UE Manila GCCSO Guiding Warriors Gazette, 2021

GU IDA N CE, C O U NSE L ING A N D C A R E E R S ERVICES OFFICE, UE M AN IL A

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Time to Move Forward

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Tele-Assessment: Conducting Psychological Testing and Assessment to Students in This Pandemic

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Mental Health in the Workplace

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How Are You? Are You Okay? and Poem: Passenger

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Sleeplessness and Mindfulness During the Covid-19 Pandemic

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Wounded Healer

Fever: 12 Cabin What It Is and

How to Avoid It

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Volume 7

Sparking Hope, Balance and Realistic Positivity in the Extemporary Reality

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ransfer, Transform, Transition—these three words have guided me as our Department continues to deliver all the counseling and career programs and services online, all while journeying with the challenges, fear and anxieties of living in quarantine for more than a year.

Transferring our guidance services online entails an enlistment of identified transferrable skills of my staff. This while I, their supervisor, at the same time undergo the professional reflection on my skillset, which can serve as an anchor for us to start with our tasks and provide the expected guidance services to all of the University’s stakeholders.

Time to Move Forward

Ma. Leonila Vitug-Urrea, PhD. Director, UE Guidance, Counseling and Career Services Office

As we learned to transform our programs and services into relevant activities, challenges on working at home came out as they interspersed with domestic concerns and chores usually done when you come home after work. Faced with this challenging scenario, I find meaning in balance as I traverse with my staff how we work and how it can be outcomes-based amid our responsibilities in our home-doubling-as-office.

More so, trust and hope in and for my staff have transformed into a new level as I creatively find ways to motivate them remotely.

Are we still transitioning? Yes, we are as there are still discomforts in doing full-time online work. It is expected as we abruptly change the way we work, and the training we got from our education would not suffice for us to effectively navigate the delivery platforms for the programs and services we offer to the stakeholders, most especially to the students.

Digital immigrants and natives, I found out, have one common characteristic: both are conditioned to learn, study and work face-toface. Though flexible learning and working conditions have existed before, fully online work and learning has happened unexpectedly. Both find its subjects transitioning into this new way of life. And through all these experiences, I and my staff have recognized the birth pains of new projects and that failures do happen. We are facing the moment with a realistic optimism and accept that the future is uncertain and has been disrupted. And as I let the team into my vision of our programs and services in this new normal, I know I have flickered in one way or another a conviction that the challenges we face are growth opportunities.

Calmly, we all waddle in the current of the pandemic but we will surely arrive at our destination.

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Tele-Assessment: Conducting Psychological Testing and Assessment to Students in This Pandemic Anne Camille D. Mercado, RPm

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he coronavirus disease of 2019 (Covid-19) may be considered as the most devastating global phenomenon in modern times. Its individual and collective impacts are so severe that even the wealthiest of nations are left with no strategic plans for their citizens until a vaccine or cure became available. Until a vaccine is administered to a significant percentage of the world’s population, the onslaught of Covid-19 will continue. Yet, with our incredible and innate human resilience and adaptability, we have found ways to cope with the Covid-19 and its varying effects.

One of the life-altering effects of Covid-19 is in the field of education.

In record time, all public and private schools in the country have been able to implement online distance learning. Only a few schools were offering this before the pandemic. At present, all schools, whether public and private, have adopted online distance learning to help resolve the continued cancellation of face-toface classes as of school year 2020-2021.

Although met with serious challenges for students and teachers alike, they have continued to relatively thrive during these very trying times.

3 These magnanimous changes also come with direct and indirect effects in various aspects of education, including the psychological assessment of students.

The “new normal” surely incited unique and innovative ways on how students can still continue to explore their personality, skills and interests that will work to their advantage.

To prepare our young students for the future, the University continues to implement the testing program intended to make them be more selfaware—of their skills and interests, their strengths, and difficulties—which is deemed relevant to equip them for future decisions. For example, an occupational test can assist them in choosing which jobs are most applicable to them. Assessing themselves using career tests is one way to scientifically measure their skills and interests and identify which jobs suit them best. However, administering such tests today using online platforms can be challenging.

As a psychometrician, a licensed professional specializing in psychological testing and assessment, my main tasks are to safeguard the standardized test materials and responses of test takers and preserve the integrity and confidentiality of the test results. To achieve those, I need to ensure that the standardized tests I use are secured, i.e., the tests and their contents are not in any way compromised and leaked to the public. I must protect the integrity of the tests’ scores to make sure they stay valid and reliable. Lastly, I must make sure that the materials and test results are kept confidential. Before the pandemic, these precautionary measures were easily done since the monitoring of test materials was done face-to-face. At present, using online platforms to conduct psychological testing and assessment is deemed challenging.

Psychological organizations such as the American Psychological Association (APA) have provided guidelines for telehealth services and encouraged professionals in the field to delay testing.

However, it is possible to offer such services and still uphold the ethical guidelines and principles. The APA emphasized that testing via telehealth should be done carefully and ethically, while mimicking procedures done faceto-face as closely as possible, and not jeopardizing test security (“How to do psychological testing via telehealth,” 2020).

Such guidelines make professionals confident that psychological testing services can still be done during these tough times. Before the University started online classes, the UE Guidance, Counseling and Career Services Office (GCCSO) planned ahead on how we can still conduct testing to students despite the circumstances. We have identified tests that are highly important and helpful to students, such as the career assessment. Guiding students on their career path should still be continued as before. Tests such as emotional quotient, personality and study skills are also selected as these are relevant for growth and adaptability.

