“Ching Yung” was the name given by people around her because she always wears a smile and no one would even thought that she was once hit by depression. It is the belief in gratitude that helps her ride through the storm.
She said that her life was full of ups and downs. She was very thankful to those who were nice to her during hard times. When she was hit by depression, her smiles would disappear and she was unable to appreciate the goodness in life.
Heavy Responsibilities of Being the Eldest Child
As the eldest child in a poor family in a rural village, she needed to care for everyone in the family including her three younger siblings because her father went to work and her mother was often sick. She would need to wake up at 3-4am to prepare food for the pigs as well as for the family. After the meals, she would need to clean up the area and rush to school. She was often late for school and as her mother’s health continued to deteriorate, Ching Yung spent more time to care for her mother and hence was unable to achieve her wish of finishing primary school.
Dedicated Her Life to Family
She had to care for her mother and as her siblings gradually grew up, the family expenses became greater. Hence, she decided to shoulder the responsibilities as the eldest sister and came to Hong Kong alone, hoping to earn money and pay for her siblings’ education. Due to the stressful environment and having to live apart from her elder son after giving birth, Ching Yung gradually fell into depression.
Beat Depression by Being Grateful
Ching Yung fell into serious depression a few years after giving birth to her younger son and at times, she was unable to do any household chores, cook for the family, or care for her young child. She felt useless especially when she had lost the ability to care for her family members.
Luckily, Ching Yung’s husband stood by her and supported her. Her relatives and friends in Hong Kong also cared for her. Ching Yung spent her whole life caring for others and now she must learn how to be cared for by others. She was very thankful to the help rendered by the social workers, such as Mr. Leung, Ms Cheng, Wai, Shan Shan and Yan from The Boys’ & Girls’ Clubs Association of Hong Kong and its other staff. Ching Yung recalled those moments when she saw the smiles on their faces and felt warm and happy. In addition, she was also grateful to the staff of the Children’s Residential Home of the Hong Kong Society for the Protection of Children for taking care of her son when her depression became severe, her church members, and many other people who have accompanied her to walk out of the dark moments of her life.
Recalling those dark moments of her life, she felt very blessed that she was able to overcome her depression. She realized that it was very important to be appreciative and understood that there were many people around her who cared for her. It was the feeling of being appreciative which enabled Ching Yung to walk out from depression.
How to be More Appreciative
In this interview, Ching Yung expressed her thanks towards those who had helped her along the way and she was very grateful towards these people. She gave an advice that if we were to meet up with challenges in our lives, we should always learn to be grateful, and think from a positive point of view so that you can have a happy path ahead!
Afterword
Many people understand what gratitude is, however, when one is supposed to put your thoughts into action, we would often be unsure on how to go about doing it. In the case of Ching Yung, although she grew up knowing how to be grateful and appreciative, however, when met with a series of difficulties, she may still feel lost. Although her mind told her that she needed to be grateful but in reality it was not as easy. Through her perseverance and belief in being grateful, she was able to ride through the storm. I have observed that as long as one sows the seed of gratitude, one will be able to ride through the difficulties to a happiness path ultimately even though it may take time.
Ching Yung feels that being grateful can lead us to a happy path ahead.
Written by The Boys’ & Girls’ Clubs Association of Hong Kong Jockey Club Cheung Sha Wan Children and Youth Integrated Services Centre
Adapted from Positive Family Booklet of Enhancing Family Well-being Project
Enhancing Family Well-being Project Secretariat. All Rights Reserved.