Mike Hedrick
Psychology Today
Boulder, CO, United States
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Past articles by Mike:
5 Things You Need to Know About People With Schizophrenia
There are a few things you should know about schizophrenia before casting judgment. → Read More
I Still Lose My Grip on Reality Sometimes
Last night I had a moment of panic, I couldn’t focus and the paranoia was coming on strong. I was so lost in the fog of confusion that I could hardly speak. // My cruise control came on and I went through the motions that I had learned but I was... → Read More
How to Instantly Relieve Anxiety
Things have been a little rough for me lately, I’ve faced some stress with some personal family stuff, work stuff and relationship stuff, and though that always seems to be the case for pretty much everybody, there have been times where I was so nervous... → Read More
It’s OK to Get Help For a Mental Illness
I can remember when I was first diagnosed, I thought constantly about refusing meds and going to see the doctor, but in the hospital, you have no choice if you want to go home. That was my one motivation, getting the hell out of that sterile nondescript... → Read More
What To Do When The Paranoia Gets the Best of You
Today I was standing in line at a bakery waiting for a sandwich and I don’t know what it was about the place, it could have been the temperature, the people standing around but I became so worried that people were staring at me that I had no choice... → Read More
Finding Community as a Person with Mental Illness
Finding and keeping friends is tough for anyone. Outside of the friendships we’ve formed in high school and college, being a young adult can be tough for finding a niche where you fit in. We’ve got things to worry about like work, relationships, activities... → Read More
How to Manage The Feeling of Being Overloaded
We’ve all been there. We’ve all experienced the frenzy of having a full plate. You do one thing then you have to deal with another immediately and then another and then another. It’s what happens when you take on a load of responsibility. It might... → Read More
How to Limit Stress When You Have a Mental Illness
Stress is a killer, it contributes to heart problems, mental problems and myriad other conditions and it can take a toll on work life, relationships and overall happiness. I’ve been on the receiving end of stress for a long time in numerous little iterations. //... → Read More
This is the Voice in My Head
I have a voice in my head. // It’s not malicious really but it’s always there with a retort to something I think about or something I say. I don’t know if that’s normal but it’s a fact. This voice has masqueraded as the voice of God, the... → Read More
Why Change is Inevitable
Over the last few weeks things have been changing, I fell fast in and out of a relationship, I quit smoking, I took up a hobby that I had been neglecting for a while and I’ve come to crossroads about sharing my personal life on the internet via essays. It... → Read More
Why Routine is Important in Healing
I know what it’s like to go through trying experiences. Every day in the life of a diagnosis presents new things to understand and grapple with. To say the very least, it’s definitely a learning experience and I think that’s true for anyone, not... → Read More
Schizophrenia and the Intensity of Passion
Over the last month I’ve been involved in a sort of fling with a girl I met on the internet. // I won’t get into specifics but it got very heavy very fast. It would’ve been ok but for the simple reason that I live with a mental illness where... → Read More
Being Schizophrenic: The Two Minds and The Demon Voice
I’ve often remarked on how I feel as if there are two minds inside my head, one that is essentially me and my body and the down to earth human, and the then the mind that sits just above the top of the head who drives the body and who processes complex... → Read More
It’s Ok to Feel Like an Alien
A lot of the time I feel like I’m different from the rest of the world. It’s as if my upbringing, my attitudes, my preferences and my opinions make me a singular being out of the billions of other people on earth. It feels as if there is no one else... → Read More
How to Combat the Summer Funk
I know what it’s like to get stuck in a funk. For normal people a funk can be anything from a feeling of stagnancy to a mild depression where the thought of routine creates a sense of ennui. As a person with schizophrenia a funk looks a little different.... → Read More
Schizophrenia Doesn’t Take Vacations
Last weekend I went camping. It was a needed respite after a few weeks of feeling incredibly stagnant and depressed. It was time I needed to get away. // We set up in a campground that seemed nice, there was a gorgeous lake view, there were plenty... → Read More
Tackling the Feeling that You Can’t Get Social Interaction Right
I took my car in to have it’s oil changed today, I also went to the usual coffee shop I go to to do my work. In both instances I felt off. Let me preface this by saying that for the last nine and a half years I’ve been working pretty hard to get back... → Read More
I Wish I Could Relax: The Constancy of Paranoia
There’s a dude who goes to the coffee shop I go to everyday to write. He’s quiet, unassuming has a thick beard and keeps to himself. I admire him for the simple fact that he doesn’t seem to give a second thought about people. He just comes and goes,... → Read More
Why It’s Good to Reconnect With Old Friends
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a lot of my old friends. When you have a mental illness things can get in the way of hanging out with people. Whether it’s depression or anxiety or a ferocious grasp on stability or even the fact that the word... → Read More
What to Do About The Feeling of Stagnancy
Discarded Bottles I’ve been feeling a bit off. It’s not so much a serious thing as it is a malaise, a light blue period where I’m more content to lay down on my couch than I am to motivate myself to write. There could be several reasons for this,... → Read More