-
My Stay in “Hougang Chalet”: Victoria’s Story
By Victoria // There is a rising number of people seeking help for mental health, but there is a shortage of beds in the psychiatric wards of government hospitals. This sometimes means they’d have to be transferred to IMH. Yes, IMH! Or otherwise nicknamed “Hougang Chalet”. Whenever I mention “IMH” around people, their eyes would…
-
A Letter to Mental Health Warriors: Judy’s Story
By Judy // I initially defined “recovery” as solely the healing of the mind. But neglected the healing of the heart and soul. I wondered if I had wasted the past three years living in apathy and bitterness because I’ve neglected my heart and soul, while getting treated for my mind. To cope with the…
-
The Fall: Natalie’s Story
By Natalie // You’re falling into the very same cycle which nearly killed you years ago. And at this very moment, you feel as though no therapy or medication can ever save you. You’re back in that same place again. No amount of mental discipline can control this never-ending, unpredictable swirl of thoughts and emotions.…
-
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…
-
Living with Depression: Natasha’s story
Editor’s note: I met Natasha some time back. Her eyes are bright and there’s a pep in her step. One would never guess the hardship she has endured in her young life.
-
Baking your way to wellness
Can baking relieve mental anguish? It certainly did for social entrepreneur, Pei Rong. We had the honour of participating in Bakery Wellness‘ first ever baking workshop. It was an eye-opening (and delicious!) experience. But what touched us most was
-
Reflections for 2016
By Nicole K. // If I could have one word that summed up the entire year, it would be “self-care”. I haven’t been writing much on this site mainly because of some life adjustments (more on that later on). But here I am, giving it one last gofor the year, at 3.57am, with just the…
-
Grown and Flourished: Lea’s story
Editor’s note: One final inspiring story for the road. I really love Lea’s way of conveying her journey. Heartfelt, candid and bittersweet. This is a young person’s courage and compassion right there.
-
Fighting Enemies: Ritalyn’s Story
Editor’s Note: Ritalyn wrote to us to share her journey of recovering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, borderline personality disorder, depression and anxiety. It’s been a long and winding road, but her efforts have paid off. Having a mental health condition does not impede us from excelling, doing what we love, or giving back to society. Read more…
-
From Darkness to Light: Dee’s Story
Editor’s Note: Many times we do not realise how far we’ve come until we turn a page, to look back in reflection. This is why journalling is key to mental health recovery. Dee shares her personal journal entry which was written during her darkest times. Today she lives in victory and continues to make progress day…
-
An in(VISIBLE) Story
Editor’s Note: Mental health disorders are usually deemed abstract; “invisible”, in contrast to physical ailments like a fractured limb or the flu. I am therefore so thrilled that this handful of youth are championing for real and relatable mental health in their upcoming play in(VISIBLE). I especially appreciated that they took pains to develop the characters holistically, instead of reducing them to…
-
An interview with the author of ‘David’s Story’: Mary M.
Editor’s Note: We do our best to pair our book reviews together with author interviews so that our readers can have a fuller appreciation of the help resources in our community. We are very honoured and grateful to have Mary, the author of ‘David’s Story‘, share with us her personal story on loss and renewed hope. We…
-
Reflections from the Inside… Out
Editor’s Note: Emotions — can’t live with them, can’t live without them. How do we make sense of them? As someone who has experience with depression, one of our volunteers shares her personal reflections on Pixar’s latest hit, Inside Out, and hopes to bring encouragement to others through this piece.
-
Please stop asking if I’ve taken my medicine: Raphael’s Story
Editor’s Note: Often times we don’t realise that our words can mar our best intentions. Perhaps we ought to pay more attention to our tone and timing when it comes to expressing care towards those around us. Here’s a raw account by Raphael on the topic of medication. Thanks for the candid sharing Raphael!
-
Highs + Lows: John’s Story
Editor’s Note: This story has a slightly different format from the usual. It is a two-part story reflects both sides of bipolar disorder, with its extreme highs and crashing lows. Step into John’s shoes for a while and understand what it was like for him back then. We are very encouraged to know he is in a better state today,…
