Reflect for Better Mental Health

October 11, 2023

On October 10, 2023, St. Jude Parish School, Inc. (SJPS) celebrated World Mental Health Day along with the students. Everyone is wearing a green ribbon to raise awareness about mental health. The school’s Wellness and Guidance Office executed an incredible event by letting each of the students express their thoughts by writing them on a small piece of paper and pasting them on a freedom wall.

Our mental health is very important because it helps us decide, build relationships, and shape the world we live in. In fact, according to some experts, mental health enables people to cope with life’s stressors, recognize their skills, study and work effectively, and contribute to their communities. It is also crucial to personal, community, and socio-economic development.

Maintaining our peace of mind could be fulfilled through community-based mental health treatment, which is more accessible and acceptable than institutional care, assists in the prevention of human rights violations, and provides better recovery results for those who suffer from mental health illness.

This is why the school’s Wellness and Guidance Office conducted such an event. Ms. Cherie Iso, one of the guidance advocates in SJPS, asserted that the main objective for conducting the event was to raise awareness among students about World Mental Health Day and also for the students to participate and advocate for mental health. It shows how the school cares for students’ mental health.

According to the Department of Health (DOH), mental health dangers can be found on several scales in our society. Individuals, families, and communities are put in greater danger as a result of local threats. These threats could trigger some individuals to end their lives.

The pressure from academics, family, and our environment affects us and is also a barrier to our dreams. They put us in a dilemma, which is why we question our capabilities. Cutting off those people that make us tired would give us relief from mental breakdowns.
Prevention in mental health aims to reduce the occurrence, prevalence, and recurrence of mental health disorders, as well as the disabilities associated with them. Preventive interventions are based on reducing risk exposure and strengthening the individual’s coping mechanisms. Using these, we can avoid mental fatigue and mental illness.

With that, we should appreciate what SJPS did during Mental Health Day. They supported those who experienced mental health issues and guided them to a path full of roses. Supervising each one of us and making us feel validated was one of the great things they did.

The event they conducted had a lot of impact on every Thaddean. Many participated in the said event and spread positivity; they made us reflect on different things and reshape not only ourselves but also others. They made us realize the importance of being aware of mental health issues and gave us hope to continue our dreams and walk down the right path.

 

Written by: Gerald Lubguban/The Wooden Cane