Posts
Monday, May 7, 2012
Convergence for a Cause
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Lesson Learned 2
I have not been to a place for this short time and learned this much.
Truly, everything happens for a reason and each encounter that we face has a very beautiful story to tell, if we only allow ourselves to introspect.
Coming here in Iligan has never crossed my mind at all before.
I do not even know where Iligan is exactly in the map. No offense, but that is the truth.
It is so unfortunate that it's because of a calamity that I was able to set foot on its land.
When I have fully set in, such a desolate welcome there was for me I thought.
I came to help, but I did not plan to stay long.
But it would be naive of me not to have that desire to come back upon seeing emotionally piercing scenarios unfold right in front of me.
My heart can only bear much.
If my heart were a bomb when I came to the city the first time, it sure has exploded.
It's amazing how the worst in calamities can bring out the best in people.
Seeing humanity at its best,
I did not doubt then that there is hero in each of us, to different extents though.
Even how selfish we can get sometimes, there is always a way to soften that heart to sympathize and empathize.
It does not matter anymore whether we know the person we are helping or not,
what's important is - help is readily available to those who need, especially those who seek for it.
Many have put their hearts on what they do.
Their work has been more than a source of income;
It was more of a passion, progressing as one cultivates and invests himself into it.
It does not matter which group or which known agency you represent nor it was a question of what your credentials are,at the round table, what matter: your heart, your intentions, your sincerity, your concrete actions and your plans.
Our actions are but our personal responses to what were laid to us.
We call the shot.
If I choose this, and you choose that - that's but normal.
We have diferent views on things and we cannot simply rub in what we deem important.
Each individual has a different set of priorities.
Whatever we heed, there is sure a good reason for that.
But one thing is certain, one's desire is restless until it is acted upon.
And helping is more than saying it with words, it invites and moves us to take actions.
Help can be in different forms.
And when we do so, we should not underestimate the power of the reciever to appreciate whatever little we share,they know too well and can attest that a little thing can mean really much.
Welcome any form of help, for helping is never a competition on who delievered much and who shared the best.
At times, we can hand in much without giving much enthusiasm with it.
When we give, our heart gets into the picture and that's what makes the whole package more meaningful, more beautiful.
This is not about who is put on the best position to extend his/her hands and heart to others,
but this is about who went out, despite the limitations, and be there.
Wherever we are, whatever little that we share, redounds to the whole of humanity.
One's goodness in a small place ripples to the whole wide world.
Is it that difficult to do good?
I believe, it's not :)
God bless!
050212
Truly, everything happens for a reason and each encounter that we face has a very beautiful story to tell, if we only allow ourselves to introspect.
Coming here in Iligan has never crossed my mind at all before.
I do not even know where Iligan is exactly in the map. No offense, but that is the truth.
It is so unfortunate that it's because of a calamity that I was able to set foot on its land.
When I have fully set in, such a desolate welcome there was for me I thought.
I came to help, but I did not plan to stay long.
But it would be naive of me not to have that desire to come back upon seeing emotionally piercing scenarios unfold right in front of me.
My heart can only bear much.
If my heart were a bomb when I came to the city the first time, it sure has exploded.
It's amazing how the worst in calamities can bring out the best in people.
Seeing humanity at its best,
I did not doubt then that there is hero in each of us, to different extents though.
Even how selfish we can get sometimes, there is always a way to soften that heart to sympathize and empathize.
It does not matter anymore whether we know the person we are helping or not,
what's important is - help is readily available to those who need, especially those who seek for it.
Many have put their hearts on what they do.
Their work has been more than a source of income;
It was more of a passion, progressing as one cultivates and invests himself into it.
It does not matter which group or which known agency you represent nor it was a question of what your credentials are,at the round table, what matter: your heart, your intentions, your sincerity, your concrete actions and your plans.
Our actions are but our personal responses to what were laid to us.
We call the shot.
If I choose this, and you choose that - that's but normal.
We have diferent views on things and we cannot simply rub in what we deem important.
Each individual has a different set of priorities.
Whatever we heed, there is sure a good reason for that.
But one thing is certain, one's desire is restless until it is acted upon.
And helping is more than saying it with words, it invites and moves us to take actions.
Help can be in different forms.
And when we do so, we should not underestimate the power of the reciever to appreciate whatever little we share,they know too well and can attest that a little thing can mean really much.
Welcome any form of help, for helping is never a competition on who delievered much and who shared the best.
At times, we can hand in much without giving much enthusiasm with it.
When we give, our heart gets into the picture and that's what makes the whole package more meaningful, more beautiful.
This is not about who is put on the best position to extend his/her hands and heart to others,
but this is about who went out, despite the limitations, and be there.
