coping

Life presents variables; learning how to cope in order to master, minimize, or tolerate what has come to pass.

Dreaming of Escape
"And in the end, we lie awake, and we dream of making our escape." A beautiful lyric from Coldplay's Death & All His Friends (or perhaps more accurately, from the hidden track "The Escapist"?) That line comes to my mind often, sometimes when I least expect it. I think it is one of the most beautiful sentences and is performed so beautifully by the band.
By Violet Simone8 years ago in Psyche
You Do Deserve Love
Relationships are hard. Trying to have a relationship while having a mental illness is extremely difficult, but not impossible. Whether you have anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, or etc., it is not impossible to have a meaningful, sweet relationship.
By Tianna Watkins8 years ago in Psyche
Inside the Mind of a Suicide Survivor
The world is full of lies. Whether you tell them, or someone else does, that is the one certain truth. Part 1 People walk around every day acting like they know what the hell is going on. We put on a mask as soon as we wake up and we go about our days as if nothing is wrong when there are plenty of things wrong. Or we go about our day thinking everything is wrong when there are still plenty of good things happening. We live from one extreme to the next and we are blind to the grey area in between, and in that grey area is the truth, and once you find that truth, you are able to better navigate this toxic and magnetic world because you are no longer watching through rose-colored glasses or through a black veil. How can you live your best life if you can't even see clearly? How can you heal when you cannot see the wounds for what they are and the environment around you for what it is? Radically accepting your reality allows you to enter this grey area. Radically accepting the trauma you and others have endured is the first step into not only recovery, but in developing a more honest society.
By E M8 years ago in Psyche
It Is What It Is
This phrase has been often pointed out as a way of giving up. Unfortunately, I use it a lot. It is hard to not just give up when you have so many voices in your head telling you to. We all have them. But as somebody who has lost people because they just “gave up,” “it was too hard,” “it’s too painful,” “nobody cares”... "it is what it is.”
By Heidi Sunshine8 years ago in Psyche
On Abuse, Addiction, and the Need for Acceptance
Scrolling through the Facebook feed looking for my daily dose of family pics, sarcastic memes, and unproductive political debates, I also see articles about abusive relationships. The articles run the gambit of abuse: physical, verbal, emotional, sexual. They are helpful to me. They have one shortcoming, though. They are almost all written about men abusing women. Very rarely are they about women abusing men.
By Jeff Dunegan8 years ago in Psyche
How to Ask for Help
You say “I’m fine” and tell them you’re just tired; secretly though you hope they will call you out on your lies. You want them to pry, to push further and ask what’s really going on.
By No One’s Daughter8 years ago in Psyche
My Exit Strategy for a Mental Illness Downward Spiral
I'd like to start this off by giving my qualifications on the topic. I was diagnosed with depression the day after my 13th birthday. I've been suicidal and am so awesome at not controlling my unhealthy coping skills. Retail therapy is my go-to, sometimes to the detriment of my household's survival. So, I write this piece from the viewpoint of someone that has buried themselves in their own filth and was dug out by my husband. I am in no way writing this from a place of judgement, because I've fucking been there.
By Diane Nivens8 years ago in Psyche
Am I Addicted to Depression?
I realised very recently that I seem to have a subconscious desire for sadness and self-destruction. I am finally at a point in my life where my mental health has little reason to flare up. I know that’s not exactly an appropriate thing to say since depression isn’t always triggered by something; often you can just get sad for no reason. But what I mean is, I recently moved to the other end of the country, to an amazingly unique city that has no personal triggers for me. I moved away from everyone I know and moved in with my partner, who just happens to be very good for my mental health. She is incredibly understanding and supportive. I also got really lucky with a great job that I actually enjoy quite a lot that just happens to pay really well and has allowed me to progress to management in a matter of months. Everything is so different and so much better than it ever has been for me but it’s as if my subconscious isn’t responding well to my newly calm and comfortable life. The thing is, I have never had a comfortable life; there has always been something for me to deal with. As a child in a broken home, a suicidal teen, and a troubled and disappointing young adult, and dealing with forms of abuse during all of those periods, perhaps I can’t handle a comfortable life because I never learned how to; perhaps I won’t let myself be happy because that is not what I’m supposed to be, according to my past. To escape the depression is all I’ve ever wanted to do, or at least I thought it was, but I just can’t seem to allow it to happen.
By D Burton8 years ago in Psyche
Mentally Sensitive
I wish I could say there is a simple answer to mental illness. An answer that would make all the pain, depression, mania, euphoria, loss, bad decisions, regret, positive/negative symptoms associated with it and take it away. But there isn’t. Although if I could tell you one thing or perhaps just one word that may sound so cliche but in fact for me worked it would be, try.
By David laker8 years ago in Psyche
Help Me, I'm Drowning: My Life With GAD
"I can't breathe, dad, I can't breathe." These words were so painful to speak as I cried out to my dad while going through another panic attack. Tears were streaming down my face like a fast river current. My chest was on fire, my throat was raw from crying, and I just felt like I was suffocating and my heart would just explode and give out. I felt like I was dying. My mind was racing with a million thoughts going through my head, but all I remember now is wanting it to stop, for the pain to stop and for me to be able to breathe again. Eventually, I was able to. But like all mental illness, it was trial and error to find what worked and what didn't. That's what I am here to tell you now.
By Sierra George8 years ago in Psyche
3 Ways I Cope with Anxiety
Anxiety. Many define this as, “a feeling of nervousness or extreme worry and unease about an event with an uncertain outcome.” I define anxiety as an interference to living my life normally, and constantly feeling like I’m falling into pavement ground over and over. While I haven't quite found a well-defined way to completely rid this disastrous feeling, I have some methods that help me cope—key word being "cope." These are personalized to me and though it isn't a surefire way to be less anxious, I am sharing this to help someone who may be in the same position as I am. The following are three ways I cope with anxiety.
By Maryam Hassan8 years ago in Psyche
My Personal Coping Techniques for Anxiety
It is important to note that everyone will have an experience with anxiety at some point in their life. Whether you have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder or you only experience anxiety in certain situations, everyone needs a way to cope. The techniques listed below are a small number of methods I personally use to control my anxiety, rather than it control me. Keep in mind these techniques are not a magical solution that will somehow instantly resolve your anxiety. By continuously practicing coping techniques over time you'll see a gradual decrease in anxiety levels. Not all techniques are suited to each person. In order to figure out which ones work for you, it's important to try as many as possible and not become discouraged if certain ones do not help you. Everyone will have a coping method that works for them and in some cases even multiple.
By Kale8 years ago in Psyche