The SoapBox: Recent Episodes
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The SoapBox is a lost-and-found box full of the ideas left behind, the ones people don't feel comfortable discussing but need to be brought into the public space and discussed. It's also a collection of high school students looking to provide a space for controversial issues, complex topics, and any sort of out-there ideas that don't have a place in common, everyday conversations.
Whether if it’s in school or the workplace, burnout has become incredibly prevalent under the competitive, cutthroat culture most people are accustomed to. According to the internet, symptoms of “Burnout syndrome” include exhaustion, cynicism, and loss of efficacy. In general terms, to be burnt out is to feel constantly depleted and unable to recharge.
In Part 2 of Volume 15, The Soapbox invited Community Center Shanghai (CCS) counselor Bella Wu to discuss submissions and provide professional advice to symptoms of burnout.
Further check out Lifeline Shanghai for immediate mental health support:
Phone: 400 821 1215
Website: https://www.lifeline-shanghai.com/
Hello! Welcome to the Bubbles Senior Advice, where we’ll be doing deep dives into college life with various undergrads located around the world. As graduating high school seniors, we hope that these episodes can provide important advice for studying, working, socializing, and other aspects of adult life that we have yet to experience. We wish you, as the rejection letters say, “good luck in your future endeavors!”
In the third and last episode of our Senior Advice mini-series, we interview Nancy Wu, a rising senior in Yale University. In this episode, we discuss stigmatized but must be talked about topics such as alcohol, sex, and drugs and ways to experience them safely in university. Hopefully this episode may serve as a guide for us in an unfamiliar environment with much more pleasures to explore!
Whether if it’s in school or the workplace, burnout has become incredibly prevalent under the competitive, cutthroat culture most people are accustomed to. According to the internet, symptoms of “Burnout syndrome” include exhaustion, cynicism, and loss of efficacy. In general terms, to be burnt out is to feel constantly depleted and unable to recharge.
In Part 1 of Volume 15, The Soapbox members hold a roundtable discussion on the causes of burnout, their personal experiences, as well as possible ways to deal with burnout.
How do we persist when life seems to be an endless cycle of stress and disappointment? All of us have different strategies of dealing with burnout. We try to spend our time with loved ones, further our hobbies, and seek new experiences. However, when all those methods come to no avail, some of us find escape in retail therapy—shopping in order to make ourselves happier. In this Bubbles episode, Erika Liao and Stephanie Koh discuss retail therapy in detail, including its causes, signs, and possible solutions.
Persisting despite working against overwhelming odds is at the core of activism. Sometimes, however, obstacles to progress seem unyielding regardless of any efforts and can lead to something called activism burnout, where, no matter what you do to overcome something, it feels impossible to do. As such, this Bubbles episode will break ground in our theme this month of burnout by tackling this specific type of burnout, exploring activists’ stories and how they respond to the feelings of hopelessness that come with advocating for what you believe in.
Hello! Welcome to the Bubbles Senior Advice, where we’ll be doing deep dives into college life with various undergrads located around the world. As graduating high school seniors, we hope that these episodes can provide important advice for studying, working, socializing, and other aspects of adult life that we have yet to experience. We wish you, as the rejection letters say, “good luck in your future endeavors!”
In the second episode of our Senior Advice mini-series, we interview Tony Guan and Miya Shtereva of Tsinghua University. In this episode, we discuss handling social anxiety, dealing with insecurities, how to approach socializing, coping with university stress, and accommodating unsupportive parents. As we enter into a new and unfamiliar environment, preserving our mental health and establishing a concrete support system of friends will be crucial in navigating our way through the twists and turns, so hopefully this episode may serve as a foundation for our journeys into university.
With the coming of a second lockdown season in Shanghai, students are facing a new round of mental crisis. For this episode, we will be going over submissions from students sharing their experience with lockdown. Together, we discuss how to deal with loneliness, family troubles, drifting friendships, and many more issues we are facing at this moment.
The second wave of lockdown in Shanghai is bringing unexpected turbulence to our mental health as we cope with changes in lifestyle, estranged connections, and even relationships with ourselves and our bodies. In this episode, we invited Miranda from SHSID class 10(3) to share her experience with an eating disorder and recovery. We will be discussing the effects of lockdown on mental health and advice for people struggling with eating disorders as well as ways in which their families and friends can offer help.
Hello! Welcome to the Bubbles Senior Advice, where we’ll be doing deep dives into college life with various undergrads located around the world. As graduating high school seniors, we hope that these episodes can provide important advice for studying, working, socializing, and other aspects of adult life that we have yet to experience. We wish you, as the rejection letters say, “good luck in your future endeavors!”
