Key Takeaways from Watching A Daily Dose of Sunshine
I just finished watching ‘A Daily Dose of Sunshine’ on Netflix. The show was recommended to me and it tackles mental health.
The plot centers on a third-year nurse who recently transferred to the Department of Psychiatry at Myungshin University Hospital. Much of the story revolves around her daily struggles as a psychiatry nurse, which I find particularly interesting, given my passion for mental health (and of course, because I wanted to work in a hospital at one point).
Main character, Da-Eun (ParkBoYoung), is a new psychiatry nurse. But she is not just an ordinary nurse. She is kind-hearted, compassionate, and very empathetic towards her mentally ill patients. She is dubbed as too nice, to a fault, by some of her colleagues from the Department of Internal Medicine that she got persuaded to move to a different department (Psychiatry) where she could potentially be more valuable. The show’s title, ‘A Daily Dose of Sunshine’ is an allusion to her endearing character and sunny disposition (for the majority of the series), yet (**WARNING: SPOILER**), even someone as strong and patient like Da-eun didn’t manage to escape a mental breakdown somewhere down the road…
The entire series goes on to tackle various mental illnesses affecting the different series characters. It does an excellent job of demonstrating the struggles of people affected by specific mental illnesses (e.g. schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, pseudodementia, depression).
Sharing some of my key takeaways from the show.
1. A healthy sense of self-worth is crucial to our mental health.
Without enough self-worth, we run the risk of being vulnerable to mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. There are numerous studies highlighting the correlation between a lack of self-worth/healthy self-esteem and anxiety and/or depression. The main character, Da-eun, exhibited low self-worth with her perpetually excessive kindness and niceness, and by explicitly saying “she feels worthless” during one of her therapy sessions. This eventually led her to experience a mental breakdown triggered by a core experience.
2. We all have mental health.
Awareness about how some people could be silently struggling without any visible signs underscores the importance of kindness — to other people, including ourselves.
3. Various events in our lives can trigger or create an onset of mental health problems.
Not all mental health issues are created equally. But they need to be tended to/managed at the least. Left unmanaged and out of control, mental health problems will necessitate the intervention of either a pill or a doctor. Take care of your mental health before it’s too late.
Let me share a simple formula (Rx):
Start small, by getting the 3 pillars of health right: Sleep, Food, and Exercise. Add in a daily dose of Vitamin D (sunshine). And lastly, if you can’t go to therapy (which could be necessary for processing complex issues that plague our lives), a simple but effective self-care routine is… Journaling.
4. Doing something that makes you happy matters.
There are times when we need to be in survival mode. Nurse Deul-Re has been in survival mode (emotionally and financially) in the absence of a mother who cared for her since she was 14 y.o. and while this made her achieve things in her life on her own, she first thought of herself as trash and mainly why she avoided pursuits of Dr. Hwang after several attempts of confessing his feelings for her. When she finally got persuaded to give him a chance, her life blossomed, and she started to open her eyes to the things that made her happy and excited (before that, she admitted how she never felt excited about anything in her life — an indicator that she was in survival mode for most of her life).
5. Finding a partner who cares about your mental health can mean everything.
Nurse Da-Eun was so lucky to have found Dr. Dong (who eventually became her boyfriend) and has also been profoundly cherished by her childhood best friend (Yu-Chan) for a very long time. Despite the heavy, sensitive, and seemingly dark theme of the show, the relentless romantic pursuits of Dr. Dong and Yu-Chan toward Da-Eun, and Dr. Hwang toward Deul-Re painted a light-hearted backdrop amidst their respective personal struggles.
Healthy relationships are truly so valuable. As they can give us the necessary strength, inspiration, and hope to withstand tough times.
