Dawn Teh

Why ‘Buy Experiences, Not Things’ Is Bad Advice

We’re over buying stuff, aren’t we? Tons of people have already cleared out half of their possessions after binging Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. “Materialistic” is an insult (sorry, Madonna). “Minimalist” is a compliment.

These days, we’re all about racking up experiences instead: traveling the world, attending music festivals, dining at Michelin-starred restaurants. Happiness, it seems, is no longer found in expensive purses and fast cars, but in getting out and exploring, trying, doing. Rese...

Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world in 2020, a visit to the doctor was almost always involved waiting rooms and seeing your physician in person. But ever since movement restrictions were put in place to stop the spread of the virus, digital health services have become commonplace (and even expected) by patients.
According to data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through 4 of the largest telehealth providers in the US, there was a 154% increase in telehe...

Content warning Please note this article references potential trauma triggers, including depression, anxiety, suicide, and suicidal ideation. If you are in distress and need immediate help, trained counselors are available to take your call. Please find a crisis hotline in your country here.
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla and Twitter’s largest shareholder, recently courted controversy by tweeting his critical opinion of two psychiatric drugs — mainly the antidepressant Wellbutrin (bupropi...

Heart disease is considered a lifestyle ailment usually caused by a combination of factors like lack of exercise, eating unhealthy food, and smoking. It's often used interchangeably with cardiovascular disease (CVD), although CVD technically includes conditions of both the heart and blood vessels.¹ It's also often referred to as "Western diseases" or "diseases of affluence" as it's reasoned that its predisposing lifestyle habits could only be afforded by people from wealthy, industrialized na...

Why Do I Need Alcohol Abuse Counseling?

If you’re starting out in alcohol addiction recovery, you might be wondering ‘why do I need alcohol abuse counseling?’ You may wonder if it’s something you can overcome on your own. Embarking on an alcohol recovery journey without help might yield positive results in the short-term. But if you want a long-term recovery that lasts, you need specialized alcohol abuse counseling.

Alcohol abuse is a complicated issue that goes beyond the initial detox treatment. There are many psychological, social and emotional factors that come into play when dealing wit

4 Ways to Practice Gratitude and Build Resilience

Going through tough times is an inevitable part of life. We’ve all experienced varying challenges in some form or another, ranging from job loss, relationship problems to chronic illness. It goes without saying that experiences like these can leave us feeling overwhelmed, lost and in despair.

Seeing that difficult situations are an inevitable part of the human experience, learning to cope is an invaluable life skill to have. And experts are telling us that gratitude may be one of the best way...

Should You Add Crying to Your Self-Care Routine?

It’s the first thing most of us do when we enter this world: cry. And yet by the time we reach toddlerhood, we’re socialized to learn that crying is undesirable behavior. Big boys and girls don’t cry.

Why does our society censor this reflexive expression of emotion? Surely something so instinctual must have an evolutionary purpose.

This is the sentiment echoed by entrepreneur and author Hiroki Terai, the Japanese creator of crying therapy sessions. Over the past few years, his Tokyo-based cryi...

How Mindful Eating Could Transform Your Relationship With Food

A guide to reconnecting during mealtimes in our modern world of distraction.

Our fast-paced society has changed our attitudes towards food and the way we consume it. Eating has become an activity that is pushed down the hierarchy of importance, to the extent that we often engage in it as an afterthought.

Most of us are all-too-familiar with having to gobble up weekday lunches in minutes while being stuck at the desk. We’ve forgotten the art eating. It’s become little more than a means of fuel...

Hatch Mama vs Mama Mio: Which Pregnancy Stretch Mark Oil Works Best?
When I was searching for a stretch mark oil to use during pregnancy, I found the process challenging.
On the one hand, I definitely wanted something that was effective. But a new concern I had was the safety of its ingredients.
Growing a baby is such a delicate process and everything that we ingest (even through our skin!) goes to our little one. I definitely didn’t want to harm my baby with a...

What Makes Rich People Happier Than the Rest of Us?

Peering into the lives of the rich is a guilty pleasure. Collectively, we love to hate them, even as we scroll through their Instagram pages and read about what they buy, what they do, and where they go. At the heart of this curiosity is our desire to find the answer to the question: Are they really happier than the rest of us?

Statistically speaking, yes, they are. Studies have found a positive association between wealth and life satisfaction. That’s not exactly a shocking revelation, I know....

How Mindful Leaders Create Happier Teams

Mindful leaders create healthier team relationships because of one crucial factor: communication style

Look through any management book or course, and communication will probably top the list as one of the most important skills any leader should have. But what exactly does effective communication look like? There are many schools of thought, including authoritative, consultative or cooperative styles.

A recent study conducted by Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München and Technical University ...

This was a magazine article written for Mantra Wellness Magazine. It covers some basic information about what adaptogens are, and describes the health benefits of 3 of the most common adaptogens.

Do you secretly find amusement in hearing about how Liz from Accounting hooked-up with Steve from Marketing during the office Christmas party? Don’t worry, you’re not alone.
We teach our children that gossiping isn’t nice behavior, and yet it’s still such a prevalent phenomenon in human society. According to experts, we spend about two thirds of our conversational time gossiping about others. This means we spend more time talking about other people compared to general topics like music, sport...

For many women, period pain is considered a normal part of life that one has to live with. But what many don't realize is that it could actually be a sign of a common chronic disease affecting 1 in 10 women called endometriosis.
It's a condition where tissue that usually lines the uterine wall gets implanted outside the uterus and sometimes on other organs like the bladder or intestine. The misplaced tissue is often referred to as endometrial lesions. This causes inflammation and results in i...