Many Southeast Asians are getting interested in journaling
but many have taken to this form of positive thinking over the last year , she said .
Lee believes this is because people have allowed themselves to become more vulnerable and open to supporting one another this last difficult year . This even extends to corporate goodwill .
“ Even this year , so many companies have reached out to me and said , ‘ Can you share your journaling story ?’ I think I ’ ve done over 30 corporate talks in the last year alone ,” she recalled . “ Companies seem to have become much more open , and they ’ ve realised that looking after their employees ’ wellbeing goes far beyond physical health . If you care for what your employees care about , in return they will also care for the things that the company cares about .”
Lee started journaling at the age of 12 , two years after her family moved to Australia . Over the previous two years , she had to learn a new language , make new friends and get used to the break-up of her parents ’ marriage . Faced with these challenges , she became moody , self-absorbed , and stressed out , and struggled to focus at school .
She didn ’ t want to make friends and would cry for no reason . “ I felt like my personality was being altered and I felt stuck , hopeless , isolated and alone ,” she said .
At that time , her mother took her to see a therapist , which she said was an uncommon thing for an Asian
GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com JUNE 2021
47