Mental Health Speaking

I have a lot to say about mental health. Since 2013, when I sought help for my lifelong struggle with suicidal ideation, I have been talking to anyone who wanted to listen. I don’t think these feelings are as uncommon as society would like us to believe— and I think the solutions are in connecting through our shared experiences rather than trying to hide them.

Over the last 10 years and especially over the world altering changes of the 2020 quarantine, I have watched the United States change its stance towards mental health. Truly great work is being done to connect individuals with therapists, organizations, support groups, and other resources. I hope to nurture and support this same work around the world as well, in my late mother’s homeland of South Korea.

Being Asian American, I was always acutely aware of how inappropriate it was to express my inner turmoil. I understood that asking for the help I genuinely needed meant drawing attention to all the parts of myself I was expected to conceal. By the time I did check myself into a hospital, tell the doctors the whole truth, try the pills, and participate in the therapies; it was only because I was stuck in a cycle of attempting suicide, failing, and feeling worse for being unable to escape altogether. It was something I had to choose for myself- a decision I hope to empower others in need to make for themselves too. We can take control of our lives by making choices to shape our careers and lifestyles around better mental health— and none of us have to do it alone.