Thea Marriz E.

Bunag

“Alagang Unilab: Kumusta ka? A talk on Mental Health and How to Cope”

Along with the COVID-19 pandemic, the amount of mental issues arises too.

That’s why we should take care of ourselves, not just physically, but also mentally.

Unilab conducted a webinar titled “Alagang Unilab: Kumusta ka? A talk on Mental

Health and How to Cope” with Mr. Edgardo Juan L. Tolentino, MD, FPPA, as the

speaker. Mental health is a positive sense of well-being. Tolentino presented the

conceptual framework of stress which ranges from normal to stress to distress

(burnout). Stress has two kinds — the positive and negative stress. The positive stress,

also called as eustress, is the kind of stress that makes us perform or act better. On the

other hand, the negative stress, also called as distress or burnout, can cause physical

impairments such as hypertension & diabetes, emotional disorders such as depression

and anxiety, behavioral disorders, eating disorders, and cognitive disorders.

The things that influences our mental health are genetics, lifestyle,

environmental, economic/social, and access to services. According to the study

“Psychological impact of COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines”, the predictors of

greater psychological impact of the pandemic and higher levels of stress, anxiety, and

depression are the following — female gender, youth age, single status (most especially

students), ones with specific symptoms, recent imposed quarantine or prolonged

homestay, reports of poor health status, unnecessary worry, concern for family

members and discrimination. The COVID-19 pandemic affected us physically,

emotionally, behaviorally, cognitively, and spiritually. According to the past studies of

the pandemics that we experienced before, some normal psychological reactions to

pandemics are being either resilient to stress or highly distressed, indifference or highly

fearful or anxious, and some recover from these emotional problems once the pandemic

threat passes, while the others have enduring emotional reactions.

In conclusion, mental health our emotional, psychological, and social well-being

are all part of our mental health. It has an impact on how we think, as well as how we

deal with stress, relate to others, and make decisions. Mental health is essential at

every age, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood and beyond. But even

more so in times of adversity, like this pandemic. We must be aware of the importance

of bolstering our protective factors and minimizing our stressors. Even as we prepare to

help others, dealing with the pandemic's mental health issues begins with self-care.