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Beware the myth of the creative ‘mad-genius’: More to art than insanity
By Kelly Ng // From how German composer Robert Schumann supposedly achieved superhuman productivity during his manic periods, to what’s been dubbed the “Sylvia Plath effect” – which tries to establish a link between creatives and mental illness based on the life and death of the depressed poem – the theory that creative people are…
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Dancing to the Beat of Depression and Anxiety: Q. Anuradha’s Story
By Q. Anuradha // I’m a dancer. Because my body is looking for cues to guide its movement, I pay more attention to the underlying beat in a piece of music than the average person. Music with a steady beat is easier to move to, the patterns easier to anticipate. But what happens when you…
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Shaping the Landscape of Singapore’s Mental Health Discourse
By Chia Xun An // In a highly competitive society such as Singapore, it is no surprise that the complexities, desires, and pressures of our 724-square kilometre metropolis can increase the risk of poor mental health. Reports showed an increase in stress and burnout, with $3.1 billion being spent on stress-related illnesses annually, including mental…
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The Struggle for Self-Compassion: Karen’s Story
By Karen Zainal // A few months ago, I turned 29. I’m embarrassed to admit that it bothered me a great deal. If you’re older than I am, I forgive you for rolling your eyes. As for those of you around my age, I hear your nervous chuckle! We often hear the assertion that age…
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Taxi Conversations: Aznet’s Story
By Aznet T. // When you’re in a taxi, do you make conversation? Lately I’ve been steering topics toward mental health. I might talk about how a mental health social agency trained and matched me to a job: “They helped me for free! I hadn’t worked for five years. They taught me and gave me…
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The Search: Cheryl’s Story
By Cheryl H. // “You are in shock,” she said gently. I let the words sink in and found myself speechless. A wave of relief washed over me; I felt the familiar tightness in my chest followed by tears rising predictably in my eyes and flowing down my cheeks. I had promised myself I wouldn’t…
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Recovery Is Always Worth It: Qin Xu’s Story
By Qin Xu // “The sun will rise and we will try again.” – Truce by Twenty One Pilot. Having battled with different mental illnesses ranging from anorexia to depression since the start of my teenage years, I have learnt that mental health is just as important as physical health. And like any physical illnesses,…
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Not Alone in the End: Interview With An “End-of-Life” Doula
By The Tapestry Project SG // Some may find that talking about end-of-life care isn’t “auspicious”, but we think it’s apt because life is about living well, leaving well and human connection. In this piece, we chat with Joanne, an end-of-life doula, who is part of the “No One Dies Alone”, a programme in which…
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Pandemic Parenting with Peppa Pig: Charmaine’s Story
By Charmaine Toh // Today was a good day. I maintained my most controlled IG-perfect mommy stance when my freshly-minted four-year-old, C, threw her daily tantrum. Typically, this is a colourful display of short chubby legs scissoring furiously in the air, arms flailing, and her little pre-schooler voice whining, “mooommyyyy but whhhyyyy?”. I’d firmly said…
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Add Enchantment to Your Everyday Homebound Life: Eliza’s Story
By Eliza Thomas // Many of us are dealing with the effects of social isolation and distancing during this COVID-19 crisis. Some of us have had it harder and are slipping into depressive states, especially when things are compounded with family and workplace stresses or, worse, unemployment and cash flow fears. What if we took…
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Recovery is Possible: Alvin’s Story
By Alvin Chew // Since young, I was quite academically inclined. I did well for both my ‘O’ Levels and ‘A’ Levels. My good results in the 1987 ‘A’ Levels earned me the Public Service Commission (PSC) scholarship to read Mathematics and Physics in NUS. I was supposed to become a teacher. However, during my…
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Meaningful Time Management During COVID-19: Paula’s Story
By Paula // The way we manage our time can help or hinder our recovery. Without intentional time management, we might end up lazing around and deteriorating in our mental state, or we could be productive and use our time meaningfully; supporting our recovery. This is even more crucial during this time of COVID-19 when…
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My Guilt: Sumaiyah’s Story
By Sumaiyah // My guilt is pretty delusional. It thinks I am lonely and needs friendship. It thinks it should occupy a big space in my heart and life. It also thinks I have a lot of free time and that I enjoy mentally going through the things I am doing, or not doing. Again,…
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Humanity’s Time To Shine
The COVID-19 circuit breaker may have brought society to a standstill, but perhaps now is humanity’s time to shine.
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A Balancing Act: Vienna’s Story
I don’t remember much of what I went through from around April 2018 to August 2019. But I knew it was a dark period. My life’s calendar felt like it was partially erased and blanked out. Like flipping through those old-school tear-off almanacs, the ones with red and green Chinese characters, and then finding chunks…