Wherever we are, whatever little that we share, redounds to the whole of humanity.
One's goodness in a small place ripples to the whole wide world.
Is it that difficult to do good?
I believe, it's not :)
God bless!
050212
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Importance of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Program in Post-Sendong
Typhoon Sendong has left unimaginable destruction of properties and loss of lives. At the onset of the disaster, survivors were very much concerned of their basic needs such as clothing, food and housing. To many who have lost their loved ones, problems concerning their basic needs were intertwined with the grief of sudden loss of loved ones and properties.
The response to extend help from others around the world came pouring, truly overwhelming. Many were able to secure their basic needs but to a number of survivors, it was too early to gain back emotional and psychological stability. The search for missing family members, the desolate situation in evacuation centers, the exchanges of stories that stirred grief amongst everyone, all these and more, have added to the emotional stresses that many try to hurdle. Each one has different pain threshold and an individual’s moving on over something painful is dependent on his personal choice, at his own pace.
Two months after the calamity, HOM Team Iligan conducted Rapid Mental Health Assessment in all the evacuation centers (ECs) in the city. Respondents were randomly chosen. Results showed that a number of the respondents experienced the following: thoughts of death or suicide, feelings of worthlessness, self- hate, guilt, fatigue, recurrent and intrusive distressing recollections of the event, being worrisome and easily frightened, especially when it rains.
Most of the survivors who are staying at the ECs are having difficulty to move on as their present living conditions affect their well-being so much. Water supply and accessibility to it concern them. They feel uneasy on the rules and prohibitions set for them to observe. The frequent raining always reminds them of the traumatic event that they have experienced. Most of the time they are haunted by the thoughts of Sendong. There had been reported cases of children who cry hard each time it rains. These are but examples of the impact of the calamity to the people of Iligan.
Prevention is good to avoid something, but Intervention is needed when something negative has already taken place. Thus, the HOM’s Mental Health program aims to offer interventions to those who have difficulty to cope with the distress or trauma caused by their experiences during Sendong and even after Sendong, as it is also a fact that some problems that surface are brought about by their stay in ECs.
Mental health and Psychosocial Support Program is essential in promoting interventions and ensuring that survivors get back to their lives as normal as they possibly can; to start anew as they learn how to rise above the situation where they are. Integration of Mental Health to Primary Health Care can be the most efficient way to get into the heart of the matter as we approach health holistically.
Sound decisions root from sound mind. We cannot separate behaviors from thoughts, they have a close-knit relationship. If we advocate health, we advocate Mental health.
The response to extend help from others around the world came pouring, truly overwhelming. Many were able to secure their basic needs but to a number of survivors, it was too early to gain back emotional and psychological stability. The search for missing family members, the desolate situation in evacuation centers, the exchanges of stories that stirred grief amongst everyone, all these and more, have added to the emotional stresses that many try to hurdle. Each one has different pain threshold and an individual’s moving on over something painful is dependent on his personal choice, at his own pace.
Two months after the calamity, HOM Team Iligan conducted Rapid Mental Health Assessment in all the evacuation centers (ECs) in the city. Respondents were randomly chosen. Results showed that a number of the respondents experienced the following: thoughts of death or suicide, feelings of worthlessness, self- hate, guilt, fatigue, recurrent and intrusive distressing recollections of the event, being worrisome and easily frightened, especially when it rains.
Most of the survivors who are staying at the ECs are having difficulty to move on as their present living conditions affect their well-being so much. Water supply and accessibility to it concern them. They feel uneasy on the rules and prohibitions set for them to observe. The frequent raining always reminds them of the traumatic event that they have experienced. Most of the time they are haunted by the thoughts of Sendong. There had been reported cases of children who cry hard each time it rains. These are but examples of the impact of the calamity to the people of Iligan.
Prevention is good to avoid something, but Intervention is needed when something negative has already taken place. Thus, the HOM’s Mental Health program aims to offer interventions to those who have difficulty to cope with the distress or trauma caused by their experiences during Sendong and even after Sendong, as it is also a fact that some problems that surface are brought about by their stay in ECs.
Mental health and Psychosocial Support Program is essential in promoting interventions and ensuring that survivors get back to their lives as normal as they possibly can; to start anew as they learn how to rise above the situation where they are. Integration of Mental Health to Primary Health Care can be the most efficient way to get into the heart of the matter as we approach health holistically.
Sound decisions root from sound mind. We cannot separate behaviors from thoughts, they have a close-knit relationship. If we advocate health, we advocate Mental health.
Monday, April 16, 2012
On Love
Love can be the simplest or the most complex.
To others it need not be elaborated; love is love.
While to many, it needs endless proving :)
Others give it away like an overflowing water,
while some others think twice, like the kind of weighing done before giving in a millions-worth investment.
