1. Stress is our body’s natural response to pressure. It is often triggered by new or unexpected experiences.

2. There can be different kinds of stress.

Routine stress over daily
responsibilities e.g. school, work or family
Stress triggered by negative events e.g. losing one’s job, divorce or death
Traumatic stress e.g. car accidents, natural disasters, assault or war

3. Not all stress is bad for you. Stress can act as a motivator to take action, or an opportunity to do something better. When we overcome a challenge, we become better problem solvers, and we adapt to what we initially found stressful.

4. If we sustain chronically high levels of stress without dealing with it or turning to our healthy coping mechanisms, it can affect our physical and mental health in the long term. For example, it can lead to high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, or mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression.

How can I better manage my stress?

Manage your stress – don’t run away from it, or see it as something to be afraid of.
If you can’t change something, change your perception of the thing. Seeing stress as part of life and an opportunity to problem-solve will help reduce its intimidation factor.

Make use of your healthy coping mechanisms.
Exercise, spend time with loved ones, and invest in recreational hobbies. These activities will release “feel-good” hormones and help you power through your challenges, while also providing a good distraction. Doing this can help bring more clarity when we return to the issue that is facing us.

Ask yourself important questions.
In the moment, small challenges can feel bigger than they are. How significant are these stressors in the grand scheme of things? Will they matter in a week, a month, or a year’s time?

Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket. Over-exerting ourselves in only one aspect of our lives can lead to us over-stressing about that area when it is threatened. Be mindful of finding balance in all corners of your life (e.g. friends, family, career and personal hobbies).

More questions you can ask yourself when you are stressed

Exploring what makes us feel stressed helps provide clarity on how we can manage it as it happens, and how to deal with it better in the future.

Why am I stressed?
Am I stressed about this one challenge or are there other things bothering me?
How is this stress affecting me?
What is within my control, and what isn’t?
Am I doing things that will help lessen the stress that I feel?
Will anything change by worrying about it?

Mind You is on a mission to help 1 million Filipinos overcome stress, anxiety and depression by 2025.

We currently provide organisations with access to preventative therapy sessions with licensed psychologists, as well as data and insights that enable the management teams of our client companies to make informed business decisions. Included in our services are wellness webinars, mental health first aid training and certifications, leadership training and weekly educational campaigns, to round off what is a comprehensive mental health care solution for companies of any size. Soon, it will be launching its services to the general public, where individuals can book sessions with psychologists in a few simple steps.

Kumu, which launched in 2017, is currently one of the biggest social networking platforms in the Philippines. The social media entertainment app that allows users to livestream, video chat, play games and even run a business was developed by Filipino entrepreneurs based in the United States. It’s widely known as the Pinoy community platform that gathers Filipinos all over the world to share stories and engage with one another. Evidently, Kumu is a fast-growing social media channel that is gaining a lot of traction and providing a new outlook on how individuals can interact with an audience that finds interest in their content.

Earlier this year, Mind You set its sights on joining the platform to address one of its goals, which is to open up the conversation on mental health on a greater scale. At present, the organization has released a podcast channel in the past month called “An Open Mind with Liza Soberano” alongside a Kumu channel hosted by one of Kumu’s founding talents, Geli Cruz, in the hopes of breaking stigmas of mental health in the country. Alongside Geli Cruz are regular co-hosts Rea Villa (Senior Psychologist of Mind You) and Michelle Gomez (mental health advocate & Miss Earth Colombia 2016).

Geli Cruz, an avid music and lifestyle streamer on Kumu and the current host of the Mind You Kumu channel, shares her “why” behind joining this Mind You initiative, “Paying it forward in my most troubled times, there was always that one glimmer of hope that kept me going. I openly and proudly advocate for mental health because it is my turn to be that glimmer of hope for someone else, and eventually – the world.”

Cruz is confident that Mind You will be able to change the mental health landscape of the Philippines through Kumu, and is thrilled about the opportunity. She believes that this platform is where Filipinos from all walks of life interact in a safe and welcoming space. Through this Kumunity, Mind You will be able to reach and help more Filipinos in a more impactful way. “I hope to see a society where Filipinos are not scared to live openly and loudly- to stay true to who they really are.” she says.

Rea Celine Villa, Mind You’s senior psychologist, and co-author of the very first Filipino Youth Depression Scale — a self-assessment tool to measure an individual’s depressive tendencies. Her expertise in the mental health field serves as a valuable asset in the Kumu mental health Kumunity. She shares her thoughts on the status of mental health in the Philippines. “When it comes to mental health, if you’re not a psychologist, you would ask yourself, am I depressed, anxious? Sometimes it’s tricky because you don’t know the levels. In the Philippines, we’re just starting to be aware of our emotions, our thoughts and behavior. It’s more of a challenge. However because of Mind You and other mental health professionals advocating for mental health then in due time at least we’ll be more aware.”

Alongside Geli Cruz and Rea Villa is Michelle Gomez, who was crowned Miss Earth Colombia 2016 and openly shares that mental health is her main advocacy following her pageantry. She shares reason behind joining the Kumu channel. “Mental health is my main advocacy, and I truly believe that educating people about it will create a change in our society, Mind You gave us a great platform to talk about mental health and break the stigma around it, I’m thrilled that I can be part of this.”

When asked if her pageantry experience guided her through mental health conversations, Gomez states “Definitely my pageant career has taught me how to be more tolerant and less judgmental. I’ve seen girls shining on stage but completely broken in real life, I am one of them. When we talk about our mental health we cannot expect everyone to see it as we do, not everyone has experienced the same things we have. That’s where we have to stop our judgment and open our empathetic ones to understand better what others might be going through.”

These women with various backgrounds showcase that mental health can stem from diverse backgrounds. Geli Cruz, Michelle Gomez and Rea Villa are working together to do their part to break the stigma surrounding mental health in the country through this Kumu channel. With their vast experience and knowledge, you can expect to learn a lot not only about yourself, but also the society and the importance of recognizing each one’s mental health journey.

Check out the Mind You Kumu channel as it goes live every Wednesday and Saturday at 8 pm PST, where Geli Cruz and her co-hosts talk about everything and anything under the sun about how to better care for our mental health and wellbeing.