From Darkness to Light: How Meditation Transformed My Struggle into a Journey of Healing and Empowerment
In a world that often feels overwhelming, I found myself trapped in a cycle of negative thinking and depression. The weight of my emotions was a constant burden, leading to endless worries, anxiety, and feelings of hopelessness. During this tumultuous time, I discovered meditation—a practice that not only facilitated my healing but also opened a […]
Life on the Waves: Navigating the Mental Health Terrain of the Seafaring Profession
Many perceive the seafaring profession as a challenging career path. As a deck cadet serving on my first merchant ship for nearly six months, I can attest that the seafaring lifestyle can indeed be tough and mentally taxing. The mentally taxing aspects of the seafaring lifestyle stem from the constant need for vigilance and responsibility […]
My Battle with Burnout: insights and reflections through self- discovery
Tuesday 4th Jan 2022 was the first time that I admitted something was wrong. Feelings of being overwhelmed, overwrought, panicked (with no real reason), wrung out and a sense of emptiness had overcome me. My wife found me in heap on the floor crying. With no real reason to explain why I was in that […]
Navigating Adversities Through Compassion and Gratitude : My Transformative Story
Disruption can either empower us or haunt us. The personal impact of unexpected life events depends on the meaning we choose to give them. Experiencing self-harm as a teenager, health scares, being made redundant while I was sick and dealing with dad guilt were some of the challenges I had to learn how to navigate. […]
Navigating identities: Being a Bipolar Lesbian in Hong Kong Intersectionality and mental health
As a non-binary, bipolar lesbian in Hong Kong, I’ve had a unique experience within these two communities. I self-identified as a lesbian in my early teens, though it wasn’t until my college years that I officially came out to my mother. Her religious background made her initially taken aback, but it wasn’t until years later, […]
From Fear to Hope to Love: My Mental Health Journey as a Cancer Thriver
As my fellow countryman William Wallace said “Every man dies. Not every man truly lives”. Here is how I turned my death sentence into a life sentence. In August 2020, at age 51, I found out I was dying. I had just been diagnosed with stage IV terminal lung cancer which had spread to my […]