Leading your own mental health journey

WHAT if you could heal yourself? Perhaps not physically, but mentally? Without the arduous process of consulting a professional life coach or psychologist?

During the pandemic, when lockdowns and the accompanying isolation led to an increase in depression and other mental disorders, several psychologists wrote books on how to navigate one’s mental health journey without expert help. The result was a spate of self-help publications, including Owen O’Kane’s How To Be Your Own Therapist, Stephen Joseph’s Think Like A Therapist and Julie Smith’s Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?

Opinion suggests that such guidebooks can go a long way in achieving mental wellness, and in Friday’s issue of BTLifestyle, we take a look at what these books offer.

In Design, meet Singaporean Gabriel Tan, who last year became the youngest designer for luxury furniture brand, B&B Italia. Later, he added another top brand, Herman Miller, to the list. He tells us how he found his way into furniture design and why he uprooted his entire family (in-laws included) to Portugal to pursue his career and a balanced lifestyle.

Elsewhere in Design, we visit the home of Lo & Behold’s COO Rifeng Gao – a cosy walk-up apartment in Wessex Estate, a colonial-era neighbourhood – to see how he’s retained the old-fashioned charm with meticulously chosen furnishings.

And in Dining, star chef Massimo Bottura makes his Singapore debut at Torno Subito, a colourful and lively new Italian restaurant in Dempsey. Does it live up to his hype? Read about this and more in Friday’s issue of BT.