Isabelle

By Asian Mental Health Collective

May 19, 2020

My Asian Mental Health

I lost my dad to a stroke during my senior year of high school. As a result, I messed up finals and lost a conditional offer at my dream university. I was also dumped by my first boyfriend around that time. All those things took a massive toll on my depression. Without any concrete university plans, I moved back to my home country to be with my family. This was when I decided to enlist in the military. I thought that it was the best option at the time. Going through basic training and officer cadet training was mentally the hardest thing I have ever done especially because I was also at my worst. I never spoke about my feelings, but I would spend every waking moment feeling empty and wishing I was dead. The intense military training didn’t distract me from any of those thoughts. Being in an incredibly male-dominated environment was harder than I expected. This was the first time in my life that I felt truly alone.

However, I shared a bunk with a girl who became one of my best friends. Despite having personal trauma of her own, she is the most caring person I have ever met and honestly became my lifeline throughout my cadet life. I only wish I was half as strong as she is. Despite my constant mental struggle, she never judged me and constantly pushed me to not give up. I commissioned and am now a lieutenant in the Navy because of her. I have always been introverted and reserved. Before this, I never realized how important it is to have the right people in your life until I met this girl. It was all four years ago. Since then, I’ve learned how to talk about my emotions and open up to people I trust. I’ve made it a point to reach out to others as I firmly believe that no one should have to go through anything alone.

Sources

American Psychiatric Association. (2020). Mental Health Facts For Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders. https://www.psychiatry.org/File%20Library/Psychiatrists/Cultural-Competency/Mental-Health-Disparities/Mental-Health-Facts-for-Asian-Americans-Pacific-Islanders.pdf

Bently, T. G. K., D’Andrea-Penna, G., Rakic, M., Arce, N., LaFaille, M., Berman, R., Cooley, K., & Sprimont, P. (2023). Breathing Practices for Stress and Anxiety Reduction: Conceptual Framework of Implementation Guidelines Based on a Systematic Review of the Published Literature. Brain Sciences, 13, 1612. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13121612

Brailovskaia, J., Swanlike, V. J., Grethe, G. A., Schillack, H., & Margraf, J. (2022). Experimental longitudinal evidence for causal role of social media use and physical activity in COVID‑19 burden and mental health. Journal of Public Health, 21, 1885-1898. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-022-01751-x

Cadloff, E. B. (2018, December 3). How first-aid kits for mental health symptoms are helping Canadian university students. Maclean’s. https://macleans.ca/economy/business/first-aid-kit-mental-health/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Leading Causes of Death. WISQARS Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System. https://wisqars.cdc.gov/lcd/?o=LCD&y1=2022&y2=2022&ct=10&cc=ALL&g=00&s=0&r=4&ry=2&e=0&ar=lcd1age&at=groups&ag=lcd1age&a1=0&a2=199. Accessed November 20, 2024.

Chen, B., Sun, X., Zhang, Q., & Yao, L. (2024). Are Fatigued Users Fleeing Social Media? A Three-Level Meta-Analysis on the Association Between Social Media Fatigue and Social Media Use. Psychology of Popular Media, 13(3), 457-471. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000495

Choi, K. W., Lee, Y. H., Fatori, D., Bauermeister, J. R., Luh, R. A., Clark, C. R., Brunoni, A. R., Bauermeister, S., & Smoller, J. W. (2023). Social support and depression during a global crisis. Nature Mental Health, 1, 428-435. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-023-00078-0

Clément, J., Gallant, F., Hudon, C., Montiel, C., Riglea, T., Barbiche, D., Doré, I., Sylvestre, M., O’Loughlin, J., & Bélanger, M. (2024). Use of physical activity as a coping strategy mediates the association between adolescent team sports participation and emerging adult mental health. Mental Health and Physical Activity, 27, 100612. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mhpa.2024.100612

Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Home. ReproductiveRights.Gov. https://reproductiverights.gov/. Accessed November 18, 2024.

Hussenoeder, F. S., Conrad, I., Pabst, A., Engel, C., Zachariae, S., Zeynalova, S., Glaesmer, H., Hinz, A., Witte, V., Schomerus, G., Löffler, M., Villringer, A., Sander, C., & Reidel-Heller, S. G. (2023). Physical activity and mental health: the connection between step count and depression, anxiety and quality of sleep. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 28(9), 2419-2429. https://doi.org/10.1080/13548506.2022.2159453

Li, Y., Sun, W., Sun, X., Sun, J., Yang, D., Jia, B., & Yuan, B. (2021). Effects of mindfulness meditation on anxiety, depression, stress, and mindfulness in nursing students: a meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis of randomized controlled trials. Frontiers of Nursing, 7(1), 59-69. https://doi.org/10.2478/FON-2020-0001

Lopez, G. (2017, August 17). The battle over identity politics, explained. Vox. https://www.vox.com/identities/2016/12/2/13718770/identity-politics

Montoya-Galvez, C., Watson, E., & Sganga, N. (2024, November 20). How could the U.S. military be used for Trump’s mass deportation plan? CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/u-s-military-trump-mass-deportation-plan/

National Institutes of Health. (2023, November 2). All of Us Data Shows the Power of Social Support to Prevent Depression. All of Us Research Program. https://allofus.nih.gov/news-events/research-highlights/all-of-us-data-shows-power-of-social-support-to-prevent-depression

Nugraha, H., Hernawan, Ali, M., Rahmat, A, Septante, I., Aryati, & Suryadi, D. (2024). Outdoor activities and outdoor environments for fitness and mental health: a systematic review. Retos: Nuevas Perspectivas de Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación, 59, 642-648.

Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkley. (n.d.). Islamophobia Legislative Database. https://belonging.berkeley.edu/islamophobia/islamophobia-legislative-database. Accessed November 18, 2024

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (n.d.). Results from the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Mental Health Detailed Tables. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt47100/NSDUHDetailedTabs2023/NSDUHDetailedTabs2023/2023-nsduh-detailed-tables-sect6pe.htm#tab6.21b. Accessed November 20, 2024.

Trans Legislation Tracker. (n.d.). 2024 anti-trans bills tracker. https://translegislation.com/. Accessed November 18, 2024.