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Unravelling: Being “Good Enough”
Compare ourselves negatively to others can cause anxiety, feelings of fragility, stress, and unhappiness. Sarah shares ways in which we might refocus our thoughts to connect with our own values and gain self-compassion
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Making the Mundane Wonderful: The Power of Paper Cranes
Sofia details her journey in learning to make paper cranes. Although it didn’t seem like much at first, folding cranes helped her anxiety and depression. Read her story to learn how focusing on something tangible can alleviate negative thoughts and emotions.
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Unravelling: Loneliness & Connection
Do you ever feel lonely? You’re not alone in that feeling. To kickstart our ‘Unravelling’ series exploring various mental health topics, let’s dive into loneliness and connection. We’ll delve into the facts, share practical tips, and explore new ways to reach out and connect.
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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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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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Coping With COVID-19 When You Have A Mental Health Condition
As persons with mental health conditions, we are familiar with the battles in our minds. There aren’t any easy solutions, but we are much stronger than we realise. We have already overcome so much in our lives, and likewise, we shall also get through this together (but in a responsible socially-distanced way), one day at…
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Growing Up With Mental Illnesses: Khai’s Story
“When I was just 10 years old, my mum was diagnosed with bipolar and it was tough growing up when roles are reversed, with you having to take care of your mum instead.”
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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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Living with Undiagnosed Mental Illness: Amanda’s Story
By Amanda // I am fearful of disappointing my family. Unlike most people who have an official mental health diagnosis, I do not have one. But I do struggle with mental health issues. I have lived with an eating disorder and anxiety for almost four years. Today, I am here to share my story as…
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Chasing Joy: Judith’s Story
By Judith // It all started when I was 13 years old. The taunts, unkind words, and mean laughter sought to strip me of the little joy that I was holding on to. Every day, I had no one to spend my recess time with, which all started with a girl in my class rallying…
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You Remain: Andrea’s Story
By Andrea // I have been struggling with clinical depression, anxiety, stress and agoraphobia for two years now. I rarely leave home and find it difficult to interact with strangers and see no hope for myself in my future. This is my reality. I worked as an English tutor at education companies in Asia but…
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Returning to Work When You Have a Mental Health Condition
By Nicole K. // World Mental Health Day 2017 focuses on mental health in the workplace. Eleven months ago I left the world of freelancing and entered the corporate arena of office cubicles and staff passes, where the majority of “normal working people” resided. I was a part-timer who worked four out of five days…
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Recovery is a Journey, Not a Destination: Sam’s Story
By Sam // To others, I appear a tough, strong, and independent girl: life’s hard knocks will not keep me down; I have a solid goal in life, a good career, and a partner. Little did I expect, I hit the rock bottom last April. It began when I felt lost all of a sudden.…
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4 Good Reasons on Why You Need to Have Friends: Judy’s Story
By Judy // It took 2 years for me to realise the importance of friends. It was a scary thought to begin with. But as Nick Vujicic once said: “If you don’t have a friend, be someone else’s friend.” I only started making friends again when I was on a student exchange programme in Europe.…
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Fighting a Constant War of Anxiety and Depression: Ray’s story
Editor’s Note: We often associate depression with quiet, reclusive personalities. But sociable, competitive individuals can experience depression too. Ray’s story is a reminder that depression, panic attacks, anxiety can happen to anyone especially under stress. For a fighter like Ray, she truly is young, bold and beautiful. Even though I was young, naïve and so clueless about everything, at the…