Kicking off the first of multiple episodes in this mini-series, we have SHSID alumnus and current Yale undergrad Lelan Hu. In this episode, we explore how college life has changed under the pandemic, how to make friends, and the differences between high school and college. This will hopefully be a broad overview on study goals, social life, and planning that can help in the initial stages of any college student’s career.
With the coming of a second lockdown season in Shanghai, students are facing a new round of mental crisis. For this episode, we have collaborated with Anna Tian from Community Center Shanghai (CCS) to gain some professional insights on this shared concern. Together, we discuss how to deal with loneliness, family troubles, drifting friendships, and many more issues we are facing at this moment
Whether in work, school or social settings in general, we find ourselves caught up in a brutal culture of involution (“内卷”)—a vicious cycle of competition and “racing to the bottom”. In a fast-paced, cutthroat environment, we’re made to believe participating in this culture is the best way to prove our worth. For a good grade or college result, we increase the work we do, the extracurriculars we take on, the level of courses we attend to an unreasonably high amount.
The anxiety of being less s than others forces us to accept these increasingly extreme standards as the norm. As a result, we lose ourselves in the nerve-wracking frenzy of meaningless competition, beating ourselves for not being “good enough”.
This month, in Involution: Anxiety Of Our Time, we will discuss the world of involution, how it causes unhealthy relationships, coping mechanisms, and more.
Whether in work, school, or social settings in general, we find ourselves caught up in a brutal culture of involution (“内卷”) — a vicious cycle of competition and “racing to the bottom”. In this episode, we invited Cecilia Ding, a counselor from CCS (Community Center Shanghai), who will be sharing us her expert knowledge on involution, or 内卷. Discussing the psychological and sociocultural factors behind this issue, we will be shedding light upon the causes of involution and ways to cope with it on a personal level.
How do you think you look? The answer to this question often shapes our perception of “self”, and obsessing over it constrains our ability to see ourselves beyond mere reflections. In the final episode of "Beyond My Reflection", our hosts will be discussing the submissions we have received surrounding body image issues. From being insecure about our height to feeling guilty after each meal, we constantly suffer from outside expectations and toxic beauty standards. Whereas our anxiety towards imperfections is almost impossible to avoid in our teenage years, it is something that can be gradually overcome with self acceptance.
How do you think you look? The answer to this question often shapes our perception of “self”, and obsessing over it constrains our ability to see ourselves beyond mere reflections. In this episode, we have invited Bella Wu, a counselor from CCS (Community Center Shanghai), onto our show, who will be sharing her expert knowledge on body image issues and eating disorders. Discussing the biological, psychological and sociocultural factors behind unhealthy eating habits, we will be unraveling the causes behind perfectionism as well as our desire to use food as a means of control.
How do you think you look? The answer to this question often shapes our perception of “self”, and obsessing over it constrains our ability to see ourselves beyond mere reflections. In this episode, we have invited Claire onto our show, who will be sharing her journey of accepting her body. None of us are perfect. And when we are fixated on one tiny aspect of ourselves, we become trapped by our imperfections. As a result, no matter how skinny we are, how muscular, how acne-free, there's always something that needs to be fixed. Body image issues aren't just limited to women, either. Men are constantly faced the pressure of being a certain height, having a six-pack, and owning a muscular body. No matter what gender we identify as, how pretty we're born, the issue of self-perception is universal, and we need to realize that we are all beautiful.
Suicide remains the second leading cause of death among youths today. In China, along with many other parts of the world where mental illness is highly stigmatized, it is a largely invisible yet widespread issue. On September 10th, suicide prevention day, we invited Dr. Rona Hu onto our show. Dr.Hu is a Medical Director of the Acute psychiatric Inpatient Unit at Stanford Hospital, specializing in mental illnesses including schizophrenia, bipolar, and depression. In this episode, she will be sharing some advice on how to deal with adverse thoughts and establish healthy friends and family relationships.
Episode 2 of “Rumor Has It” is here! This time, we’ve partnered with CCS Counseling to bring a professional perspective on the topic of gossip and tea culture. We have on their Counseling Director, Carrie Jones, to answer various questions regarding the potential impacts of negative or defamatory gossip, while also discussing various ways to handle being the subject of hurtful rumors. We face social situations where gossip serves as an essential tool and ticket into the most basic of conversations, while also capable of being manipulated into a weapon against others. This episode will provide the opportunity to reflect on the dangers of gossip, while also touching on how we might face it with positivity and create a better social environment.
