Dealing with or trying to overcome stress and anxiety has been a prevalent burden to carry, especially in tough times like now.
Filipinos have coped differently during the pandemic and growing one’s food at home has been one of the activities that gained momentum and became a lockdown hobby for many. The Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) has shown its essential role by promoting food security and the public’s well-being through its distribution of free vegetable seeds and planting materials for urban farming and backyard gardening.
To show appreciation and to give back to BPI’s meaningful endeavor, the students of the Managerial Leadership (DM 241) class under Atty. Damcelle Torres-Cortes held a wellness webinar entitled: “Coping with the New Normal: Dealing with Stress and Anxiety from Uncertainties” last 17 May 2021 via Zoom and Facebook Live.
The resource speaker, Dr. Joffrey Sebastian E. Quiring of the Philippine Psychiatric Association, discussed what stress and anxiety are, the causes and effects of stress and anxiety, the importance of managing stress, and the different ways in managing stress and anxiety effectively.
The webinar engaged a total of over 500 viewers from Facebook and Zoom. One of the questions raised was the distinguishing factor between a psychologist and psychotherapist and who should be consulted. Dr. Quiring responded that any mental health professional is a good start. But in terms of intervention, it will be different. For psychiatrists, they can implement tests, conduct psychotherapy and also prescribe medications.
The learners showed their appreciation of the program through their comments and reactions on the Facebook live stream and through their Zoom chat messages. As stated by one participant in the webinar post-evaluation survey: “The [webinar] was very vital especially this pandemic because we are able to address different stresses that we are facing right now.” Having read this statement, the students viewed that the program served its purpose to give enlightenment and a degree of certainty even during this uncertain time.
Author profile
