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When Nothing Seems to Work: A.M.’s Story
By A.M. I’m A.M. and I have depression and anxiety disorder, or what I call, D+A. This has been my reality for the past three and a half years. The dysphoria started when I was 16. There was a ceaseless cloud of malaise and suicidal thoughts. Anxiety attacks were quotidian. I didn’t know what was…
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I Am More Than ‘Okay’: Michelle’s Story
By Michelle L. // It started when I was 15. I remembered feeling like there was something eating away at my very core, and that I was always crying and nauseous. After two years of skipping school and isolating myself, I was diagnosed with major depression. I was relieved that, finally, there was help. However,…
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When Illness is a Stepping Stone Towards Positive Experiences: Kurtle’s Story
By Kurtle // I used to cope with my troubles by self-harming. I have been self-harming since my teens when I was studying in Junior College. I later pursued my studies in Melbourne, where I fell ill. Hence, part of my recovery story happened in Melbourne, Australia, and then in Singapore, where I decided to come…
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“In Order To Become Well”: Reflections on Mental Health Festival 2018
By Joshua L. // In the heart of former Woodbridge Hospital on the 8th of September 2018, people from all over Singapore congregated for the same cause: mental health. Community partners, ambassadors, and members of the public gathered at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) to celebrate its 90th anniversary. To mark this momentous shift…
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My Fight With Depression: Kenneth’s Story
By Kenneth // On 27 Feb 2018, I attempted suicide. Back in Aug 2017, I joined a new company after spending four wonderful years at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH). In the nation’s flagship hospital, I was given numerous opportunities to work with some of the brightest healthcare professionals, administrators and IT engineers in the…
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Depression Lies: Vivien’s Story
By Vivien Y. // Depression is a bad friend. The kind that sticks around and pours poison in your ear. It follows me to work meetings, Friday nights with friends, back home in bed and most recently, it followed me to a gig. You see I’m a singer-songwriter, and sometimes I get asked to perform…
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Book Review: Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig
By Beyond A Maze // Depressed at 24, Matt Haig wanted to jump off a cliff. But he chose to turn back. A few years later, Haig penned his experiences and thoughts in Reasons to Stay Alive (RTSA). But RTSA is more than a memoir that raises awareness about mental illness. It’s more than a…
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Three Dangerous Mindsets and Healthier Alternatives: Kevin’s Story
By Kevin W. // A healthy mindset (a belief or way of thinking) is crucial to positive mental health. Why? Because our beliefs largely influence our emotions and responses to stressors. Yet, due to flawed guidance and societal pressures, we subconsciously develop dangerous mindsets that sabotage our potential. When left unchecked, they could lead to…
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Play Therapy for Mental Wellness
With Adelyn Lee // Mental wellbeing need not be a solemn and stressful affair. For Adelyn, founder of Pandora Box Play Therapy, it was through play that she was able to process painful childhood memories and develop personal resilience. She candidly shares more of her personal story in our exclusive Tapestry interview and explains what…
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The Struggle for Better Days: Vivien’s Story
By Vivien Y. // I had lost a visible amount of weight in a short amount of time and people said that I looked great. The truth was that at 22 and living through the tribulations of the final semester of university, I was incredibly depressed. I wasn’t eating, I couldn’t sleep, I was running…
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5 Ways to Develop Empathy, A Bedrock Social Skill
By Joy Hou // “I just get so angry when she says she will call and then doesn’t,” said Celine about her good friend. Her husband Dave responded, “Darling, it’s such as a small matter, why are you always getting upset about these trivial things?” Inevitably, Celine got even more frustrated, leading to another one…
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If That’s The Way It Is: Andrew’s Story
By Andrew Y. // The Japanese word, “Sayonara”, translates literally into the phrase, “If that’s the way it is”. The phrase, for me, evokes a sense of something both unsettling and final. Perhaps it’s a sad sense of acceptance that some things that were, will never be again. I’ve been thinking of people who I…
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I Should Be Able to Handle This, Right?: Josephine’s Story
By Josephine N. // The past few months of last year were tough. I remembered waking up one morning feeling helpless and empty. I felt that there was something lacking in my life and, me being me, told myself that it was absolutely necessary that I do something about it. “I scared myself this morning,” I…
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Build an Emergency Supply of Light: Alana’s Story
By Alana G. // Beyond A Maze Pause for a moment now and look inwards. What do you see or hear? We have roughly 50,000 to 70,000 thoughts in a day. Many of those we tend to focus on can be negative ones. I often struggle with negative self-talk, especially during stressful periods. Through this…
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One Meal At A Time: Joanne’s Story
By Joanne // I never imagined myself writing on a platform that raises awareness for mental health issues, because in my mind mental health had such a stigma. But the truth is, there is no shame in having/having had a mental disorder. In a way, it is just our brains falling sick. And since National…
