SMU ALCove was a little louder than usual. None of us really knew what to expect. But that's kind of the point.
On 19 March 2026, we kicked off our very first 𝙎𝑴𝙐 𝙒𝒆𝙡𝒍𝙣𝒆𝙨𝒔 𝑩𝙖𝒍𝙖𝒏𝙘𝒆𝙐𝑷 session - a new series designed to help alumni pause, recharge, and invest in their long-term personal and professional wellbeing. And for this inaugural session, we tried something most of us had heard of but never actually experienced: 𝑳𝒂𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒀𝒐𝒈𝒂.
Led by Sara Mei, Fang Fang, and Angela Wong from the 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻'𝘀 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, the session took the room through clapping rhythms, deep breathing, child-like playfulness, and a whole range of laughter exercises. It took a little while to warm up - it was a first for everyone - but that's precisely what made it meaningful. There's something quietly powerful about a room full of adults willing to try something unfamiliar together. Every activity ended with the group chanting "𝑉𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑, 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑...𝑌𝑎𝑦!" and by the end, nobody needed to be coaxed into it.
(𝘉𝘵𝘸, 𝘈𝘓𝘊𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘰 - 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘸𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘧𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘴. 𝘚𝘰 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘵.)
The energy carried into the fireside chat, where Joycelyn Neo (𝗠𝗕𝗔 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟮), Principal Occupational Therapist at a Public Healthcare Institution, spoke candidly about the different levels of stress and tiredness we carry - often without realising it. The many hats we wear, the boundaries we struggle to set, and the quiet toll it all takes. Moderated by Florence Neo (𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗰 𝗔𝗹𝘂𝗺), Director of the SMU Office of Alumni Relations, the conversation also touched on how alumni gatherings can be more than just networking - Joycelyn herself shared how attending events like these helped her build genuine, lasting friendships within the alumni community.
The session was titled "𝙇𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙧, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙈𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙚?" But as Joycelyn reminded us, laughter is just the beginning. The deeper pursuit is authentic happiness - something that has to be found and cultivated from within, not borrowed from the moment.
We left feeling lighter, more connected, and a little more ourselves. That's what SMU Wellness BalanceUP is here for - and this is just the beginning. More sessions are in the pipeline. What would you like to see next? Drop your ideas in the comments. 🌿
𝙆𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙪𝙥 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙩?
▶️ Watch it at https://lnkd.in/gJRcYk8A
