How learning to be playful saved my life, in the long journey back from the depths of depression
Enoch Li is the founder of Bearapy, which helps companies navigate organisational changes using a psychodynamic approach that incorporates mental health into corporate culture. She draws on her personal experience with burnout and depression to help others, and tries to look at mental health in the workplace through a different lens
“We come to the office to work, not play! Play is for kids!”
This is a common response I get when talking to companies about creating a culture of playfulness among staff. Also common are the awkward looks when I mention I have had clinical depression. The two are inextricably linked – especially if we are to prevent more people suffering burnout and sinking into depression, and maintain our emotional and mental wellness.
High-pressure Hong Kong
For many people growing up in Hong Kong, the “rat race” starts as early as kindergarten where kids feel the pressure to attain perfect grades. The “tiger mum” style of parenting pushes children to perform while adorning CVs with extracurricular activities that signal the right attributes to prospective future employers. Suffice to say, for many of Hong Kong’s children, there isn’t a lot of space for fun and play, for it is deemed unproductive.
Study reveals need for psychiatric services in Hong Kong, but also warns against forcing treatment on mentally ill
By the time these children have been in the workforce for five years, it’s likely that they’ve been subjected to performance pressure for 20 years of their life. This pressure begins to take its toll and shows up in physical ailments such as headaches and regular colds.