The CAFS Student Health and Welfare Committee organized a webinar entitled “The Hammer and Dance of the COVID World: Five Mental Health Tips in Coping with a New Reality.” Attended by more than 450 students, faculty and staff, the webinar aimed to discuss the normal response and process of the mind to the pandemic and when faced with uncertainty, as well as to suggest means and tools to deal with it. This was held last October 14, 2021 via Zoom.

Dr. Salvador Benjamin D. Vista, Associate Professor of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, UP College of Medicine, served as the resource speaker for the webinar. He presented some practical and helpful tips on how to protect mental health as we cope with the new reality. Dr. Vista, in brief, emphasized the basic steps which can be taken to dance along the rhythm of the COVID 19: 1) take compassionate care of your body; 2) refrain from grieving that our former world is gone; 3) find a new meaning and new responsibility; 4) take care of your relationships (human, environment, God); and 5) it is okay to seek help when you are not okay.

Dr. Vista also gave suggestions on resiliency programs that the university can do to help with the wellness of students and employees. These include continuous campaign and conduct of activities related to physical and mental health well-being, assessment of students’ mental health, integration of well-being in curriculum planning, strengthening of peer counseling circles, among others.

The webinar was timely in line with the Mental Health Month celebration this October. More relevant activities are expected to be conducted by the committee as it continues its function to address health and wellness concerns of CAFS students.

Prepared by: Clare Hazel R. Tabernilla and Roden Carlo M. Lizardo