We explored different online platforms to see which ones are safest in terms of security. We tried out the procedures and carefully thought of how we can show test stimuli to students while maintaining the safekeep of the materials, preserving the protocols set by the authors of the test materials utilized, and considering confidentiality. We devised stepby-step guidelines, procedures and rules for test takers to follow. These strategies are being implemented, and continue to be implemented, and I can say that this really is a great sign that we are doing a great job in adapting to the “new normal”.

Even though a lot has changed since Covid-19 entered the country, our ability to adapt and be innovative as humans remain constant. As time passes, we can all say to ourselves that the challenges and sacrifices of the new normal would later just be called “the normal”.

REFERENCE:

(2020, May 1). How to do psychological testing via telehealth.

Retrieved from https://www.apaservices.org/practice/reimbursement/health-codes/testing/psychological-telehealth?_ ga=2.101617415.766421563.1613306366-1424469472.1612958355

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Mental Health in the Workplace Ann Joizelle D. Enverzo, RGC, RPM, LPT

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aking care of our mental health is as important as taking care of our body. Young and old alike should take care of one’s mental health, because neglecting it would result to a dysfunction in the holistic development of an individual.

Stress, pressure and other predisposing factors affect a person’s mental health.

Moreover, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused a lot of damage to many people’s mental health. It has brought about a lot of stress and overwhelming feelings, and caused strong emotions in adults and children alike. The public protocol of physical distancing to prevent the spread of the virus added to making people feel isolated and lonely and increased their stress and anxiety.

Minn and Hau (2020) mentioned that there are three waves of the (as of this writing) ongoing pandemic. The first wave is the physical health crisis or the global spread of Covid-19. The second wave is the economic crisis. For a time, many people were not able to open their businesses or had to close shop for good.

Most were not able to go to their offices to work. To solve this economic crisis, a lesser stringent mandate allowing a percentage of workforce to return to work was eventually

enforced. However, this does not suffice to cover the economic losses brought about by the pandemic.

In relation to the second wave, the third wave—mental health crisis—can now be felt. In the Philippines, as many schools geared up to address the mental health crisis through massive psychosocial trainings/webinars for students, teachers and parents, we may be forgetting about the workforce. Some companies provided some relief to their employees by allowing them to work from home, even providing the necessary equipment and Internet connection, while those who opted for onsite work were provided with shuttle service. However, not all companies in the country can provide the same. Some companies, to cover for their losses, resorted to laying off some of their employees or to cut down on work hours, both of which reduced the expected earnings of employees.

Work-from-home (WFH) employees also feel stressed out from having to create a good balance between work and home obligations. The struggle to do both proved to be excruciating. Often, work-from-home employees put in extra hours for fear of being labeled as inefficient or undependable UNIVERSITY OF THE EAST MANILA

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in their jobs. Others experience difficulties juggling work and home tasks. And there are others who cannot adjust to working from home, hence ending up not completing the tasks assigned to them and getting scrutinized by co-workers. An online news article by Maylin (2021) cited the experience of a licensed psychologist, Dr. Lucas, who has been attending to an average of 20 to 40 clients per month since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Of these clients, about 15 to 25 complained that their mental health was affected by workrelated issues, stress, or burnout. Dr. Lucas mentioned that the WFH arrangement, especially with those who have children and/or are living with elderly relatives are the ones who are often stressed out.

Heavy workloads, the difficulty adjusting to a WFH setup, poor relationships with co-workers and supervisors, and difficulty setting boundaries between work and their personal lives are among the top reasons for their stress. Adding to these is when the employee lives with a family member whom they have misunderstandings with.

Dr. Lucas encourages such people to seek help especially when things get rough.

Aside from feelings of uncertainty in regard to the economic impact of the pandemic in a person’s life, the stress, anxiety, and for some, depression, PTSD and suicidal ideations, are among the things they need to battle every day. If not addressed properly, they will soon feel burned out, demotivated, and may feel other physical and psychological symptoms. Physical symptoms may include insomnia, chronic fatigue, lower immunity, headaches and stomachaches.

Psychologically, one may often find oneself easily angered, becoming too emotional and sometimes unable to control reactions towards certain situations. Worst, the person may fall into a deep depression or isolation or even resort to suicide.

A mental health awareness campaign in workplaces is vital in helping address these concerns. Anthea Ong (2018), founder of WorkWell Leaders Workgroup, posed this provocative question during her closing keynote address at a Global Forum: “Can the workplace be a source of positivity that energizes and fulfills employees to help them show up as the best version of themselves?”

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There is no true physical health without mental health.

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―Dr. Brock Chrisholm (WHO) Having mental health concerns while working can negatively affect employees and the business as well. One may suffer a decrease in performance and productivity.

It may affect the engagement and motivation of an employee. The person may tend to withdraw, thus making communication difficult for the coworkers. That is why mental health is as vital as taking care of the physical health of employees.

One Mind at Work (NGO)

To protect our workforce and therefore continue to have a progressing, if not recovering, economy, employers should do actions to take care of their employees’ mental health. Staglin (2020) shared that an international workplace mental health nonprofit organization, One Mind at Work, is advocating this.

