Image from Shutterstock.com Mental illnesses can develop due to many factors like large amounts of stress, dysfunctional relationships, and even poor nutrition (WebMD, 2020). For instance, stress is easily accumulated, and it is often released in unhealthy ways – like revenge procrastination. This phenomenon involves staying up late to make up for the business of the day, leading to sleep deprivation, lack of focus, and irritability. The stress then builds up because of this, leading to a vicious cycle. Some conclusions from a mental health study (Qing, 2022) conducted by the National Univers ..read more

Image from shutterstock.com Self-care is widely overlooked but it is just as important as anything else in our daily routines. If you are ever feeling stressed, sad, or overwhelmed (and seemingly for no reason), it is good to reflect if you have been neglecting your self-care. Before diving into it, it is critical that you understand that self-care is not impossible, nor is it selfish. Self-care ensures that you are your most capable self – emotionally, mentally, and physically. There is always time for self-care, no matter how busy you might be.  According to Very Well Mind (2022), ther ..read more

Since 2018, SG Psych Stuff has been conducting annual mentor program runs for psychology undergraduates. Students selected to be mentees are paired with professionals who have been in the field for at least two years and come from various sub-disciplines in psychology. Mentees are able to learn about the diverse psychology scene in Singapore by interacting with psychology professionals and access exclusive workshops and talks. The upcoming 2023 run will include counseling and social work students with professionals from these scenes as well. With the mentee recruitment for 2023 beginning this ..read more

On 5th September 2022, SG Psych Stuff began sign-ups for its 2023 run of its annual mentor program. This program is Singapore’s first and only mentorship program oriented for tertiary psychology, counseling, and social work students. The mentors involved are professionals from various sectors within the fields and provide invaluable exposure and knowledge for students before they embark on their own professional journeys. In the first part of the September series, we interviewed Eulisia Er, an Educational Psychologist. Today, we are interviewing Winson Yang. Winson is an Affective Neuroscienti ..read more

It can be a pain not being able to commemorate the end of our school lives with a bang by attending a convocation ceremony or going on a graduation trip with our friends and family! Despite the setbacks forced upon us by a deadly virus, we can still make a productive use of our time. To make this period productive, there are many things that we can do, such as going on internships, upgrading yourself with courses, attending trainee programmes, or even just embarking on an old or new hobby. I personally found that trying on a new hobby was especially insightful. Considering I was not only doing ..read more

Switching careers can be tough. It is venturing into uncharted waters; it is facing a steep learning curve; it is taking a potential pay cut. Good news is: it brings along more meaning, opportunities, and growth. Best of all, it is not impossible. This article is directed at my fellow aspiring psychologists out there, who are toying with the idea of a career switch, but not sure how, amidst the current uncertainty. Given the recent pandemic, SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) and Workforce Singapore (WSG) have rolled out two initiatives relevant for mid-career switching: SGUnited Skills Programme an ..read more

I have been asked before: Is this school better than this other one?? I should answer this question here for a reminder for those who have asked me before, and also for those who are planning to ask this question. This post may or may not cover the local universities, as most people who have asked were comparing amongst the private education institutes (PEIs). Here is the comparison of the bachelor degrees that are available. But knowing this may not be enough, as there may be other factors coming into play. Distance: May be an issue for some, but I have seen students who travelled half the di ..read more

Some students doing their psychological studies may be working a full-time (FT) job at the same time. This is quite common especially for those doing their studies in a PEI (private education institute). The question is: Can you handle all the load??? Often it is assumed that if you are studying in a night course, you are doing a part-time (PT) program. However in fact, if you are doing a university degree with three or more subjects, you are actually doing a FT load, according to most universities. A usual FT load for universities are 4 subjects. Better check with your university and ask if i ..read more

In your early years of psychology training, all you probably would be doing is studying theories and textbooks, writing essays and reporting, understanding how psychological research is done, and analysing SPSS reports, and other things, which are more towards the “scientist” (or researcher) side of the scientist-practitioner model. Rarely or little chance you will be doing more of the practitioner side, unless you take up counselling modules or doing a practicum/work or job attachment/internship (if it is offered in your program). But why is it important? If you are studying psychology to bec ..read more

When we are going through our school days, we often perceive it as one of the most stressful times of our lives. The tsunami of unthinkably complex tasks, assignments and long-drawn-out projects that we must complete can push us to our emotional, physical and psychological ends. Nevertheless, time stops for no one, and soon we realise that our school days are numbered. Our minds enter a state of flow; we focus strictly on cramming a planet’s worth of information into our brains to get the best grade on the final exams and graduate from school once and for all. Image from snhu.edu Very soon ..read more