#ConqueringCOVID19: Celebrating World Health Day and Mental Health Week

October 29, 2021 – Northwestern University held a Mental Health webinar for the celebration of World Health Day 2021 and National Mental Health Week titled “Reconquer the Pandemic through Mental Well-being” via Zoom Videoconferencing App.

Dr. Chita A. Gonzales, Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA), gave her warm welcome to the participants of the webinar. After that, comes the introduction of the first speaker.

The webinar was divided into three segments: Overview of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, Psychological First Aid, and Self-care in the Pandemic.

Ms. Emelyn Grace Calubaquib, a Registered Social Worker, was the first speaker who discussed the Overview of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support.

“Learn to face your problems confidently… Train your mind to see good in every situation,” said Ms. Calubaquib.

Mr. Sherward Frez Cabrales, a Chapter Service Representative of the Red Cross and Cresent Societies, was the second speaker and introduced Psychological First Aid (PFA) in the COVID-19 outbreak response. In the first part of his discussion, he asked for opinions, answerable by true or false, from the participants regarding the precise definition of PFA.

Mr. Cabrales further explained, “Psychological First Aid is a set of skills and knowledge that can be used to help people who are in distress, as well as a way of helping people to feel calm and able to cope in a difficult situation.”

Mr. Cabrales tackled the Action Principle of PFA and gave additional understanding, recommendations, and ways on how to properly lend help, assess, and assist those who need PFA.

PFA plays a vital role in people’s lives that creates changes in a positive way, especially for those who are vulnerable inside and outside of their being. Therefore, taking care of mental health matters.

Ms. Stephanie Marie Valiente, Officer-in-Charge of the Guidance Center, introduced the third speaker, Prof. Gemma Marie Alhama, a Registered Psychometrician, Psychologist, and owner of The Mindsight Psychological Testing Center, who tackled the topic of self-care in the pandemic.

Prof. Alhama gave a few definitions of the word “self-care,” which clarifies the understanding of the participants. She even informed them that the number of self-care searches according to Google trends has doubled since 2015, which truly does indicate an epidemic of anxiety and depression and everyone feels it.

 “Self-care is important to mitigate the worsening level of the community,” Prof. Alhama added.

She also mentioned that chronic stress is one of the biggest threats to overall health, which makes her consider self-care beneficial, ranging from improving well-being, exercising, getting enough sleep, and relaxation.

Before she ended her discussion, she left a quote for the participants, “It’s not selfish to love yourself; take care of yourself and make your happiness a priority. It is necessary.”

An open forum was facilitated after the discussion to answer some questions from the participants regarding mental health, which enlightened the students’ understanding.

Self-care is essential to one’s well-being and it is a way of taking care of one’s mental health when dealing with the silent and personal battles we face in everyday life. It is a choice that everyone can make that requires commitment and intention to invest in one’s well-being.