Applied Mental Resilience

We came across an inspiring and moving Straits Times article (31 January 2026) that illustrates mental resilience and overcoming one’s circumstances, as surprising as they may be. You will receive great joy to read it:

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/life-after-finding-out-her-father-was-hanged-for-drug-trafficking-when-she-was-two

It made us think …. what do you do when you receive a piece of shocking bad or sad news? Does it trigger feelings of panic or helplessness? Does it feel like your world is caving in and you’re sliding into a dark place that may seem impossible to get out from? Even worse, what if it is but the latest in a string of bad events in life?

Traumatic news or event in a person’s life can immediately lead to physical reactions such as higher blood pressure and heart rate and loss of appetite. This may be followed by shock and denial, eventually leading to feelings of sadness, anger or guilt. Left unchecked or followed by more negative events, could eventually result in depression or PTSD (Mental Health Foundation UK, https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/publications/impact-traumatic-events-mental-health).

In the Straits Times article, Adeline Wong turned devastating and tragic news of her father that she never knew and made something positive out of it. Adeline Wong’s father was executed for drug trafficking in 1979 when she was 2 but she only found out about it much later at the age of 33. Instead of drowning in pity or questioning her heritage, she took his message of hope for her and began volunteering in Prison Fellowship Singapore, turned her own life around, and even started a social enterprise bringing animal therapies to prisoners and other beneficiaries. That’s really something!

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At The Bloomtime Project, we are very interested in Mental Health and finding ways to alleviate this rapidly growing problem in Singapore and globally. Mental Health is a very broad area covering young and old. With today’s societal pressures to meet certain standards, financial uncertainty and relationship breakdowns, innovative solutions are needed more than ever. We support people with interesting ideas and solutions that they want to try out in their communities. No idea is too small if it is well thought out. Our support is by way of funding, venture startup help, and network connections to give an idea owner the right start.

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Have you got an idea or project for alleviating Mental Health issues in Singapore? We would love to hear from you. Find out more at: https://bloomtimesg.org/about