29/03/2026

ON SUNDAY March 29, 2026 theSunday Special XI

GL̇ FXOW\ WUXVWLQJ RWKHUV DUH RIWHQ VLJQV R f unhealed experiences. Therapy bridges the gap between what you understand intellec tually and what you still feel emotionally.” Seeking help doesn’t just give you a safe space to connect those dots, but to understand that the healing isn’t just logical, but lived. 5. When it starts interfering with daily life Everyone has ups and downs, but when your emotional state begins to affect your daily routine – your sleep, appetite, relationships or ability to concentrate – it’s time to take notice. If it’s been weeks of IHHOLQJ ÀDW LUULWDEOH GHWDFKHG RU LI VLPSO\ getting through the day feels like an uphill battle, that’s your body’s signal. You don’t need to hit rock bottom before seeking help. Therapy isn’t a last resort. It can be preventive, a space to untangle emotions before they harden into burnout or depression. Many people delay therapy because they think their problems aren’t serious enough. But the truth is, you deserve sup SRUW HYHQ LI \RX¶UH MXVW IHHOLQJ R̆ HYHQ LI \RX FDQ¶W H[SODLQ ZK\ $ WKHUDSLVW GRHVQ¶W judge the size of your pain. They help you make sense of it, whatever shape it takes. 6. When the body speaks, what the mind suppresses “The connection between mind and body is profound. When we ignore emotional pain, the body often takes over as the communicator. You might experience insomnia, headaches, muscle tension or stomach issues with no clear medical cause,” Chu said. Often, people come to therapy thinking they have a physical problem – “I can’t sleep, I’m always tense, I feel tired all the time” – only to discover the root lies in unprocessed stress or grief. The body, in its wisdom, expresses what we’ve avoided acknowledging. Once those emotional roots are ad dressed, something shifts. Sleep returns, appetite stabilises, the body softens. It’s not magic; it’s simply what happens when \RX VWRS ¿JKWLQJ \RXU RZQ IHHOLQJV We’ve been taught to push through, to be strong, to keep moving. But strength isn’t the absence of struggle. It’s the cour age to pause and ask for help before things fall apart. I I DQ\ RI WKHVH UHG ÀDJV IHHO IDPLOLDU consider this your gentle invitation. You don’t have to wait for a breaking point. 7KHUDS\ LVQ¶W DERXW ³¿[LQJ´ \RX LW¶V DERXW helping you come home to yourself. Be cause sometimes, the bravest thing you can do is to listen to what your mind and body have been trying to say all along.

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Identify these red ðv—Ã in you BY AQILAH NAJWA JAMALUDDIN Subtle signs you might need to see a therapist – GXGP KH [QW VJKPM [QWũTG ƓPG

O FTEN , it’s not the dramatic breakdowns or visible crises that lead someone to therapy. It’s the quiet heaviness that lingers in the background of everyday life. These moments can be so HDV\ WR EUXVK R̆ $IWHU DOO HYHU\RQH IHHOV low sometimes, right? But what happens when “sometimes” becomes most days? Here’s the truth: You don’t need to wait until everything falls apart to ask for help. Therapy isn’t only for crises. It’s a space for understanding yourself before life’s weight becomes unbearable. B HORZ DUH VL[ UHG ÀDJV WKDW \RXU PLQG and body might already be whispering or shouting for help. 1. The weight you can’t quite name You may not be crying every night or feel overtly sad, but something inside you feels heavy. It’s that quiet fatigue that follows you around, even after a full night’s sleep. “When you wake up already tired, feel disconnected even around people or notice that joy feels out of reach, those are signs your emotional tank might be running low or even empty,” Esther Chu, a licensed counselling psychologist at Soul Space, explained.

This emotional exhaustion is often one RI WKH ¿UVW VLJQV WKDW VRPHWKLQJ GHHSHU LV stirring. Your mind and body are trying to tell you that you need rest – not just physical rest, but emotional space to breathe and process. “Everyone has ups and downs, but if \RX ¿QG \RXU HPRWLRQDO VWDWH ODVWLQJ IRU weeks or it takes more energy than usual to function, that’s your sign. You don’t need to wait until you hit rock bottom to seek help. Therapy can help even when \RX MXVW IHHO R̆ DQG FDQ¶W TXLWH H[SODLQ why,” Chu added. O YHUWKLQNLQJ LUULWDELOLW\ RU GL̇ FXOW\ focusing are not just quirks of modern life. They are your body’s language, its way of saying “I’m running on empty.” 2. When coping no longer works We all have coping mechanisms. The small rituals and distractions that help us get through hard days. Maybe it’s exercise, scrolling endlessly on social media or pouring yourself into work. But what happens when those no longer work? Many people seek therapy when they realise their usual ways of coping have VWRSSHG KHOSLQJ $FWLYLWLHV WKDW RQFH IHOW soothing now feel meaningless.

The connection between mind and body is profound.”

Chu