“Mental health plays an important role in the way we deal with stress, how we relate to others, and the decisions we make in our daily lives.” — By Norbert Juma
Mental health is a positive concept related to the social and emotional well-being of individuals and communities. Being mentally healthy is more than just the absence of illness, but rather it’s a state of overall well being. To know one’s mental state and to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness and promote help-seeking behaviors and emotional well-being practices, The Children’s Joy Foundation Davao conducted a Mental Wellness Seminar on March 05, 2020.
The Seminar started at nine in the morning, it was spearheaded by the residential psychometrician, Ms. Hannah Jane Calderon. During the discussion, she explained the objectives and benefits of mental wellness to every individual and its environment. The speaker also cited some well-known persons and their dimensions, current landscapes of Mental Wellness, the current landscape of anxiety, depressions, and other mental health all over the Philippines. According to the speaker, mental health is the state of well-being of individuals as they realize their potentials, the stress of life, and contributions to the community including learning memory, attitudes, beliefs, personality, behaviors, emotions, and coping skills.
In the second part of the program, they discussed the roles of stress along with the major stressors that trigger the Mental Disorders as she further explained that Stress affects the physical, mental, and emotional strain, as well as the pressure of the person. She also mentioned the good amount of stress that leads to motivation but emphasized that too much stress can cause stress-related problems like insomnia, headache, less or excessive eating, and many more. On the other hand, the difference of Normal Human experience and Mental Disorder, the Warning Signs, Red Flags of suicide, Role of parents, Physical Health, and the way of talking with them were also tackled during the discussion.
Lastly, the speaker wrapped up the discussion and left a quote from one of the Father of Psychology that says: “We cannot fix nor help others if we haven’t done that to ourselves.” All of the staff that attended the conducted Seminar were very thankful for the new knowledge that they have acquired. Indeed, taking care of our mental health is just as important as having a healthy body. The seminar helped them realize their roles as caregivers in helping the children attain healthy mental health.
By Shiela Mae Hernandez | CJFI Volunteer
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