Mental preservation

The holiday served me well. For the first time in six years, I was able to feel what a holiday is like. No deadlines to beat, no work to finish - just pure relaxation at one of the finest resorts here in Cebu. I realized that in the past years where commemoration of the different holidays used to be my thing, I was missing out on a lot of important matters in my life which affected my psyche.

They say that mental health is not a priority. That it does even existent, just the imagination of an affected individual. However, I’d like to think that it’s the core of every person. Last week, the vocalist of rock band Slapshock committed suicide. The people close to him defended him and told the world that he was a good person, the challenge was just to become a better one despite the many challenges in life. And I get that, I really do. Growing up with a messed-up family, struggling to become a top student despite looming non-curricular activities tried me throughout my student life. As I grew older, adulting hit me hard among with many wrong turns I took. I admit it wasn’t easy to go through these challenges, and suicide seemed like the only way out.

Then I met a lot of wonderful people who helped me out and I realized that there is more to life than the problems that we face. It is a matter of dealing with reality and the intricacies of our psyche. It is then that I discovered that nobody can help you but yourself. It is true that mental health matters and that we should preserve it.

Imagine if we all were in a chaotic mental state, then we would all end up hurting each other and not discounting the fact that we would be numb against one another. Ellen Adarna said it beautifully in a podcast that we must turn dark moments to light, and I guess that is how we should take every step at a time.

All of us are going through a situation; it could be hard or easy but the bottom of it all is how your mental state could cope with it well. For me, I almost lost it when things I didn’t like came my way, but like every story there are parts to it to redeem myself.

Andres Bonifacio wasn’t even like a sane man during his time but he managed to make a point when he started the revolution. His will to express himself with no barriers made his crazy idea have an impact on today’s history. It’s a matter of balance on how we should take care of our mental health.