Annually, they host a global forum which gathers the most influential employers, innovators, advocates and researchers on workplace mental health. Here are the top five learnings off last year’s One Mind at Work Global Forum, which employers can use to help address mental health concerns in their companies: 1. Employers are facing a moment of reckoning for employee well-being. There is a great increase in the cases of employees who report feeling stressed out, burned out and even depressed. If employers will not do something about this, not only their workforce would suffer, but so will their company’s production and output.

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research-based interventions should be implemented.

condition, and facilitate access to medical health services.

4. Engaging the broader medical community and strengthening the mindbody connection. Aside from psychosocial activities and mental health campaigns, embracing and encouraging employees to seek medical help, when needed, is also especially important.

2. Promote workers’ well-being towards healthy and productive lives.

5. The workplace as a source of mental wellbeing. When leaders show empathy, compassion, hope and trust towards the organization, the workplace will definitely be a source of mental wellbeing—thus helping to address the growing mental health crisis.

Mental Health Programs in the Workplace In addition, Staglin (2020) mentioned that employers were already taking steps to develop mental health programs in the workforce even before the Covid-19 pandemic. All there is to do now is to develop and implement these programs.

In the Philippines, there are different policies which could help in crafting a mental health program for workplaces.

One of them is Republic Act 11036, a.k.a. the Mental Health Act, which is directed towards improving the health of the population in schools, workplaces and communities—underscoring the basic rights of all Filipinos regarding mental health. It also highlights the importance of the delivery of the mental health services, with more focus on persons with psychiatric, neurologic or psychosocial health needs and to overcome social stigma and discrimination. Not only does this law protect employees’ mental health but also takes care of people with preexisting conditions.

2. (Accepting) Diversity is a key to a successful workplace mental health strategy. Discrimination and stigma are among the barriers in seeking help in regard to mental health problems. The workplace should be free of biases and should be inclusive.

Relative to this law, the Department of Labor and Employment issued DO208 S.2020 or the “Guidelines for the Implementation of Mental Health Workplace Policies and Programs for the Private Sector.” Part III of the DO states that it is mandatory for all workplaces and establishments to formulate a Mental Health Workplace Policy and Program with the inclusion of the following:

3. There is a need for more evidencebased interventions. To seriously address the current mental health crisis, more

1. Raise awareness, prevent stigma and discrimination, provide support to workers who are at risk and/or with a mental health UNIVERSITY OF THE EAST MANILA

3. Be jointly prepared by management and workers’ representatives, and be made an integral part of the company’s Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Policies and Programs.

The DO covers the different components and implementation strategies in realizing a Mental Health Workplace Policy and Program. It is noteworthy to highlight the importance of advocacy, information, education and training. A Mental Health Awareness Campaign and the promotion and enhancement of employees’ well-being play a great part in addressing the concern. Medical assistance and the support part of the program address one of the major issues when seeking help for employees’ mental health: the financial aspect. Martinez, et al. (2020) cited financial constraints, inaccessibility of services and social stigma among the barriers as to why Filipinos delay seeking or were not able to seek help for their mental health concerns.

Self-Love or Self-Care as Coping Strategy As an employee myself and a mental health advocate, I am not too hard on myself. I make it a point to practice self-care or self-love.

According to Dr. Andrea Brandt (n.d.), self-love means having a high regard for your own well-being and happiness. It means taking care of your needs and not sacrificing it just to please other people.

Self-love is not selfishness. You cannot give to others what you do not have. To be able to serve others, you must be in proper physical and mental states. You can still be of service to others even though you have set some boundaries for yourself; saying no to others when things are overbearing is also a part of your self-love expression.

You can give more to others if you take care and love yourself first. These actions will help you feel relaxed, motivated and more approachable to other people. It makes you feel more empathetic and understanding to others. Irritability and misunderstanding will be lesser and you will become more productive in your endeavors.

How to Practice Self-Love As we are more inclined to serve or love others, the question now is how we start to practice self-love. Stewart, A. (2018) shared some tips on how to achieve selflove: 1. Stop comparing yourself to others.

Though being competitive is innate among us human beings, comparing yourself too much to other people can be dangerous.

There will be no satisfaction and self-worth will lessen if you continue comparing yourself with other people.

2. Don’t worry about others’ opinions.

Two things to remember here: We cannot please everybody and nobody is perfect. Put more effort in enhancing your intrapersonal skills than worrying about other people’s opinions. This will help you validate the veracity of what other people are saying.

3. Allow yourself to make mistakes. As mentioned previously, nobody is perfect.

Everyone makes mistakes. Embrace your mistakes. Learn from it them move on. Isn’t it true that the best teacher is experience?

4. Remember, your value doesn’t lie in how your body looks. Boo to body shamers! Love yourself no matter your form and color!

reveal issues in your life that are causing fear and anxiety. Being able to identify them is a step closer to resolving or learning to cope with it.

7. Trust yourself to make good decisions for yourself. Remember that your feelings are valid and that you should know yourself better than anyone else. You must learn to advocate yourself.

8. Take every opportunity life presents or create your own. Though the Covid-19 pandemic has caused vulnerability, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity, we must learn to be courageous and hopeful.

The current setup may not be ideal, but that should not hold you back from moving forward toward achieving your goals. We must learn to make lemonade when life gives us lemons.

9. Put yourself first. You are doing service not only for yourself but also for others. As mentioned earlier, you cannot give what you do not have. Learn to take care of yourself. Learn to disconnect from toxic social media. Do things you love to do. Learn to cook, meditate, jog, do yoga, sing, take a long relaxing shower, PRAY, read the Bible, and have a devotion and a quiet time with God.

