Malaysian singer Fish Leong on how she chased away depression during pandemic

Fish Leong spoke in a live-stream about how she found it hard to cope mentally during the lockdown last year. Photo: AFP

Malaysian singer Fish Leong, who is based in Taiwan, has opened about her struggles with depression during the pandemic.

In a live-stream on Sunday (Oct 10) organised by Life Line Association Malaysia, a non-governmental organisation which offers counselling services, the 43-year-old spoke about how she found it hard to cope mentally during the lockdown last year.

The popular ballad singer, who has not been back to Malaysia for two years due to the pandemic, lives with her seven-year-old son, Anderson.

Her high-profile divorce from Taiwanese businessman Tony Chao was finalised in Dec 2019 and they share custody of their son.

In February last year, her short-lived romance with Taiwanese entrepreneur Darwin Lin was confirmed to be over after four months, just before everything went into lockdown.

What hit her especially hard during the pandemic was the cancellation of her concerts and promotional events, as well as her son not being able to go to school.

In the live stream, she said she saw the sun shining in through the curtains and told her son: "We will follow our routine of getting up at 8am. We will sit in the sunshine and draw and read. We will behave like plants basking in the sun."

She revealed that while they were in lockdown, she began talking to her pet goldfish every day. Meditation, working out, listening to classical music and watching her friends' cooking videos online also helped to give her peace of mind. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network

---

Those suffering from mental health issues or contemplating suicide can reach out to the following organisations:

- Mental Health Psychosocial Support Service (03-2935 9935/ 014-322 3392)

- Talian Kasih (15999/ 019-261 5999 on WhatsApp)

- Jakim’s (Department of Islamic Development Malaysia) family, social and community care centre (0111-959 8214 on WhatsApp)

- Befrienders Kuala Lumpur (03-7627 2929 or go to befrienders.org.my/centre-in-malaysia for a full list of numbers nationwide and operating hours, or email [e-mail]).