Our Mental Health is as essential as food

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

If you feel the burnout, step back and take care of yourself first. If you need help, just go ahead and take it. There is no shame in it.

When we are burned out, we must pause or stop for awhile. Going on and ignoring the pain will compromise our mental health. Resort to self-care practices if we're too hesitant to seek the help of a professional because of the expense coupled with it. There are friends out there that would be willing to listen if we'll just open up to them.

One of the barriers in improving our mental health by seeking help from professionals is the negative connotations of counseling, and the biases that society have about counseling. Also, with this pandemic, professional help is not that accessible to everyone who needs it. 

Professional help and therapy are expensive. We should make them more equitable so people would access them. 

There is also this stigma that when you talk about mental health, you will be immediately tagged as "baliw" and most of us don't even understand the importance of mental health. Proper education is really important for us to break this stigma.

We break the stigma when we recognize that many factors contribute to a person’s mental health (consider the biopsychosocial model), & so at any particular time in our lives, we may not be at our best, & we may need professional help, & THAT IS OKAY.

Thus, for now, when a friend or anybody shares their personal issues to us, let’s drop the “solution mindset” in our head. Sometimes, they just need someone who listens. So just listen, and listen attentively. Create a safe space for them.

Another barrier that we can see here is that mental health issues are often dismissed and maririnig natin yung words such as "kulang ka sa dasal"

Mental issue isn't also a result of not praying enough. Even religious persons experience depression. Depression is not a lack of faith.

Heal loudly. Share your healing journey. It will let people know that they are not alone and may even encourage them to seek help knowing that someone has been through it.

It's okay to not be okay, to not force yourself. Take all the time you need to recover and process things. Then once you are ready, feel free to reach out anytime. There is no "proper time". People will always be here to listen.

Heal at our own pace, take our time because we're allowed to. And by the time we're ready to reach out, always remember that there will always be people who are more than willing to help us. 

Like planting seeds, it takes several days for the seeds to sprout, continued nurturing until they grow into seedlings and then constant care for it to thrive.

Siguro if I have the chance to talk to my 17-year-old self and to the peeps who are hesitant, I will tell myself and them to please seek help whenever you're able and open up whenever you're ready. We're not forcing you to speak but we're encouraging you. 

It is never shameful to ask for help. It does not make you less of a person. You are worth it. Reach out to a close friend, colleague or relative. We need to talk about it. We need to integrate it to our daily activities so that stigma will be lessened. 

That there’s also no shame in visiting a professional when you don’t know what to do or you’re lost. Lakasan mo loob mo. Trust the process. Open your heart and mind to trusting that there are professionals that are willing to support you.

Counseling or seeking professional health is okay. It helps people to cope and process emotions and feelings. We can contribute by being their source of light. By means of our presence. They need someone who can stand by their side.

Ships used to need lighthouses, and now GPSs, to guide their way through a stormy sea. We also need these to light our way.

Don't be afraid to seek help for it is normal. We are here to help you. Mental health professionals are trained to help and listen to you. If someone tagged you as "baliw", just ignore them. Your health is more important than their lack of proper knowledge.

We all know that there is still a lot of work to be done to expand the Mental Health access reach in the country. 

And we have to take part in the Mental Health conversations to let them hear our stories, over & over again, & louder.

You don’t have to fight the way that you are feeling on your own.There is always going to be someone that understands what you are going through. Don’t be afraid to reach out; I promise you’re not alone in this. 

Proper education is really needed for us to understand the importance of mental health care. We should let them feel that it is normal and that it is also a way to be healthy. Stop the stigma about mental health.

I hope everyone will have the enough knowledge and awareness regarding Mental Health. So no one would feel helpless or hesitant again, thinking that their mental health is invalid and unacceptable. Let’s build a future world w/out Mental Health stigma.

"You can cry to me, you can hug me, you can hold my hand when you are not ready to speak. I'm here at your lowest point of your life." I AM YOUR FRIEND. 

#UsapTayo is one of the most amazing platform that I've ever seen. Thank you @mentalhealthph for letting me/us experienced this. Mas lalo akong ginanahan maging advocate because of this. God bless to all the people behind this! 

"One day, you will tell your story of how you overcame what you went through and it will be someone else's survival guide" -Bene Brown

#UsapTayo #MentalHealthPH