5. Don’t be afraid to let go of toxic people. Choose your battle. When God takes away a problem, do not run back to it. It may be painful, but it is liberating.

Protect your mental health by removing toxic people in your life!

10. Feel pain and joy as fully as you can. Allow yourself to feel things naturally.

Do not fight your emotions but rather acknowledge them and try to understand why you are feeling that way. Learn to process your emotions to identify the proper coping ways.

6. Process your fears. Fear is also innate in humans. Do not reject fear but rather learn to process that emotion.

Understanding your fear will help you

11. Exercise boldness. Take action on your ideas and know that your voice is just as important as anyone else’s. Show your worth. Practice boldness of faith as well.

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12. See the beauty even in simple things. Learn to have an attitude of gratitude. Make it a habit to have a gratitude list naming five things you are grateful for each day. These are five things that you should thank God for. Do it every night and see the difference in your outlook in life.

13. Be kind to yourself. The world can sometimes be cruel. Don’t add to it and show harshness to yourself. The world is full of harsh words and critique; don’t add yours, too. Learn to say no. Set boundaries.

Know your needs and wants. Speak kindly to yourself, think kindly of yourself, do good things for yourself. Celebrate your uniqueness. Cultivate your God-given talents.

Conclusion Though the times are tough, unity and kindness can make a difference, especially in uplifting each other. If, presently, a person may feel down, demotivated and somewhat unaccomplished, we must make an effort to encourage one another and remember how far we have come along.

We are survivors in our own ways. We are here, right now, breathing, alive and able.

We must remember that in the workforce, employers should take care of their employees and that employees should take care of the business of their employers. It should be a give-and-take thing. We must make an effort to make each one feel their value.

We must remember, we are WORTHY, our feelings are VALID and we are SURVIVORS.

REFERENCES: Brandt, A. (n.d.) “What Do We Mean When We Say “Self-Love?” retrieved from https:// abrandtherapy.com/what-do-we-meanwhen-we-say-self-love/ “Coping with Stress” (2021) retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019ncov/daily-life-coping/managing-stressanxiety.html DO-208-20-Guidelines-for-theImplementation-of-Mental-HealthWorkplace-Policies-and-Programsfor-the-Private-Sector retrieved from https://www.dole.gov.ph/php_assets/ uploads/2020/02/DO-208-20-Guidelinesfor-the-Implementation-of-Mental-HealthWorkplace-Policies-and-Programs-forthe-Private-Sector.pdf

Kolappa K., Henderson D. and Kishor, S. (2013) “No Physical Health without Mental Health: Lessons Unlearned?” retrieved from https://www.who.int/bulletin/ volumes/91/1/12-115063/en/ Martinez, et.al.(2020) “Filipino helpseeking for mental health problems and associated barriers and facilitators: a systematic review” retrieved from https:// link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00127020-01937-2 Minn and Hau (2020) “The Next Pandemic: Mental Health” retrieved from https://link. springer.com/article/10.1007/s00127-02001937-2#:~:text=Mental%20illness%20 is%20the%20third,Western%20Pacific%20 Region%20%5B1%5D

“Mental Health in the Workplace: Mental Health Disorders and Stress Affect Working-Age Americans” retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/ workplacehealthpromotion/toolsresources/workplace-health/mentalhealth/index.html Scotto, V. (n.d.) “The Difference Between Selfishness and Self-Love” retrieved from https://www.yinovacenter.com/blog/ the-difference-between-selfishness-andself-love/#:~:text=The%20fear%20of%20 selfishness%20makes,a%20difference%20 where%20we%20can.&text=Typically%20 truly%20selfish%20people%20you,be%20 concerned%20with%20this%20balance Staglin (2020), “5 Things We Learned About Mental Health in The Workplace In 2020” retrieved from https://www.

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weforum.org/agenda/2020/12/5-thingswe-learned-about-mental-health-in-theworkplace-in-2020/ Stewart, A. (September 2018) “13 Steps to Achieving Total Self-Love” retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/13self-love-habits-every-woman-needsto-have ”Why is mental health awareness at work so important?” retrieved from https://theewgroup.com/mental-healthawareness-work/ “Workplace burnout: causes, effects, and solutions” (June 2019) retrieved from https://www.wgu.edu/blog/workplaceburnout-causes-effects-solutions1906. html#:~:text=Burnout%20at%20your%20 workplace%20usually,irritability%2C%20 depression%2C%20and%20more

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Passenger

“How AreYou? Are You Okay?”

Jean Claude Rocabo

4th-year BS Psychology, UE College of Arts and SciencesManila, SY 2020-2021 President, UE Peer Facilitators, SY 2020-2021

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hen the pandemic started, many people became anxious to know when it would end. Everything seemed complicated and awry because we were restricted from doing the things that we were used to and obligated to embrace the so-called new normal.

With the rising number of people getting infected, hope seemed to diminish for most people. Mandatory measures have been strictly implemented. Our every move is being monitored. Leaving your home is risky and we are uncertain of what will come next.

There is a saying that “You never really know what you have until it’s gone.” Sometimes it takes the cruelest and harshest thing to remind us of what really matter most, leaving us with the reminder to value the things that we have and cherish them while still here. Once lost, they cannot be found again. This dark moment in our lives has tested our strength and pushed us to our limits to transform our reality.

