From This Is My First Life To Misaeng, How K-Dramas Taught Me How To Process Grief
K-Dramas that helped me heal when grief got too heavy.
Mental health struggles and grief are a language that doesn’t come with subtitles. It sneaks in quietly, folding itself into your routines, your thoughts, your breaths. Since World Mental Health Day is a day about celebrating one’s emotions and accepting those who struggle mentally, recognising complex mental health struggles and providing a safe space to those who require care and minimising stigma. Here’s a reflection on how K-dramas have been there for me during the hardest times.
Finding Healing Through K-Dramas On World Mental Health Day
Returning home tired from the office after having a bad day and turning on my favourite at the moment, K-drama, is the best feeling ever. But these shows not only act as a form of entertainment but also sometimes as a companion. The characters of the drama become like a long-lost friend who just gets me. They go through the same thing as I do, the same struggles and hardships, even though we are seas apart with a language barrier.
K-dramas like Move to Heaven and Because This Is My First Life taught me that grief doesn’t always roar. Sometimes it’s quiet and can hit you in the most unexpected moments, like when having a meal or on a late-night ride back home. I carried the way trauma and loss shaped the main leads in Move To Heaven. The story of a young man suffering from Asparagus syndrome and his uncle will always stay immortalised with me.
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It’s Okay To Not Be Okay taught me it’s okay to exist without pretending that everything was fine. Watching Ko Mun-yeong and Moon Gang-tae navigate their inner scars made me realise that vulnerability is strength, and that grief can be a companion of your mental health, not an enemy.
My Liberation Notes taught me that everyday victories are as important as the big ones. Healing is not always monumental or cinematic; sometimes it is etched in tiny steps that might seem invisible to everyone except you.
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Even office dramas like Misaeng, which chronicles the mundane struggles of corporate life, show the grief of lost opportunities, broken dreams, and silent suffering. Misaeng is a drama I resonated with the most and shed tears while watching it the hardest.
Also Read: From Dream High To Page Turner, 5 Musical K-Dramas You Will Love
These K-dramas made me embrace my own emotions and reflect within. They reminded me that my mental health is not a race, a box to tick or a burden to hide.
Also Read: From Fight For My Way To The Glory, K-dramas You Didn’t Know Were Inspired By Real Life Events
First Published: October 10, 2025 1:03 PM
