I do not write for a living but living to write is something I wanted to do when I can in this possible lifetime.
I didn’t know what a setback was when I was much younger as there was virtually nothing for me to refer to. I could say I was pretty talented and being someone who always excel in areas I put my mind into, the inertia to do anything seems almost none.
As years went by, many things became more difficult than it already was, in which having the motivation to do something became more incentive-based. Without knowing the clear rewards, I became apathetic (I learnt this the hard way).
My physical health gave way, and led me to a semi-depressive situation where I started gaining weight right after my first official health check-up when the school alerted my mum to visit the hospital to get my weight checked.
At the time, I was just a 10-year kiddo who barely knew about obesity, but only to realize that the mean comments towards my plus-sized appearance took a toll on me.
I looked disgusted at myself, munching onto a big stack of goodies filled with chocolate fillings, but my grandma would always defend me whenever a relative visits us over the festive season.
That led to the spiral when I started to question my grandma over the portion that my elder brother was having for meals, complaining that I always had the smaller portion.
Slightly over a year later, my weight ballooned close to a 65kg as someone who was barely 12 years old and looking like a minion (short and round).
Got called up by the school’s notorious trim and fit (“TAF”) club where overweight students were automatically enrolled into to shed some loads off.
I didn’t really care about my health because I had a overweight brother as well, and overtime, I normalized those mean comments as I thought I couldn’t do anything about my weight.
What struck me the most was in the process of understanding how bad my eating habits were, I couldn’t comprehend anything because I was not aware of the severity of my condition that would potentially led me to long-term health issues.
I already saw multiple stretch marks on my right arm, tummy, and on my underarms, and I chose to bottle the comments and feel depressed about them each time I was being told off.
Doing nothing (inactivity) about it was also one of the more childish ways that led me wanting to overcoming obstacles through escaping from reality.
When faced with issues, I tend to burrow myself, hoping that the reality would magically disappear from the face of the earth. Unfortunately, the reality persisted till the later half of my formative years in secondary school that I started to realize the importance of exercising and keeping in shape.
Knowing the importance of having good physical health affects the way we control our minds, and stabilizing our mental well-being in our early years can allow us to gain more autonomy to our life trajectory (having the control to do things in favor to our goals and dreams).
That quickly helps me to stop overthinking, putting myself in the “sorry” state that I was already in, and gaining the clarity to know what I really want if I were to take actions towards putting my health back in shape.
Not in great shape, but in a better shape than I always wanted to be in (not round or inverted triangle, but in a decent one).
The 1 year weight-loss transformation was liberating (83kg to 59kg) but yet shed a new perspective where having to overcome a setback feels like a near-death situation, it is always about approaching the issue at heart and stay focused.
Feelings aside, it was never easy to stay grounded to work on something you have never thought of succeeding, gathering your courage and will to stay committed in wanting to overcome your emotions and ordeals can determine your process and end goal.
There were any much talks about managing mental health because overcoming hardships were deemed “easy” in the yester years where everyone around me was going through one or another at some point.
If I reinstate those thoughts and moments that I faced through my formative years, it could be conveyed in a much lighter tone and mood where talking about mental health now is well-discussed.
Though we cannot do anything about eliminating it in totality, learning to manage your mental well-being (stress/cortisol levels in this case) should be taken more seriously as the repercussions can be worse than you expected.
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About The Author:
Vince Law is a former Accountancy graduate from Singapore Management University, who recently became a pawrent of 2 amazing cats (Ginkgo and Goji). After writing for over 4 years, he transitioned into his coaching business related to personal development and mental well-being at mentalhealthcoaching_sg.
He also works as a freelance writer who loves challenging mainstream views on current affairs and is a strong advocate of mental health and personal development.
For business queries, please feel free to reach out to me at lawyinkai@gmail.com.
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