This also is a reminder that important things in life are not about how long we spend doing them but how and who we spend them with.

The succession of quarantines have made us reflect on who we are, what we want and what’s really important. Every day, we sit in the corner of our room and reflect quietly. Only then can we think clearly amid the chaos and uncertainties that go with it. The world spins so fast that we tend to forget our place in it. This unique present reminds us how humanity is larger than the sum of its parts, and that it takes just as much energy to build up as it does to tear down. It reminds us that no matter where we live, what we speak, or whom we pray to, we are not so different after all. And similarly, these times remind us that there is so much more that this world can offer, good things than bad… more love than hate. And, despite the circumstances, bring promises for a brighter tomorrow.

This is history in the making. Someday we’ll look back on this very moment with good and bad memories, the hardships and triumphs we faced, and the miracle of the human spirit.

Unwavering in its resolve. Unbreakable at its foundation.

Stronger than we could ever comprehend.

by Nathan Garcia and Christma Pagarigan Feet used to touch freedom, chaos within echoed music in every room — filled with enormous “once upon a time” from whom; bond and ties were a celebration away from gloom.

Sudden shatter, where your strike of fright will lead?

A frame of plein air turned as sight of great dread.

Totality of terror gradually implanted, until left nothing but dolor and unfed.

Sanguine heart still around, weensy hope flourished as filter found. Nearest and dearest kin now surround, unknown amusement now speaks with loudest sound.

An eruption of nightmare made a loose thread; how come time passed overhead?

Heavy rocks filled with ashes fall on head, awakened the senses of alive and dead.

To subside quivering ground, must pay off by valor from getting wound and not being found — A withstand from the resonance of astounding sound.

Standing, albeit wobbly, mirror’s reflection still abloom. Bridge is blurry but has pellucid doom, after all, even the last thread will be pulled in a loom; Intertwined once more — resume and groom.

Sometimes it’s hard to look around and find a reason to be optimistic. To understand or comprehend the reason behind all this. But if we look hard enough, totally be immersed in the uncertainty, the chaos, the devastation, there is still something to be gained. A tiny candle flickering in the night that will eventually grow to light our way. Because that road to tomorrow is paved with hopes—ready to be written on blank pages, stories to be told, and a new chapter to begin.

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he Covid-19 pandemic has drastically changed the lives of people, forcefully confining everyone to the confines of their homes. Routines and the usual way of living normally are no longer applicable during this era of quarantines. Consequently, the sudden disruption in the typical way of life may cause psychological concerns such as stress, anxiety and disruption in people’s usual sleeping patterns.

According to Lim, Julian, Leow, Ong, Pang & Lim, (2020) research studies conducted about mental health during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic showed increased cases of depression, stress and anxiety seen in diverse populations. The pandemic affects psychological health negatively. The sudden disruption of the common way of life makes people unbalanced and the fear of uncertainty of when the pandemic will end or how it may affect each and every one adds to the people’s concerns.

The Challenge of Sleeping During This Pandemic: Anxiety and Sleep Research studies show that 71% of students are experiencing increased levels of anxiety, depressive thoughts, and stress. Anxiety among college students at this time of Covid-19 has increased significantly. Multiple stressors such as worry and fear of health of self and loved ones, difficulty in concentrating, disruptions of sleeping patterns, and increasing concerns about their academic performance (Son, et al., 2020). Likewise, Salehinejad, Majidinezhad, Ghanavati, Kouestanian, Vicario, Nitsche & Nejati (2020) proposed that restricted social interactions brought about by the home quarantine, and mobile or working from home because of the pandemic has negative effects on our circadian alignment and sleep parameters. With the constant worrying and the lack of available information as to the end of the pandemic, many students are most likely to have difficulties in concentrating on their tasks.

Moreover, sleep disturbance is usually associated with anxiety (Brewer, Roy, Deluty, Liu & Hoge, 2020). Some 89% of the students experience sleeping pattern disruptions. College students are prone to high stress and anxiety due to high academic demands and the current pandemic. College students express difficulties with physical and mental health due to poor sleep quality (Caldwell, Harrison, Adams, Quin, and Greeson, 2010). Poor sleep quality can occur for two reasons. On the one hand, poor sleep quality can be caused by experiences of stress and anxiety; on the other hand, stress and anxiety can also cause poor sleep quality. Thus, all of those three factors—poor sleep quality, stress and anxiety— go hand in hand or enable each other, which means that all three factors are interrelated. In managing one factor, the other factors are also affected.

Disruption of Daily Routines With the move to online classes, the daily routines of students are disrupted as they are no longer required to wake up early to prepare themselves for the daily commute and attend classes at school, give them more time to oversleep each morning. In the same way, since there is an opportunity to sleep longer in the morning, then there are more temptations to stay later at night to binge-watch movies, series and random videos. Excessive screen time in the evening makes it especially difficult for the brain to relax and wind down because of the stimulation and exposure to

Sleeplessness and Mindfulness During the Covid-19 Pandemic

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Dianne G. Rodriguez, RGC

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the blue light from the screen. Blue light affects the production of the hormone melatonin, which is a natural sleep-inducing hormone produced by our body to help us sleep. The changes in the sleeping patterns affect the circadian rhythm of the body, and affects the amount of light the body receives that cues the body to awaken (Salehinejad, et al. 2020).

