Journal 3: Road to Better Mental Health
Since high school, I have always been an extrovert and a “people person”. I love physically being and interacting with my friends, classmates, and teachers. I found school to be less stressful, more bearable, and enjoyable with them because I draw strength and energy from the people around me. They make me feel that I am not alone in the hurdles I face and that I can be in solidarity with a collective towards achieving our goals and learning along the way.
Unfortunately for me, the community quarantine since March has been extremely difficult and taxing for my mental health. Because I am physically distanced from the people I have been accustomed with, I have been low on energy. Aside from mulling over the fact that we were not able to bid proper goodbyes and hugs to the persons I have learned to love, the different socio-political issues mostly brought about by our very own government have affected my mental health, inducing much anxiety. I could not refrain from thinking about the said issues because I know that they affect all of us especially the most vulnerable members of our society whom we are called to serve and fight for. These thoughts have deprived me of sleep and they even made their way to my dreams, sometimes leaving me restless and frustrated. With this state of not being mentally well, I truly found it difficult to handle online classes which overwhelmed me.
Acknowledging this problem, I know it is necessary for me to employ certain coping mechanisms and really take care of my mental health, especially that I need good mental health to perform competently in academics. For this, I gave more time for our dog, took her for walks around the village, groomed her, and played with her. I even talked with her sometimes and treated her like a human being I can chitchat with. I binge-watched BL series and movies to somehow take the said issues out of my mind for a while. I also conversed with my closest friends and had deep talks with them although sometimes, I cannot help but think that I am a burden for them and that they would be better off without me adding to the problems they have to think about. Whenever I think this way, I choose to mute my notifications, ignore social media, and eat chips and pastries I order excessively.
Having been educated more about mental health through INTACT, I realized that there are behaviors and attitudes that I can adopt to improve my mental health. I will strive to be more mindful of my thoughts and experiences particularly through the Consciousness Examen that can help me process my everyday encounters. I will also try to have a more positive mentality and stop thinking that I am a burden to my friends whenever I share my problems with them. Moreover, I shall continue giving time for myself but while moderating the things I do from now on. I will take just enough rest, eat the proper amount of food, and use entertainment platforms aptly. Knowing that breathing exercises are also helpful, I shall also download and regularly use applications that facilitate relaxation and breathing exercises such as “Headspace” and “Balance”.
Staying true to my oath as a person for and with others who advocates Cura Personalis, I seek to promote self-care to my fellow students in the Loyola Schools Community. Offering myself as a shoulder to lean on, I will be a friend who listens empathetically to what my friends share. I shall always keep in mind that I do not need to attempt to solve their problems for them; I just need to listen and allow them to express while assuring them that they are not alone in their fights. When pieces of advice are solicited, I will be extra mindful and careful about giving them. I will also remind those people whom I know are faced with so much pressure to take some rest as well. In these little conversations and “kumustahan”, I shall share what I learned about self-care and mental health through INTACT and recommend the ways I knew about. Moreover, I will share through social media platforms the initiatives of the Sanggu Commission on Mental Health to help extend their reach to people who may not know about such initiatives.