CUHK Lives and Legends

9 depression and anxiety. It was Eliza’s job to keep spirits up, and to inject hope, optimism, and dignity into a sometimes desperate situation. She also provided training to enable them to monitor their own mental health and that of others. ‘The first step in managing our emotions is to acknowledge their existence. More often than not, we are unaware of our own anxiety. To tackle the issue head-on, we should be alert to all sorts of bodily signals, including heartburn, headache, temper tantrums, etc., which should prompt us to seek psychological help before it’s too late.’ Apart from the Ebola crisis in West Africa, Eliza has also been involved in post-disaster relief work for the earthquake disaster in Nepal, the population movement crisis in Bangladesh, the typhoon Hato in Macau, as well as the Lamma Island ferry tragedy and the Tai Po bus crash in Hong Kong. Association and has been involved in various government committees to promote mental well-being. In 2015, in recognition of her unremitting contributions to the promotion of mental health in the local community, she was honoured as one of the Hong Kong Ten Outstanding Young Persons. ‘According to the World Health Organization, depression is set to become the world’s leading cause of disease burden by 2030, creating even greater social strain than chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Emotional problems are like physical ailments. Early detection can go a long way towards improving treatment and minimizing wasted resources. I hope with advancement in psychological education in Hong Kong, the public will know what to do to help others as well as themselves in the face of emotional problems, rather than turn a blind eye out of ignorance.’  ‘Houses can be rebuilt in the wake of a disaster. But if people’s mental health is not restored in time, how can families be rebuilt?’ c c Conducting needs assessment for psychosocial support in post-quake Nepal ‘Houses can be rebuilt in the wake of a disaster. But if people’s mental health is not restored in time, how can families be rebuilt? After all, you can’t even eat properly if you’re not in a healthy state of mind. So when we talk about post-disaster reconstruction, we must focus on people’s mental condition as well as the physical environment.’ Besides being the key to survival in life-and-death situations, psychological first aid is also essential to mental health in our daily life. To those determined to maintain work- life balance, Eliza has the following advice to offer: ‘Make a to-do list for self-care activities outside your work, such as exercise, chatting with friends and meditation. For example, set aside 15 minutes for mindfulness meditation or 30 minutes for reading each day, and stick to schedule, come rain or shine, just as you would with a work meeting.’ Eliza is chairperson of the Hong Kong Clinical Psychologists