During the Covid-19 pandemic, there is a one-hour-and-48minute average delay in going to bed after being quarantined for a month, and an average of two hours and 28 minutes of delay in getting up in the morning during the quarantine. Hence, the extended hours for waking and sleeping disrupts the body’s circadian rhythm. Students are sleeping more in the early morning and staying up late at night. The majority of students expressed disruptions in sleeping patterns during the pandemic. Students said that they end up staying up much later than they usually do or wake up later than they used to (Son et. al, 2020). Another is the inconsistent time that the students go to bed and wake up (Salehinejad et. al, 2020).

Rumination and Cognitive Arousal Rumination is a persistent and repetitive thought that focuses on negative experiences of the past and in the present. These continuous negative thoughts lead to emotional distress, anxiety and stress (Sansone & Sansone, 2012).

Likewise, rumination is considered a poor coping strategy and is associated with increased negative emotions, and hinders social problem-solving skills. Rumination is positively related to stressors related to the pandemic. Because rumination sustains the acceptance of negative emotion, people who are ruminating continuously expose themselves to negative cognition, which is associated with many mental health concerns such as sleep impairment, depression and anxiety (Ye, B., Wu, D., Im, H., Liu, M., Wang, X., & Yang, Q., 2020).

Thus, pervasive thoughts incessantly experienced by individuals increase negative emotions, which prompt cognitive arousal that leads to a vicious cycle of negative thoughts and emotions.

Mindfulness and Sleep The common intervention available is exercise, stress management, stimulus control and relaxation practice. Exercises like Pilates, Taiji quan and Gyrokinesis promote the development of mindfulness by bringing awareness to the body. Although each of the approaches involved in the study promotes mind-body awareness, the mindfulness aspects in the disciplines are often implied rather than explicitly stated as stress reduction goals (Caldwell, et al., 2020).

In addition, the authors also recommended the use of another behavioral intervention used to treat insomnia, namely Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), which focuses on reducing worry and alleviating stress. Furthermore, mindfulness training is able to show promising results in reducing ruminative and anxious thoughts before going to bed and, in the process, improving sleep quality (Hassirim, et al., 2019).

Tang and Harvey (2004) emphasized that sleep quality is

9 increased through mindfulness by reducing the level of arousal before going to sleep. High levels of cognitive arousal before sleep are associated with prolonging the delay of time before sleeping (Howell, Digdon & Buro, 2010). Mindfulness predicts sleep-related self -regulation and well-being. Mindfulness training can develop metacognitive processes or higher-order thinking which can help an individual to increase awareness in his or her conscious experience (Hassirim, Lim, Lo, et al., 2019). In the same way, a person can then deviate from maladaptive and automatic cognition related to sleep such as rumination, leading to more relaxed and less anxious thoughts. Hence, mindfulness does not directly target sleep quality but it helps manage and balance certain factors like arousal, ruminating through self-regulation as well as developing meta-cognition. Consequently, the mediation decreases a person’s anxiety and mental activities and helps him or her sleep better.

The improvement in mindfulness helped foster sleep quality more, and this is associated with the reduction of negative arousal that is, at the same time, associated with sleep disturbance reduction (Hassirim, et. al., 2019). Research results indicate that a reduction in cognitive arousal can improve sleep quality. Also, the improvement into a relaxed mood and change in the feeling of tiredness, negative arousal, relaxation and perceived stress were all significant mediators on the effect of increased mindfulness on improving sleep quality among college students (Caldwell et al., 2010).

With the challenges of the “new normal” way of living, the emphasis on self-care and wellness is very much observed, to cope better and to boost the immune system. Mindfulness practice can help improve emotion regulation and overall well-being.

REFERENCES: Caldwell, K., Harrison, M., Adams, M., Quin, R. H., & Greeson, J. (2010). Developing mindfulness in college students through movement-based courses: effects on self-regulatory selfefficacy, mood, stress, and sleep quality. Journal of American college health: J of ACH, 58(5), 433–442. https://doi. org/10.1080/07448480903540481 Hassirim, Z., Lim, E.C.J., Lo, J.C. et al. (2019) “Pre-sleep Cognitive Arousal Decreases Following a 4-Week Introductory Mindfulness Course”. Mindfulness 10, 2429–2438 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/ s12671-019-01217-4 Liu, L. (2020). Examining the Usefulness of Mindfulness Practices in Managing School Leader Stress During COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of School Administration Research and Development, 5(S1), 15-20.

Salehinejad, M. A., Majidinezhad, M., Ghanavati, E., Kouestanian, S., Vicario, C. M., Nitsche, M. A., & Nejati, V. (2020). Negative impact of COVID-19 pandemic on sleep quantitative parameters, quality, and circadian alignment: Implications for health and psychological well-being. EXCLI journal, 19, 1297–1308. https://doi.org/10.17179/ excli2020-2831 Son, C., Hegde, S., Smith, A., Wang, X., & Sasangohar, F. (2020).

Effects of COVID-19 on College Students’ Mental Health in the United States: Interview Survey Study. Journal of medical Internet research, 22(9), e21279. https://doi.org/10.2196/21279 Sansone, R. A., & Sansone, L. A. (2012). Rumination: relationships with physical health. Innovations in clinical neuroscience, 9(2), 29–34 Ye, B., Wu, D., Im, H., Liu, M., Wang, X., & Yang, Q. (2020).

