CandleX hosted a “Bi-polar Disorder Reality Check” at the Peking University Affiliated High School. This was the first time that CandleX held a workshop in a public high school. CandleX is very excited to begin the sort of interaction and relationship with public school students in Beijing. The senior years of high school are a stressful period as students prepare to write their final standardized test. The results of this test will determine their future university admission potential. Students also need to decide which major they would like to pursue and this is a decision that can also increase stress levels. Knowing how to identify and manage negative and stress driven emotions can help students get through this difficult period more easily. CandleX hosted a workshop with the students with the intention of raising awareness about mental health and also helping the students to develop coping strategies. The students responded well to this content and we hope that they will find some benefit in the coming weeks as they face their exams. CandleX founder, Xiaojie Qin, says. “I think of CandleX as a person that travels around to plant seeds.” Mental health is often ignored in our society and if by raising awareness and introducing people to the importance of taking care of one’s mental health we are helping these concepts to take root and grow. The younger generations are the future and by giving them the opportunity to learn about and consider mental health we hope to propagate these kinds of healthy habits in the future of our society.

On 17th of May, 2015, with the full support from Moishe House Beijing, CandleX was honored to be with the friends from Moishe House, where Xiaojie QIN shared her personal story. It started with an educational video on bi-polar disorder, followed by real life case of Xiaojie. We shared the symptoms of bi-polar disorder, and how it’s related to the environment and biological condition, as well as what we can do to improve the situation. We were happy to see that audience started to open up during our Q&A session, and one particular participant came to us for more info. We strongly believe that, just by acknowledging and accepting that we do get unwell mentally in life, and seeing it as normal, it would significantly reduce the inward aggression, and self-blame that most people with depression experience. This is what our public sharing intend to contribute to as well. #Beijing #China #mentalhealth