tldr: Looking after your mental health cannot be a last minute thing, it is good to look at options on how to resolve issues within before everything breaks down
It is tough but I’m writing this article on my old laptop which is slow, laggy, and had many updates to settle before I can use it
Why do I have to do this?
Because my current laptop has a problem so it can’t turn on now
In fact my old laptop had a similar problem previously, but I managed to rectify it before shit hits the fan
And while I’m thinking what I can do to fix my current laptop, I also realize its about time for a blog article
So that’s why I’m here writing this instead of settling my laptop
Yes, writing an article for you to read, is far more important to me, then fixing my laptop hahaha
Of course, I probably have to share what happened first before I can share how it relates to mental health
What happened to my laptop?
12 June 2026 Friday was like any other day
You go online reading messages from friends and clients
Have a catch up on the latest chapters of the light novels of interest
Waiting for a client at 3pm for an online chat… who postpones due to feeling unwell
Hey it happens shrug
I charged my laptop early in the day, and nighttime is usually for a second charge
But little did I know, it wasn’t charging at night for some reason
I was in a game and some players were asking for advice about the game so I was distracted and didn’t realize earlier that the laptop wasn’t charging
By the time I realized, it had fallen to like 20% or so
So I did my due diligence
I checked if the charger is working by attaching it to my phone since they have the same USB C port and my phone started charging
I also switch the socket around to test if it works and it was
Then I check for updates for my laptop and there were updates that were due to be updated
Here’s the thing, because Microsoft updates might have issues sometimes, I paused the updates for 6 weeks and go in once a while to update
So the battery charging issue was before the updates if that wasn’t already clear
And yes, among 4 or 5 updates that appeared, one was a Lenovo system update that started downloading
In fact, I did also think it might be the battery that is spoilt, or the port that is spoilt
But a bit hard to test the battery and port itself for me
It wasn’t the first time either
My previous laptop had a similar issue where suddenly the charger couldn’t work and I had to update the system before it can work again
The difference was that I caught that early, at least half a battery or so hence there was time to update and install
And here instead of restarting straight away to install properly (although at the same time I didn’t know if it is better to wait until all are downloaded and updated or just that Lenovo one is enough)
I decided to put it to sleep and do it the next day when I wake up (it was late at night)
Actually I also thought about using my phone to reverse charge and see if that works, but it didn’t catch
Anyway, the next morning my current laptop had a critical error due to low battery
And it still wouldn’t charge
And I’m caught with a dilemma
You see, I use my current laptop to record my clients’ sessions under hypnosis for protection purposes
And normally I will put them into a portable harddrive however I don’t do it after every single client
I usually wait until there are 10-15 such videos before transferring
Regardless, there were some videos of the last few clients still in my laptop
And I don’t want the risk of sending my laptop for repair only for them to steal my data
Actually my data not so bad, its my clients’ data I more concerned with
Ideally if I can charge it, update, and if that works that’s great
Otherwise I got to trust they won’t take my clients’ videos, or worse case, I might consider buying a new laptop?
So what did my laptop teach me about mental health?
I want you to imagine the laptop hardware is your body, the program and system is your mind
Specifically, all the code is your unconscious mind, while the screen is your conscious mind
If my deduction is right, and its a software battery driver issue like my previous laptop, then you can think of it as a potential issue waiting to explode
Like how I pause the updates and only do it when I feel like it, that is how people tend to treat their mental health
As a last minute, don’t bother thing
And then go for treatment only when all hell breaks loose
Like how I decided to wait til the next morning before restarting, we don’t know when the physical body might fail due to mental health issues
A battery driver software cause the battery and charger to not work
Just like how a relationship issue can cause relationships to not work, or to find the wrong partner time and time again
And yes, mental health issues can cause physical sickness too
On top of that, just like those other players, people can be good distractions but that just delay you solving the mental health issue
And if it gets worse, then things can become more costly
Like between an update, or repairs or even a new laptop right?
Essentially, our mental health requires regular maintenance, just like our physical body requiring regular adequate rest and sleep
And if we wait until things break down, we can’t delay treatment either
A laptop is just a laptop, I can get a new laptop if I feel my clients’ data is way too important for that
But our lives have value, you have value
So start treating yourself better, and look after both your physical and mental health