The icebreaker, the conversation-carrier, or the tool of manipulation. Whatever the case, gossip and ‘tea culture’ is an integral part of social relationships, quickly disseminating information across groups of people by word of mouth and, unsurprisingly, ending up different every time it changes hands. With the internet pervading through school culture, students are the most prone to engaging in gossip of any group, proving to be an easy source of entertainment as well as a toxic space that can damage reputations unjustly, causing undue stress and anxiety. Most recently, programs on platforms like WeChat (Tape, etc.) have further allowed the proliferation of this kind of behavior as anonymity even between friends has enabled direct questions to be asked about private topics. This month, the SoapBox tackles the world of whispers that hides in plain sight in Rumor Has It.
Living in a world where we are constantly being valued and ranked based on academic performance, appearance, work ethics, popularity, etc., it is easy for us to fall into rabbit holes of insecurity and self-hatred. Whether if it’s the underestimation of one’s own value or the constant assumption that others should be prioritized above one self, a lack of love for ourselves propels countless individuals into cycles of serious mental health issues that afflict them without end. This month, The SoapBox will zoom in on struggles surrounding self love and celebrating the stories of those that have triumphed over these troubles and truly embraced themselves, their situations, and their identities.
Living a busy lifestyle where we’re constantly under mental and physical stress, it can be hard for us to spend time with ourselves—or simply learn to love who we are. In this episode, we invited Cher Yan onto our show, a high school student who lives her life to the fullest every day, goes back home, and sleeps at nine every night. Join us on a journey where Cher shares her personal experiences with setting priorities, feeling confident, and learning how to spend time with herself.
Lots of love,
The Soapbox
Welcome to Part 02 of Sleep No More. In this sub-episode, our hosts will be going through anonymous submissions on weird dreams, sleep problems, mental stress and more. We will be sharing personal experiences on sleep as well as some practical solutions to issues such as excess homework and sleep deprivation.
Welcome to Part 01 of Sleep No More. In this sub-episode, we will dive into the do’s and don’ts of our sleep habits and provide some tips to improve sleeping conditions. For professional insights, we invited Rumbiey Muchenje, a sleep and mental health coach that is also the founder of Puroposely Health, to answer some common questions. Join us on a journey to relax and change for the better!
The SoapBox team has brought to you a number of discussions on mental health issues and introduced our thoughts on them to you, giving you a place to vent your frustrations, to explore those difficult-to-reach areas of yourself, and to hopefully provide some amount of help in doing so. Today, however, we have a very special episode to present to you today. On this week’s episode, we bring Claire Lo, a mental health program coach, to give more of a professional opinion on our previous topics and offer tips on how to manage one’s mental health better.
The SoapBox team has brought to you a number of discussions on mental health issues and introduced our thoughts on them to you, giving you a place to vent your frustrations, to explore those difficult-to-reach areas of yourself, and to hopefully provide some amount of help in doing so. Today, however, we have a very special episode to present to you today. On this week’s episode, we bring Claire Lo, a mental health program coach, to give more of a professional opinion on our previous topics and offer tips on how to manage one’s mental health better.
The SoapBox team has brought to you a number of discussions on mental health issues and introduced our thoughts on them to you, giving you a place to vent your frustrations, to explore those difficult-to-reach areas of yourself, and to hopefully provide some amount of help in doing so. Today, however, we have a very special episode to present to you today. On this week’s episode, we bring Claire Lo, a mental health program coach, to give more of a professional opinion on our previous topics and offer tips on how to manage one’s mental health better.
The pair of keys you hold tightly in your pocket as you walk home, praying the stranger behind you isn’t following you; the shivers sent down your spine when someone touches you unwantedly; the sex jokes you’re told to laugh off because “you’re just over-sensitive—all of these small emblems and reminders of the looming threat of sexual harassment and assault that has affected so many people’s lives. Since the MeToo movement, the frenzy regarding sexual assault has taken social media by storm – more and more people have found a voice to share their stories with, a voice to help others out there realize that they’re not alone. On this episode of the Soapbox, we aim to shed light on the stories of survivors of sexual assault, as well as stories of the small, fleeting moments in our lives where we’ve felt powerless over our own bodies. This episode is for every voice that has been pressured into silence, every person who has spent their journey to recovery in solitude, and every measure of courage it takes to speak up.
