Heinok
I’m the Move Partners Lead at TNN HK. Mental health awareness and movement has been important to me.
From a young age as a perfectionist and people pleaser, I strived to be the best.
I put a lot of pressure on myself, pushing away any forms of help because I did not want to burden others. I initially was diagnosed with anxiety throughout my tertiary studies and at work, and eventually was diagnosed with depression when my body had shut down after immense stress from trying to perform well at something deep down I no longer loved.
I initially went to therapy to process grief from suicide bereavement. I had lost a loved one who had died by suicide when I was studying at University. Uncharted territory, unanswered questions and my naturally heightened sensitivity made me unsure of how to deal with my intense sadness and emotions related to the death of a loved one. For me, I am truly grateful for the encouragement from my family members during that time to try therapy - and therapy is still a part of my life to help me understand unfamiliar emotions and unpack various forms of trauma accumulated throughout my life.
Throughout my mental health journey, or I would even say life in general, movement has been essential to my everyday life. Although I am at a stage where I’m in a stage of mental health, there are days where I still feel down, am injured or feel pain. But when I actively choose to move in whatever form- yoga, gym, ball games, hikes, walks or even in between patient stretches - for however long, really does make me feel better.
Movement is a form of medicine for both the mental and physical health, and should be encouraged and accessible to all.
This is where TNN comes in, the serendipitous crossover as an opportunity to create a space to make movement as accessible for attendees as possible. As a yoga instructor and a yoga student myself, I have heard and personally experienced group fitness classes being too expensive, too difficult, too niche with a lack of options or choice which puts a barrier for people to feel comfortable enough to join one without knowing perhaps where to start when it comes to exercise. As a mental health and wellness advocate, being able to remove stigma and barriers in such a space which is usually deemed too advanced or exclusive is the beginning of creating and encouraging movement for more people in our society.
As a whole, TNN has done a fantastic job in creating supportive spaces, and also providing educational resources and courses. Grief support groups, mental health support groups, Move Partners movement classes in different languages, suicide first aid training and amongst the various support groups about or soon to be launched are a leading example of accessible mental health support here in Hong Kong. I thank them for providing a place of community, the essence of humanity, for myself and others!