Stressors of COVID-19 and stress consequences: The mediating role of rumination and the moderating role of psychological support. Children and youth services review, 118, 105466. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105466

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Wounded Healer Ma. Lihra M. Daza, RGC, RPm

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remember several weeks ago, my sister asked me this question as part of her requirements in class: “Isa ang mga Guidance Counselors sa mga puwedeng lapitan in times of difficulty in coping, pero kanino sila lumalapit kapag sila naman ang nangangailangan?”

True enough. Everyone seemed to be doing just fine until this pandemic came. The experience was novel. During the first few weeks, everything seemed normal except for the suspension of classes and work, restriction of movement in the community and news about the coronavirus on the Internet, social media and every television and radio channel. Then came the next several months. The feelings of uncertainty began to linger, and it intensified with each passing week while we remained confined to our homes. The statistics for those getting infected drastically rose, the effects of the pandemic on the economy became more evident with empty shelves of food stands and other hygiene necessities, and longer lines at ATMs, grocery stores and money remittance centers. For others, retrenchment and financial stability became a reality and bigger challenge to face.

The situation brought about by the pandemic seriously poses a challenge to the mental health and wellness of the people directly affected by it. In fact, as early as June last year, mental health professionals stated that the second wave of the pandemic will in fact be a mental health pandemic (Lake, 2020). For Covid-19, the symptoms of infection are often announced for public information, but for mental health concerns, not much attention has been given yet—especially about stress, anxiety and depression.

As a mental health professional, I advocate for mental health and wellness.

Yet that does not exempt me from facing challenges on my own. In fact, during the first few months of this pandemic, I faced the horror of anxiety, too. A lot of nights with unsatisfying sleep, sudden feelings of numbness of arms or legs, trembling and muscle tension, chest pains, and crying outbursts as a result of an almost uncontrollable worry and sense of guilt for feeling helpless, hindering me from being as productive as I knew I could be.

In my mind, “Why am I experiencing these?

I am supposed to be capable of managing these feelings, so why can’t I?” Because of these thoughts, I grew more impatient and more invalidating of myself.

I am also aware of a lot of self-help strategies available on various platforms, such as the Internet and social media. But for those who have struggled, I am sure you could attest that self-help is easier said than done. But this one webinar about self-healing that I got to attend became my turning point in this journey towards overcoming this new, and ongoing, experience. And so, I hope, I could impart what I have learned with the hope that it might somehow be of help to you, too: Acknowledge the experience. We often give value to our experiences based on how pleasant each experience is to us. But struggles and obstacles that come our way can be as valuable as happy memories, only if we give them their deserved time. By recognizing that I am indeed experiencing a very high level of anxiety that manifested in physical symptoms, it made me acknowledge the reason why I experienced

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such: that the excruciating feeling of uncertainty, fear and paranoia of getting sick with possible exposure to others as the household “alay,” along with the fear that I will make my loved ones sick as well if I caught the virus made me experience a feeling as new as the experience of this pandemic. And by acknowledging that I, too, am really scared of the uncertain, I was able to accept my vulnerability.

Treat our emotions as guests. I mentioned at the online psychosocial orientation for Basic Education students in August 2020 that each of our emotions (both desirable and undesirable ones) has an essential role in our survival, and I believe it is important to share this again here. As a Filipino trait, we treat guests to the best of our abilities with warmth and tenderness until they leave our homes.

Using this context, imagine that your undesirable emotions and feelings (in my case, fear) are guests who are knocking on your door. When they knock, instead of pushing them aside or denying them, it will make a difference to treat them with the same warmth and tenderness. As we accept that these feelings exist, let us ask ourselves this question: “What is this emotion trying to tell me?” By getting acquainted with our feelings, it will eventually leave after it has served its purpose.

If you can feel it, you can heal it. We have triumphed over trials we have faced because we actively worked towards overcoming them. As to our undesirable emotions and pain, we can only begin the process of healing by acknowledging such feelings, together with the growing desire to deal with them.

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Honor your limits. I particularly emphasized this line on my notes from that webinar: “When we become weak, it’s because we are taking on too much ourselves.” That’s why it is important to allow ourselves to do our best with all that we are capable to do, and always honor that we can only do so much for the things that we can control; we cannot do everything.

In challenging times like these, considering our own health and wellness and that of our loved ones will definitely make a difference on how this pandemic will further impact our lives and well-being. As we continue facing uncertainty, even the strongest may feel weak at one point or another. Whether you are a parent, a child, a boss, or a team player, it pays to check on the people

11 who matter to you. Most importantly, check on yourself and give yourself the kindness that you deserve.

For now, stay strong and let us altogether work for a brighter, safer and kinder future, wounded healers!

REFERENCES: Lake, J. (2020, June 15). A mental health pandemic: the second wave of covid-19. Psychiatric Times. Retrieved from https://www. psychiatrictimes.com/view/a-mental-health-pandemic-the-secondwave-of-covid-19 Llaneza-Ramos, M.L. (2020, May 16). Fearing, angering & depressing as a calling for growth and healing (webinar).

