I’m Daariin Annur binte Eidie Rizal, the Deputy Vice-President of NUS Public Health Society overseeing a student-led mental health movement called SPECTRUM. We acknowledge that mental health lies on a spectrum.
Through the “Library of Unspoken Stories” event held on 27 March 2022, I had the opportunity to listen to the intimate stories told by the ‘human books’. 20 of us were engrossed in the Zoom session that featured four captivating stories.
At the two sessions – “Why Social Support Matters (to me)” by Preston Ngoui and “Is This You?” by Sean Toh, I learnt to feel comfortably vulnerable and here’s why.
Preston reflected on how important maintaining an informal support network can be. He emphasised the importance of trust. For instance, to trust our friends while respecting each other’s capacities, is a useful tip wherever we go. I will always remember this tip.
For Sean’s segment, he realised that he pushed himself too hard and ended up in the hospital. In his story, he dwelled on the importance of checking in with ourselves and this resonated with me. I feel, we deserve the best version of ourselves. By delineating our boundaries, we can better manage expectations and nurture our passions to ignite a flame that brightens the rest of the world, rather a self-cannibalising vortex that envelopes us.
I’m deeply moved by how the human books demonstrated great courage. Being vulnerable with one friend can already feel scary — it is difficult to imagine what it must feel like exposing yourself to a whole audience.
It was a great privilege to hear about someone else’s heartfelt experiences within the safe environment of the Human Library. It is so human to feel uncomfortable when revealing the vulnerable sides of us. I appreciate the effort that has been put into safeguarding this special space, providing us with a soft place to land and explore uncomfortable terrain.
From this experience, I’m practising courage by writing this piece. I know I may cringe when I look back on this write up. It’s not perfect but I’m glad I wrote this and hope my self-reflective story will encourage others to better understand mental wellness.
A conversation on mental health isn’t one that is static and plastered on a post. Our journeys with our mental health, conversations about it are dynamic and ever changing.
| About Library of Unspoken Stories 2022 |
| This NUS edition of the Library of Unspoken Stories was organised by NUS Office of Student Affairs and supported by SPECTRUM, NUS Health and Wellbeing and Resilience Collective. Members of the NUS community signed up to hear the stories of brave individuals and interact with them as they share their experiences with managing mental health and their journey to recovery. Each sharing session was 30 minutes long and was held over Zoom.
Look out for the next series in the new academic year 2022-2023. For the past session, click here. For more information on Spectrum, follow us on Instagram @Spectrum.NUS or email phsoc@u.nus.edu. |
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Daariin Annur binte Eidie Rizal
Year 3, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
