LAMHE

  There are some news stories you read, and they pass. And then there are some that do not leave you. They sit in your chest, heavy and unmoving, like grief that refuses to settle. The recent incident of a schoolgirl being brutally bullied in Sydney is one of those stories that stays. As a mother of two daughters, I did not just read this incident. I felt it. I could hear that girl’s fear in those messages. I could imagine her looking around, hoping someone would come, someone would notice, someone would stop it. And what disturbs me most is not just what happened to her, but what it reveals about us. Because this is not just bullying. This is dehumanisation. What Kind of Mind Does This? We are very quick to use words like “psycho”, “evil”, or “criminal”. These words give us temporary relief because they create distance between “us” and “them”. But as a counsellor, I cannot stop there. Behaviour like this does not appear suddenly at thirteen. Research in adolescent psychology consi...

  I often wonder when healing became something we needed to display. There was a time when emotional repair was quiet. People worked through grief, confusion, betrayal, and identity shifts in private spaces — sometimes with support, sometimes alone. Today, healing is visible. It is documented. It is captioned. It is shared in real time. On many days, I see this as progress. Silence around mental health caused enormous harm. When people speak openly about therapy, trauma, anxiety, or boundaries, stigma reduces. Others feel less alone. Language creates connection. But alongside this openness, I notice something else. Healing has acquired aesthetics. There are carefully framed journal pages, softly lit “self-work Sundays,” tearful confession reels, curated vulnerability posts, and affirmations written in perfect typography. Pain is narrated with clarity and often with applause. The market has learned to package recovery. Emotional disclosure now circulates as content. This is not inhe...