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The One About Relapse
By Nicole K. // First story for 2015! I apologise for being MIA in January. As those with depression and anxiety would know, December and January are the toughest months of the year because it is loaded with stressors mixed in with the merrymaking. Things have been a bit rougher than usual recently. After attending…
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Make That Difference
By Nicole K. // The starfish story and some personal reflections for 2014. Once upon a time, there was an old man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach every morning before he began his work. Early one morning, he was walking…
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Our Response To Illness: Dawn’s Story
Editor’s Note: There’s nothing shameful with having a mental health challenge. Mental illness isn’t a choice we make for ourselves. Dawn eloquently expresses the observed contrast in people’s responses towards physical injury and psychological illness. Both are equally real issues.
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Overcoming the Odds: Sufyan’s Story
I first met Sufyan during this year’s Singapore Mental Health Conference. As we briefly traded war stories in our battle for sanity, I could fully relate to how it was like being homebound and unemployed due to severe anxiety and panic attacks.
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Giving Credit Where Its Due
By Nicole K. // Dear friends, It has come to my attention that Tapestry’s content has been replicated on other platforms/media without my permission. I am happy to share my ideas and content. But it is wrong to pass off my work as your own and earn money from it. This is unethical and constitutes…
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Is Mental Illness “Funny”?
By Nicole K. // I met a friend recently and had a chance to catch up with her briefly. She asked what it was I did exactly at The Tapestry Project. So I explained that I write about my personal experiences with mental illness as well as others’. She burst into an uncontrollable fit of…
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See The Full Picture: An Event Story
By Nicole K. // It was a Saturday afternoon. I was sweating buckets walking down the bustling and colourful Haji Lane, known for its eclectic mix of vintage and contemporary artisan shops, encompassing all things quaint and quirky. But I wasn’t perspiring profusely because of the sweltering heat from the afternoon sun, or the thick tropical humidity. It was my…
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Lending Hope: Justina’s Story
By Justina // Once, during a rough patch when I felt utterly hopeless, I quoted Elosie Cole’s poem “Borrowed Hope” in a session with my psychiatrist: “Lend me your hope for awhile. A time will come when I will heal, And I will lend my renewed hope to others.” He told me that recovery looks…
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Empowering Caregivers
Editor’s Note: Mental illness is never a personal affair. It affects entire communities, with our nearest and dearest bearing the brunt of responsibility in looking after loved ones undergoing illness and distress. It is therefore vital for caregivers to find support, as they often neglect their own needs, resulting in burnout, poor health, frustration and even depression. As a…
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Making The Best of My Life: Sam’s Story
Editor’s Note: Our social interactions and significant relationships can contribute to our sense of self and self-worth. In Sam’s story, she shares what led to her suicide attempt and how she found peace today through owning her personal coping methods. Her story also highlights the need for mental health professionals to be more sensitive and empathetic, and to treat…
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When Life and Love Collide: Debra’s Story
Editor’s Note: Life events, such as being in significant relationships and switching professions, play a great part in affecting our moods and day-to-day functioning. Having a keen sense of insight and self-awareness, Debra identifies these two major stressors which had led to her depression and anxiety, and what it means to lose something, only to gain something far…
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Of Praise And Platitudes
By Nicole K. // Socialising has always been a challenge for me. The past four weeks have been remarkably intense due to unavoidable, non-standard gatherings with family and friends, on top of my ad hoc work meetings, and Tapestry related discussions. To say that my stamina for social gatherings has been stretched to its limits…
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Parable Of A Pearl: Celab’s Story
Editor’s Note: A story of hope, resilience and self-reflection, contributed by one of our Tapestry readers, Celab, who is recovering from bipolar disorder. The pearl is such an apt metaphor for the recovering mental health sufferer. Indeed, we are all works in progress. And like a precious pearl, we are of intrinsic value and worth. Here…
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Emotions are Rational
By Nicole K. // We are often under the impression that our heart and our mind are two separate entities. Warring opposites that constantly jostle for our attention — with “irrational” emotions on one end, and the “rational” mind at the other. As a result of this “one or the other” type of reasoning, this perceived polarity perpetuates a dichotomy that…
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How Mental Illness Lies
By Nicole K. // May is a special month for me (it also happens to be Mental Health Month) so I’ve decided to finally publish what took me 3 months to draft — my personal story on self-harm and suicide. It was a tough thing for me to relive, but I believe it’s important for others to understand how mental illness…