Social media has quickly become a mainstay in our lives. Without much thought, we've let it slip into our lives, and before we know it, likes, followers, and constant updates on our lives have become a necessity. On the bus, on the streets, in social events and family gatherings, no matter where or when, there's always someone pulling out their phone for a quick conversation or post. While Tiktok, Instagram, and WeChat moments have acted a convenient platforms for us to maintain friendships and express our ideas, they also act as an easy distraction and escape hatch for actual problems that need to be confronted. Instead of expressing love and support, likes and comments have sometimes been distorted to feed excessive validation-seeking and over fabrication of self-identity. In this episode, "#nofilter," Sofia and Raymond delve into the positives and negatives of social media and discuss its impact on our generation's mental health.
A simple tip of the bottle, a passing puff, a small cut. It always begins with the first hit, then the spiral. Addiction strikes when we least expect it, unable to be shaken off or easily removed. Drugs, alcoholism, self-harm possess you and become the only thing in the world that matters at the moment. In this week's episode, our hosts Yuyi and Julia will delve into the confessions of addicts and share their own personal experiences on the topic.
In times of stress and anxiety, friends are sometimes all we have to get us through our struggles and make us realize that we’re not alone. We’d love to always have that friend or group of friends that allow us to cry on their shoulders, to talk to for hours about nothing in particular, and will always be there for us when we need them the most. However, that “perfect friendship” we long for is rarely possible as we often meet many obstacles along the way. In next week’s episode "I'll Be There For You", we’ll talk about the hardships surrounding us in high school as we struggle to maintain our relationships with each other—whether it be toxic, insincere or overly one-sided. This will also be a place for you to show some appreciations for the ones in your life who you're truly thankful for, and to share some experiences on coping with your own problems.
Welcome to Bubbles! Here, we look at the submissions that we weren't able to cover the main episode. It's also a more chill and toned-down space where our post-production team will join the hosts as they share their thoughts on the topic. Bubbles will be updated irregularly after the main episode is published.
All throughout history, people have been shunned for who they choose to spend their life with, for the way they present their sexual identity – and although the tides of change are dawning upon us, far too many still face these issues on the daily. Countless are trapped in the closet by the societal pressures around them while others are urged to come to terms to their sexuality as quickly as possible. On this episode of the Soapbox, we hope to hear your stories about what it is like to grapple with your sexual identity, stories about coming out or finding a community – we hope to illuminate that at the end of the day, we are never alone in our struggle to be loved, to be held, or to simply be seen.
Welcome to Bubbles! Here, we look at the submissions that we weren't able to cover the main episode. It's also a more chill and toned-down space where our post-production team will join the hosts as they share their thoughts on the topic. Bubbles will be updated irregularly after the main episode is published.
As many of us grow up under the influence from different parts of the world, there is no doubt that at one time or another, we have questioned our identity and found ourselves stuck in between the impasse of many cultures. We speak one language at home, and another at school—or both at the same time. These well-blended Chinglish phrases define our daily banters, but they also deprive us of a continuous cultural identity that we can personally attach to. Volume 03 focuses on coping with this sense of confusion, on finding a middle ground—a place for you to find a sense of belonging.
Welcome to Bubbles! Here, we look at the submissions that we weren't able to cover in the main episode. It's also a more chill and toned-down space where our post-production team will join the hosts as they share their thoughts on the topic. Bubbles will be updated irregularly after the main episode is published.
This episode focuses on those we’ve known the longest, those whom we share a roof with, those that’s been there since the very beginning—our families. Our moms, dads, siblings, you get the point. We are all more than familiar with the endless quarrels and altercations at home that shouldn’t be disregarded and thrown into a corner in our brain labeled “this is for your own good”. Even with those whom you love unconditionally, differences in opinions are inevitable. Tell us what’s troubling you, as we continue our adventure into The SoapBox.
Welcome to Bubbles! Here, we look at the submissions that we weren't able to cover the main episode. It's also a more chill and toned-down space where our post-production team will join the hosts as they share their thoughts on the topic. Bubbles will be updated irregularly after the main episode is published.
At some point or another, you've probably hit a rough patch of some sort, a "dark place," where life isn't going your way and things get tough. Whether it's friendship problems, failure, anxiety, or mental trauma, we all find ourselves mired in difficulties and hardship that seem to strike out of nowhere. The Dark Place can be an insecure period in your life, a place that you fear, or a negative state-of-mind that stays with you. In this episode, we will begin our journey into the darkest recesses of the human mind and dive deep into your stories.