Some stress may not harm your mental well-being

MENTAL health and well-being have been in the spotlight of late, with the stresses of the pandemic pushing many into unfamiliar pitholes of anxiety.

The last 2 years have been daunting, to say the least, with daily routines being so disrupted that too many feel an overwhelming sense of isolation. But even as mental well-being remains an issue of genuine concern, some have managed to hijack the issue to slack off.

Jasmine Tan (not her real name), a researcher, recounts how at Zoom meetings with her counterparts, "I felt that some of them were just being nua (hokkien slang for taking it easy), and not wanting to keep up to speed with work! And they just use it (mental health) as an excuse at times."