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Passive Suicidal Ideation — Let’s Talk About It
By Rachel // Content warning: This article goes into an in-depth discussion about suicidal ideation. Before I was diagnosed with depression in Secondary 3, I often found myself daydreaming when I should have been listening in class or focusing on my work, a norm for the average secondary school student. Yet, amidst these daydreams were…
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Self-Acceptance: My Journey with Sexuality
After all, who are we without our identities? I refused to let people feel ashamed for who they were. Yet, I couldn’t find peace within myself. I was scared of the possible and likely discrimination I would face from the ones closest to me if I chose to entertain my suspicions about my sexual orientation.
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No Amount of Renaming is Going to End Stigma
By Claire // “The Institute of Mental Health” What comes to mind when you see those words? Also known as “IMH”, it is not the first name that’s been given to Singapore’s sole psychiatric hospital. Its first name, in 1841, was ‘The Insane Hospital’. That was followed by ‘The New Lunatic Asylum’ in 1887, ‘The…
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Self-worth; self-love
By Iyan // The dictionary defines self-worth as a sense of one’s own value as a human being. In other words, what you think you’re worth. As with other types of assessments, the idea of sensing “worth” is subjective. After all, everyone is born unique and therefore what we deem as “worthy” differs from everyone…
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Unpacking from Pain
Empathy is a powerful heart tool and the new relationships I’ve made are very precious. I learn everyday about empowerment and try to help my peers let go of shame, remember who they are, without and despite their illness, and walk their paths of recovery.
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My Name is Melancholia
“Our scars do not permanently stain us. The surviving cracks are our badges of victory, the victory of having overcome.”
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My Journey with Journaling
By Rachel // Journaling is a habit that has been cultivated in me since I was a child. While it initially started off as a chore — I was forced to pen down my thoughts and punishment would await me if I did not write in my journal — journaling became a hobby that I…
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#BackToBasics: What Our Team Says
#BackToBasics is the present that I’ve decided to gift myself this year. Right now, my basic building blocks are eating and resting well. It is interesting how these level one needs are lost and deprioritised amidst the blur of many pursuits and wants. – Si Yu I want to take back the confidence to stomp through…
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New Year, New You: Rachel’s Story
“I have come to accept that perfection is not an achievable goal and that it is our imperfections that make us special. That is not to say that we shouldn’t improve and reflect on our lives from time to time. I believe that ‘new year, new me’ does not ask for the complete reinvention of…
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A Letter to my Younger Self
By Shannon // Dear Shannon, It’s been more than five years since your first panic attack. During this turbulent time, you have experienced your fair share of ups and downs, and here are four lessons I wish you had learnt earlier. It is totally fine to feel depressed, anxious, sad, or angry. These are normal…
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Mental Health Fallout: My Struggle with Envy
By Beverly // Earlier this year, I went through an extended period of unemployment after leaving a new job due to struggles stemming from social anxiety. That season of uncertainty brought about many mental battles, including feeling envious of how well the lives of my closest friends seemed to be going. While dwelling on unhelpful…
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To Tell or Not to Tell: My Journey With Mental Health Disclosure
By Ying Ying // In 2013, when I learnt that my diagnosis was “brief psychotic disorder” I thought what are people going to think of me? Instinctively, I knew that the odds were stacked against me. During the initial stages of my rest and recovery, I shuddered at the idea of sharing my diagnosis with…
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It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over
By Jeremy L. // *Content warning: this story mentions self-harm, suicide and suicidal ideation. If you’re in need of support, please get help here.* Many people knew me as strong, hardworking and determined. Until everything changed in late October 2018. It started with having difficulties falling asleep, to having negative thoughts and suicidal ideations, to…
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Finding Light at the End of the Tunnel; Living with Schizophrenia
By Charlene L. // My recovery journey has had its ups and downs. I first started hearing “voices” and having severe delusions at the age of 12. As the year went on, my delusion got worse and I could not differentiate between reality and delusion. And as a result, I attempted suicide by overdosing. What…
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Hello Darkness, my old friend
By JayX // I prefer to identify myself as “JayX”, and this is my story. I am a 25-year-old male Singaporean who grew up in an average five-member household. Though my father is the sole breadwinner, we still manage to make ends meet. Life hasn’t always been optimal, but still, I can vaguely recall what genuine…