Late last year, Mdm Tan, 55, joined our AMA session feeling overwhelmed by her upcoming retirement, anxious about both her health and the rising cost of living. She shared how she would sometimes wake up abruptly at 5AM, her mind racing with thoughts about the future.

"I've spent my whole life working and caring for my family. Now that I'm about to retire, I feel lost. I keep worrying—if inflation keeps going up, will I have enough to get by? Maybe I’m overthinking, but I just can’t manage these anxieties," she told us.

We introduced the concept of impermanence—not as a religious teaching, but as a practical lens through which to view her situation. The panelists each shared real-life experiences, using Buddhist concepts to show how we’ve learned to shift our perspectives and manage uncertainty.

Just recently, I bumped into Mdm Tan again. She’s been putting some of those ideas into practice. “I’ve started a morning ritual of gratitude. When I wake up worried, I redirect my thoughts to what I can appreciate right now. It doesn’t solve everything, but I feel more at peace.”

Earlier this year, Sarah, 32, joined our AMA discussion looking visibly upset. She confided that a few colleagues had been making unkind remarks about her work and appearance, leaving her feeling isolated and discouraged.

“I try to ignore them, but their words stick with me. I keep replaying what they said, and it makes me doubt myself. I know I shouldn’t let it get to me, but it’s hard,” she admitted.

We introduced Sarah to the idea of OMAK—Observe Merits and Appreciate Kindness. Most of the time, our brains have a negative bias: we tend to focus on the hurtful things people say or do, and these moments can quickly overshadow everything else. Over time, this negative focus can consume us and create a one-sided story about someone, making it hard to see anything good in them.

We encouraged Sarah to pause and ask herself: “Has this colleague ever done something kind or helpful that I might have overlooked?” By practising OMAK, she could step back and look at the whole picture, not just the negative parts. This doesn’t mean ignoring the hurtful comments, but it helps prevent getting stuck in a cycle of negativity.

A few weeks later, Sarah shared an update. “I started paying attention to the small, positive things my colleagues do—like when one of them helped me with a project last month, or simply greeted me in the morning. It’s easy to forget those moments when I’m upset, but noticing them has helped me feel less weighed down by the negativity.”

Sarah’s story shows that by such a simple reframing exercise, we can balance our perspective and avoid being overwhelmed by negative thoughts. OMAK doesn’t erase the challenges, but it helps us see people—and situations—with greater clarity and compassion.