motivation problem. Like, every other morning I wake up with my bones full of lead. I can push through to go to work, but when I need to be working from home, or doing personal projects or pretty much any average day, the hopelessness saps at me and I find myself unable to even get out of bed.
By Haybitch Abersnatchy7 years ago in Psyche
Emerging from a Long Period of Poor Mental Health
Recently I’ve had a few good days in a row, more than my usual sporadic one good day in the straddling mess of bad ones caused by anxiety and depression. I feel different, like I have a purpose and motivation that just didn’t exist a couple of weeks ago. I hesitated to write this for days and kept it as a draft for even longer because I was afraid that putting it into words might break the magic of feeling somewhere close to normal. I wanted to share how I felt though, because even if it’s only a fleeting period of good mental health, I managed to get here once so I can do it again; and so can you.
By Alicia Brunskill7 years ago in Psyche
Mental and Physical Abuse
Trauma is defined by the American Psychological Association as the psychological and emotional responses to terrible events. How do you work through this trauma the best way you can? It's difficult and stressful finding a way out of trauma after abuse, knowing there is no set timeframe for the success of your recovery. You can't force it and must be patient with the pace. Recovery is different for everybody, and it doesn't improve trying to isolate yourself, you must stay connected with the world around you. There are three stages of emotional and physical trauma recovery; safety and stabilization, remembrance and mourning, then reconnection and integration.
By Beth E. Gadsby7 years ago in Psyche
Altered Mind
The un-battered woman within me was indented onto me when every shreds of my dignity collapsed. Solace of my soul reflected the fractures of my molecular shameful truth of what betrayal truly was. Many times we may have failed and fallen to the concrete ground of cold and hardened truth to the reality of how an altered state of mind signifies. For many years of unshedding and untwining myself, it finally took an earnest turn of no edge when I felt that prickling fear of losing my daughter, Emerson.
By Aiyan Turley7 years ago in Psyche
The Death of My Former Self
I am a survivor, and I'm proud to say that. I started to think about death and suicide when I was in high school. I wondered what it would be like to die—if it would be easier than living. I wasn't old enough to know what I wanted out of life or what life could offer me, but there was enough wrong that I considered ending it all for the unknown. I stood in front of the medicine cabinet when I was 17 and looked at all the bottles of pills, and that's the first time I seriously considered hurting myself.
By Amanda Doyle7 years ago in Psyche
The Dark Night of the Soul
To some, perhaps from the outside of the box looking in, spiritual awakening could look like someone is actually losing their grasp on "reality." The truth is, they are seeing with new eyes that the world around them is overflowing with pain, injustice, separation, and confusion. It is palpable in the air, it can no longer be ignored because the weight of it feels so real on the chest. Then, the mysterious ache that has always lurked deep in the heart becomes apparent...this is the source of that misplaced pain. I am one of the one's here to bring this darkness to light—to join a team of millions (possibly billions) of others like me that want to restore love and harmony on this planet.
By Kristin Wilson7 years ago in Psyche
The Chains of a Disorder
I wouldn't have labelled myself a sufferer of mental health at least two years ago. I had my moments of falls and highs with my disorder, but I've begun a journey of deterioration in that two year's space that has left my mind very battered and detached.
By Mattie Osborne7 years ago in Psyche
Transcendental Meditation and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Approximately 50-66 percent of people suffering from PTSD also struggle with substance abuse. Since drugs increase feelings of relaxation and pleasure, they can seem like an effective coping mechanism for those struggling with PTSD. Unfortunately, for those who battle with drug addiction, the drugs eventually stop working. A person starts to require more and more of the drug to provide the desired effects, then becomes physically dependent on the substance. This dependency often leads to addiction.
By Cassidy Webb7 years ago in Psyche
Goodbye
I was going home right away. At least that what I had allowed myself to believe. I began smiling, so much so that it made my cheeks hurt. That was my first true blue, ear to ear smile since arriving at this facility three days prior. I had walked out of the doctor's office, followed the tech back through the double doors, and into the common room. I walked over to my friends, and I began to cry. The same friend who cried on my shoulder because she couldn’t go home became the same friend whose shoulder I cried on because I could go home. That is true friendship.
By Rachel Bonneval7 years ago in Psyche
