Mental health and well-being are important topics here for us at What The Kpop. We consistently try to help our readers with projects, radio broadcasts, and articles that will provide them with support and resources for the different needs in their lives. As such, we’ve decided to compile the most important ones in a single post, ranging from topics like suicide prevention to helping your loved one deal with the loss of a celebrity.
Please read through the resources below and know that there is hope! You are not alone in your struggle. Many of the listed resources are available for both domestic and international fans. However, if you cannot find specific help for your location in any of the resources below (or if you need additional help), please feel free to contact us via direct message on any of our social media accounts. We accept messages on all of our accounts and are here to assist you in any way possible. Please click the following to message us directly: WTK Facebook, WTK Twitter, WTK Instagram.
Immediate Need When You’re Feeling Suicidal/In Crisis: When you’re in crisis and feeling suicidal, please do not suffer by yourself! There is immediate help available. If you’re located in the U.S., you can text “HELLO” to 741741. This free, confidential crisis support is available 24/7. For international assistance and crisis hotlines, please click HERE.
You Are Not Alone Project – Suicide Prevention Resources: Did you know that celebrities like Brian Joo, Lee Sang Min, SHINee’s Key, and many more have all admitted to self-harm or suicidal thoughts? In addition, several of our own staff members at WTK are also survivors of attempted suicide. Please know you are not alone in this battle! You are loved and appreciated, and there is help available. Please click HERE for our full list of resources for suicide prevention.
Improving Your Mental Health (Depression, Anxiety, Panic Disorders, and More): Recovery International is a wonderful organization that gives people the tools to lead more peaceful and productive lives. Use their book Better. Mental. Health. Journal or join a recovery group in your area. If there are no groups in your area, they also offer meetings via telephone, online, chat, Facebook groups, etc. As such, their assistance can be of help to both domestic and international fans by clicking HERE. Of course, we also recommend that you talk to your local doctor or family physician to ask for help as well.
Grief, Depression, & Suicide Prevention: Click HERE to listen to our radio broadcast where we spoke online with counselor Jenny Huddlestone about some important topics. We talked about dealing with grief over losing a beloved celebrity, how to work through those feelings in a healthy way, what to do when you or your loved ones are dealing with depression, and what to do when you or your loved ones are self-harming of feeling suicidal.
Coping With Grief and Loss: Grief is not a simple thing to deal with. It has many layers and affects each person very differently. For help in understanding grief and learning the difference between grief, trauma, and depression, please click HERE.
Making Our K-pop Community A Better Place (Looking For Faith In Tragedy; Dealing With Online Bullying & Hate): Click HERE to listen to our radio broadcast where as spoke with Teresa Santoski, author of the book Prayers for Oppa, about how to find faith and peace in tragedy, as well as ways we can improve our K-pop community when it comes to online bullying, anti-fans, and negativity.
Supporting Your Favorite Idols and Celebrities: There are many practical ways to support your idols and celebrities. It’s a well-known fact that they read comments on their social media posts, on news articles about themselves, and more. Often time, there are more negative and hateful comments than positive and uplifting ones. As such, one of the best ways to support your favorite artists and celebrities is by leaving good comments and drowning out the negative ones. You can also tweet supportive or motivational texts, Bible verses, or inspirational photos to them. In addition, you can uplift them by praying for their specific needs. We recommend using the book Prayers For Oppa since it is a helpful guide on practical ways to support your favorite celebrities. If you are a celebrity or artist yourself, the book is also special as it offers a reverse guide on praying for and supporting your fans. Click HERE to order it on Amazon in either print or digital form. You can also connect directly with the author, as well as participate in her various challenges to support celebrities, through her social media by clicking HERE.
Supporting Others Who Struggle: You may not struggle with mental health issues yourself, but it’s equally important you learn about these issues in order to understand and assist your family, friends, loved ones, and co-workers who need help. Click HERE for a guide on learning how to recognize their symptoms and warning signs, how to get them help, how to provide assistance on a daily basis, and much more. Even if you don’t personally know someone who struggles, you can still support your local community by volunteering at charity events, local shelters or support programs. You can also join in a local charity walk to raise funds for suicide prevention programs (WTK participated in their first walk in 2019 and will continue to do so each year!) Click HERE to find a charity walk in your area.
Make a Change! Request Your Local Government To Begin An Emergency Number For Suicide Prevention: Similar to the 911 emergency number in the U.S., people are busy petitioning lawmakers to implement a national emergency line for suicide prevention. Currently, the number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in the U.S. is 1-800-273-8255. We are asking Congress to make this number into “988.” Learn more about making this change and how you can get involved by clicking HERE. For international fans, we also encourage you to request your local lawmakers to start a similar number.
Practical Ways To Combat Unethical Journalism and Online Bullying Against Celebrities: On a recent radio broadcast, DJ Amy spoke out about unethical journalists who use click-bait titles and hate to sell their articles, netizens and fans who participate in online bullying, and practical steps that we can take to stop this behavior. Please click HERE to listen.
No matter what, we want you to know that you are LOVED, VALUED, TREASURED, SPECIAL, WONDERFUL, APPRECIATED, and IMPORTANT. Most importantly, we want you to know that YOU ARE NOT ALONE. There is hope, so please reach out today!
Media: What The Kpop
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