Photo by cottonbro studio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-girl-holding-yellow-ribbon-7186307/
From the lightest of tints to the darkest of shades, our own minds have made us see the mosaic of life in full colors. Yet with all the currently-existing misconceptions about the mind, people still get puzzled and stigmatize the detrimental situation.
Diverse experiences equate to people from different walks of life. How an individual handles their daily battles in life is subjective. Some may see it as a setback and to some, a stepping stone. You may have heard the phrase, “it’s always okay to not be okay” countless times already. But have you really thought through what this really means?
Your mental health is a whole spectrum of possibilities. With accordance to the World Health Organization (2022), your mental health state influences your ways in coping up with the different circumstances in life — how you respond, feel, act, and say. It is not just solely limited to the conceptualization of the psychological and emotional health of an individual. Instead, it is the state of one's well-being which affects their sound decision-making capabilities and productivity in responding to the needs of oneself and the society.
Promoting awareness in the broad possibilities of mental health is the needed action, especially for those who are impacted by the social stigmas. To recognize and validate those who mentally suffer is one step we should take for a better, inclusive space for them. Making a move in rectifying mental health misbeliefs is one of the many ways to ensure the end of mental health fallacies, too. Not only this, but through making psychological healthcare more publicized and available, the society is more exposed on how important it is to take care of our mental and emotional well-beings. These and with other vital courses of action, today’s people will gradually be aware on what is mental health and how important this really is.
Like how all colors work out to bring life to a scenery, the body also has its own set of organs that makes you live life. Alas, the thought that the brain is an organ, too, may have slipped people’s minds. Not only is this a complex organ that controls everything you do, yet it is also capable of so many things: emotionally, cognitively, creatively, and especially, mentally. And like any other organs, it can also have its own ailments and disorders. Little did everyone know that with the power of the mind, the brain can alter one's judgments if these conditions are left untreated.
Since the Medieval Times, asking for psychological help has been deemed as an unorthodox act — consulting for a psychiatrist’s opinion would automatically make you the talk of the town. Strong phrases like, "crazy" or "mentally impaired" will be close-mindedly thrown at you; people have often had the misconception of getting basic psychological needs as a personal weakness. As a result of this social stigma, it makes it harder for the people who genuinely need professional aid. This led to the harsh reality of people having difficulties in dealing with their mental ailments. Unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as keeping anxieties to themselves, numbing emotional pain through abuse of substance intake, isolation, and worst of all — death, may result in negative effects to the well-being and to the people that surround them.
“I’ve seen that the students are very active on social media. However, behind that, we all know that everyone was suffering during that (COVID-19 Pandemic) time.”
No one can deny the fact that the recent pandemic has put us to the worst phases in life. This instance, nevertheless, has enabled society to consider having psychological help. Fortunately these days, this once-seen-peculiar gesture has been destigmatized — having its true essence to be unfurled. According to Hon. Gellie Rose Davalos, current Supreme Student Council President, former Senator under the Student’s Right and Welfare Committee, the students of today are exercising their right and privilege to open up about their concerns in life: be it mentally or emotionally.
“The university and the student council really saw the need na we should have a mental health campaign awareness… hindi lang tayo mag stop doon sa mga social media platforms — we need to touch the grassroot levels (of the student-body).”
Regaining what has been lost during the pandemic era, Hon. Davalos — as a trained psychological first-aider — has successfully spearheaded the “Sturyahanay: A Mental Health Talk-Series” together with foreign psychologists and mental health associates. The said podcast-like activity was an open-for-all-listeners initiative carried out through one of the former sensational platforms, Twitter Spaces. Through this deliberate act, it was made possible for the listeners, mostly MSJuans, to have their own share in talking about life despite the isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was believed by Hon. Davalos said that during those times of need, the talk-series made it possible for listeners all over Twitter to connect and be virtually there for each other.
“Malayo pa, pero malayo na.”
Truly, as what Hon. Davelos said in an exclusive interview, the university has come so far when it comes to the concept of mental health awareness. But what lies for us goes way beyond what we currently have right now. We are still in the process of involving ourselves with the fact that needing and having psychological help is nothing to be afraid of. Little-by-little, all mental health-related issues would be fully-addressed — ushering to the goal of completely diminishing all social stigmas involved with psychological counseling and assessments.
In order to attain a more destigmatized and inclusive student-body, the Supreme Student Council, together with the Office of Guidance Counseling, is aiming to initiate a peer-to-peer psychological counseling within the campus that shall be applied soon by the second semester of the Academic Year 2023-2024. Nonetheless, the Office of Guidance Counseling will always have their doors wide open for the benefit of the university’s constituents, regardless.
Indeed, life gives us all the brightest and darkest experiences. And during those times of dusk, never shall you feel alone. May you always be reminded that even from all these tints and shades, there is always someone you could lean on to; be it a group, a professional, and even just a single individual. With the help of the Supreme Student Council and the Office of Guidance Counseling, a more encouraging environment for the good and awareness of one’s mental health is currently being established — making it a great leap and a significant process for the student-body of the institution. Enlightening one another, let us never forget: asking for somebody’s help is also helping yourself in beholding the real colors of the mosaic called life.
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