Does Belonging Start With Self-Acceptance?

Posted on 20 April 2024 by Mabel Kwong

Finding a sense of belonging is not always easy. Belonging might seem elusive when you struggle with conflicting intercultural identities. Or when you feel like an outsider among groups.

Perhaps belonging starts with self-acceptance. Look within to accept yourself as you are. When you accept your cultural traits that you like and dislike as part of your core, you might feel closer to the experience of belonging.

The concept of belonging is complex and interpreted differently across cultures. Emotional bonding, shared values and spiritual connection are some things encapsulating belonging. It is a subjective experience within tangible places, family, society and more.

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Healing from My Asian Childhood Trauma and Writer’s Block

Posted on 30 November 2023 by Mabel Kwong

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Writer’s block is something you encounter when you’re a writer. It’s frustrating and frustrating to overcome.

There are many reasons for writer’s block. Trauma is one of them. Unprocessed trauma, such as difficult moments in your childhood, upbringing or past experiences, can play a part in the struggle to write.

I started writing my first book almost a decade ago. I thought I’d have published it by now. But no. I am still writing it. Writing is my passion. I love writing. But often I find writing so difficult. Embedded deep in the recesses of my mind and unconscious, the expectations of being the Asian model minority eats away at me – making writing impossible.

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Where Do You Really Feel At Home?

Posted on 20 April 2023 by Mabel Kwong

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Home may be a place that you know well. Or a space that resonates with you. Or something that seems elusive. The feeling of being most at home is a multi-layered, complex construct, and it can be hard to explain.

As someone who is often caught in between Eastern and Western cultures and has lived in different countries surrounded by different languages, no place has ever felt like home to me. About a year ago, an evening stroll inspired me to think a bit more about this thing called home.

Striding down the Princes Bridge, the crisp autumn air picks up. Pulling the zipper up my puffer jacket, it is just another routine evening of sunset photography in Melbourne CBD. The cold is always a familiar part of it at this time of the year in May, no surprises.

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7 Ways To Stop Talking To Someone Without Being Rude

Posted on 7 October 2021 by Mabel Kwong

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There are times when you’ll encounter people who are up for a chat and will talk away. But you don’t want to talk and want to avoid them.

You might wonder: how do you stop talking to someone without being rude? How do you end a conversation politely, especially if the other person won’t stop talking?

Sometimes you’re in the middle of something and talking isn’t ideal. Perhaps you’re avoiding the person talking to you altogether. Or you’re not in the mood for talking and it’s just bad timing.

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Why I Feel Like Quitting After 7 Years Of Blogging

Posted on 5 December 2019 by Mabel Kwong

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This month* marks seven years since I started this blog. This year marks a turning point in my life where I’ve thought about quitting blogging and even writing altogether.

It seems my relationship with blogging has hit the seven year itch.

Writing (1)

Over time I’ve blogged less and less. When I started blogging, I blogged weekly. Then fortnightly. Over the last two years I’ve put up one post a month and scaled back freelance writing work. That made me realise, the less time you spend on something, the more time you have for yourself and the more time to think.

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6 Reasons Why You Feel Like You Don’t Belong Anywhere

Posted on 11 July 2019 by Mabel Kwong

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‘Why don’t I belong?’ Sometimes we go through moments in our lives where we don’t fit in with a certain group or place.

For some of us, we might feel like we don’t belong anywhere most of the time.

AURORA AKSNES (1) | The Forum, Melbourne, Australia 2019

Either way when we don’t belong often that means we feel different. The feeling of not fitting in comes in different forms. For instance, we don’t get along with family and never seem to say much around our parents or siblings. Can’t identify with ‘where you are from’ or our heritage. Don’t get the latest trends or TV series everyone is so into.

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