If you are or someone you care about is exhibiting signs of stress, anxiety and depression, help is available through the following crisis support resources: University of the East-Manila Guidance, Counseling and Career Services Office (GCCSO) —provides psychosocial support through online counseling services to the UE community | email: guidance@ue.edu.ph | Facebook: @uemanilagccso Philippine Mental Health Association, Inc. (PMHA) Online Support —provides mental health support for all affected by Covid-19 | facebook.com/PMHAofficial | mobile: 0917-565-2036 | email: pmhaacds@gmail.com or pmha.eard@gmail.com UP Diliman Psychosocial Services (UPD PsychServ) —provides telepsychotherapy services for healthcare frontliners | mobile: 0906-374-3466 Ateneo Bulatao Center for Psychological Services —provides online counseling and psychological first aid, with priority given to frontliners | email: bulataocenter.ls@ateneo.edu | website: ateneobulataocenter.com PsychConsult, Inc. —provides online counseling for all affected by Covid-19 | website: www.bit.ly/PCICOVID-19 | phone: 8-421-2469 GrayMatters Psychological and Consultancy, Inc. Philippines —provides online counseling for all affected by Covid-19 | website: www.graymattersportal. ph | mobile: 0917-709-6961; 0997-561-8778 Circle of Hope Community Services, Inc. —provides telemental health services to promote effective coping and resilience for healthcare workers | website: www.circleofhopecommunity.com | sign up: bit.ly/SCbreak | mobile: 0917-822-2324 or 0925-557-0888 In Touch Community Services —provides 24/7 crisis line for the mental wellness of all health and safety frontliners | phone: 8-893-7603 | mobile: 0917-800-1123; 0922-893-8944

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Cabin Fever: What It Is and How to Avoid It Ma. Gracia M. Gallardo-Gonzales, RGC

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Every day is so suffocating, I’m going crazy.

Feel like it’s still day one.

Someone please turn back the clock.

This whole year was snatched away I’m still in my bed. My stomach feels uneasy.

It’s killin’ me slowly nah.

Anyway, I want to leave anyway. But well, there’s no way.

This room is my everything.

Well then, let’s just turn this place into my own world Yeah —from the English translation of “Fly to My Room” by BTS

As such, a popular but not new term nowadays is cabin fever, which refers to the anxious feeling of being confined in a place for an extended period either because of self-quarantine or social distancing. It is not, however, considered a mental illness, but rather an assemblage of anxious feelings that occur during your confinement or isolation.

Although the symptoms are simple and can sometimes be regarded as “normal” given the circumstances, it is still worth looking into and addressing. The following are the symptoms of cabin fever:

4. Set up some goals. When you are idle and you find yourself staring blankly on the ceiling or walls, it is because you do not have a single plan or a target to reach. Come up with everyday goals and from there you can devise a plan on how to achieve them.

If this becomes a habit, then you could easily breeze through the isolation.

5. Stepping outside again. Since the mandatory quarantine has been softened, but with utmost caution and strict social distancing measures, you can step out of your place and get enough sunlight and air. Just make sure you have the essentials such as the face mask, the face shield and a handy bottle of alcohol.

Let me end this with a reminder that although things look bleak, this too shall pass. With patience, perseverance, and discipline, we will surely beat the odds. Stay safe in mind, body, and spirit!

REFERENCES:

Fritscher, L. (2020). Cabin Fever Symptoms and Coping Skills. Very Well Mind retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com No author retrieved from http://lyricskpop.net/

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1. Sudden decrease in interest in the things that you normally enjoy doing 2. Difficulty in waking up or staying awake 3. You have little or scarce patience, and you get irritated very easily 4. Sluggish movement 5. Difficulty concentrating on things 6. For worst cases, feelings of hopelessness and depression.

3. Eat healthy, sleep well and exercise. As I had mentioned, we gained time. Therefore, we have time to prepare ourselves healthy meals, do some simple workouts and get enough rest and sleep.

The most effective way to combat the virus is by keeping ourselves healthy.

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t has been more than a year since Covid-19 made a drastic change in the lives of countless people all over the world. The change was so radical that we had to alter our usual pattern of everyday living. Even words that seemed unfamiliar to us then—such as quarantine, social distancing, face masks, face shields, among others—have been extensively used in everyday conversation. The fear of being infected by the virus gripped the hearts of many. And it left us no choice but to generally isolate ourselves from the outside world until this pandemic reaches its end.

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Note that these symptoms can also be indications of other mental health concerns. If these symptoms disrupt your everyday functioning, it is best to consult your Guidance Counselor or a trained professional.

MA. GRACIA M. GALLARDO-GONZALES Editor in Chief

But if they might be inaccessible, you might want to consider these tips to empower yourself against cabin fever:

LOUISE ANN L. ESCOBER Layout Artist

1. Stay calm and do not allow your mind to fixate on your negative emotions. One thing that exacerbates anxiety is if you allow it to rule over your ability to focus on what is happening, why it is happening, and what you can do to get out of it.

MA. LIHRA M. DAZA ANN JOIZELLE D. ENVERZO NATHAN GARCIA MA. GRACIA M. GALLARDO-GONZALES ANNE CAMILLE D. MERCADO CHRISTMA PAGARIGAN DIANNE G. RODRIGUEZ JEAN CLAUDE ROCABO

2. Coping by doing. Being isolated does not mean you are incapable of doing other things. We all agree that Covid-19 took away a lot from us, but it cannot be denied that we also gained from it. For many of us, we gained time—time for ourselves, time for our loved ones, and time to do things that we normally had no time for. Or better yet, discover other skills, other interests, other talents.

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MA. LEONILA V. URREA, PhD Supervising Editor

Contributors

EDILBERTO B. SULAT JR.

Consultant

All images used in this publication are under Creative Commons license CC0 and were sourced from pixabay.com and pexels.com

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