What were your biggest fears in your growing years?

With my unilateral hearing loss, which I had since I was 10 years old, I feared that I wouldn't be able to be "normal". I was also bullied in school a lot and my biggest fear was my self-esteem and confidence. 

How did you overcome those fears?

I have to say that my sister was my biggest support. Although she also was diagnosed with schizophrenia (a mental illness), she gave me confidence and helped me throughout my teenage years to overcome my biggest fear. I also pushed myself to start talking to older people when I was young and learning a lot from them.

What were your workplace anxieties when you started your professional career? How did it overall impact your performance?

Funny how I never really had anxiety because I love working more than studying. I started working when I was 17 and because I was into sales, and could only hear with one ear, that was a challenge for me. But I always made it a point to give it my all and do my best at work. So I learnt time management and that's how I made sure that I never was anxious.

How did you overcome those anxieties?

Time management, creativity, and a good support system. I always believe that if you have a good support system, overcoming anxiety or managing it is much easier.

What do you wish professionals knew about mental health? 

I wish that professionals know that it is okay to talk about what they feel and seek help from their peers or co-workers whenever they feel anxious or stressed. Talk about your day, also listen to what your peers want to say too. Sometimes, when you work together, you don't realise that your colleague sitting next to you may be going through the same thing as you. It is not always about counseling and medications, there is so much more about mental health. It is okay to feel what you feel.

What are the workplace practices that can worsen or enhance the mental health of employees?

The constant unnecessary pressure, lack of communication between management and employees can make things worse. The best practice is open communication, even if there is pressure (which there will be) try and understand what your employee needs or where they are lacking and help. Be kind. After all, we are all humans.

What are the major causes aggravators of mental health problems associated with work? 

The whole hierarchy system, top management thinking they can say or do what they like (ego), overtime work (paid or unpaid) does not matter. The brain can only be productive for a certain time. After that, it does need to rest. Lack of understanding and wanting to listen to what employees need causes mental health issues like anxiety, stress, or even depression.

Describe a “healthy mind” in your own words.

A happy, yet able to manage your emotions is a "healthy mind". We are all wired in a way that we cannot be always positive and there will always be times when we are negative. And that is fine. To me, a healthy mind is accepting that what you feel is okay to feel. Express more and suppress less.

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