Love is everywhere,
and cliche' as it may sound, everyone is capable of loving.
How much we love is very dependent on how much we are willing to risk.
Some others say that we can love without counting the cost, maybe true,
but isn't it that we love with the hope of many happy returns too?
We invest ourselves when we love.
It is not love if we do not bring in our emotions to the picture.
Love is not half-baked, it is simply our all.
I quite understand if most do not plunge right away.
Heart is life. We only have but one, might as well keep it and risk to the most worthy.
To others it need not be elaborated; love is love.
While to many, it needs endless proving :)
Others give it away like an overflowing water,
while some others think twice, like the kind of weighing done before giving in a millions-worth investment.
Love is everywhere,
and cliche' as it may sound, everyone is capable of loving.
How much we love is very dependent on how much we are willing to risk.
Some others say that we can love without counting the cost, maybe true,
but isn't it that we love with the hope of many happy returns too?
We invest ourselves when we love.
It is not love if we do not bring in our emotions to the picture.
Love is not half-baked, it is simply our all.
I quite understand if most do not plunge right away.
Heart is life. We only have but one, might as well keep it and risk to the most worthy.
On Break Ups
Four years ago, I was almost drowned in pain.
I can finally relate to what they call breakup blues.
Never ending questions haunted me, "why did it have to end?".
Regrets and resentments were rolled into tears, gushing on my face.
At that time, it may seemingly be close to "the end of my world",
I made my relationship as my world for a time, that's why.
Countless of tissues were consumed; I even break down on the floor.
How can a relationship that seemed so perfect go wrong?
That time, my only consolation was what my friend's mom shared to her,
"a breakup is always a blessing from God for he saved you from the wrong one."
I held on it like a diamond, something very precious.
That thought sustained me to get through it all.
Moving on is a choice and at one's desired pace.
I have tried moving on, but I did not try hard enough.
I was a stalker for a long time.
I have continuously hoped for another chance for the both of us.
Pathetic? Yes! I affirm.
Now that I am sane and have fully moved on from my first relationship, I cannot help but to laugh.
True, some things can only be worth laughing at after quite a time, and I did prove that one!
I am relieved that I went through it, the pain and everything that goes with the breakup were all worth it.
For the past days, a number of friends shared to me their breakup stories;
seems like breakup season, huh?
There is something about breakups that I can very well relate to,
We might have called it quits for different, and uniquely disappointing reasons, but one thing holds true...
It's never easy to let go and say "not anymore" to the one you have loved deeply before.
If we feed ourselves with the happy memories we have shared, we can never fully move on.
If we hold it close to our hearts, it will never be easy to let go.
In times like this, it pays to go back to the reason why we even chose to end it.
Thinking about it might be a reason enough to fimly stand by to the decision we made.
A breakup is always painful to those who have invested in the relationship.
We invest our time, efforts, emotions; we invested our life into it.
However, the illusion of having lost a part of ourselves, does not at all mitigate the pain we bear.
Instead, we make things worse and more painful to endure.
A breakup is an invitation to become either better or bitter,
and I hope we come to senses to always choose the former.
If things did not work, you are making yourself vulnerable to possible hurts if you push it harder.
If things do not work, they simply do not.
If they do not work now, what are the chances that they will work in the future?
If mistakes were made and you want to give another chance, it's up to you - your shot, your call!
We know ourselves better, we have an idea of the threshold we have for pain,
and I hope we dare not subject ourselves to the pain we can hardly bear.
What you can stand, others might not.
Your choices give the world an idea how strong, weak, shrewd or stupid you are.
Our worth is more than a breakup,
It's not the end of the world for one who has just broken up,
Believe me, you'll get by, you'll get through this.
It's just that, pain will not go away in a snap.
Feel what you ought to feel right now.
Cry if you must and if you really love yourself,
You'd know when you've already shed too much emotions over something not meant to last.
Go, pick up yourself and get a great, grand life you deserve! :)
I can finally relate to what they call breakup blues.
Never ending questions haunted me, "why did it have to end?".
Regrets and resentments were rolled into tears, gushing on my face.
At that time, it may seemingly be close to "the end of my world",
I made my relationship as my world for a time, that's why.
Countless of tissues were consumed; I even break down on the floor.
How can a relationship that seemed so perfect go wrong?
That time, my only consolation was what my friend's mom shared to her,
"a breakup is always a blessing from God for he saved you from the wrong one."
I held on it like a diamond, something very precious.
That thought sustained me to get through it all.
Moving on is a choice and at one's desired pace.
I have tried moving on, but I did not try hard enough.
I was a stalker for a long time.
I have continuously hoped for another chance for the both of us.
Pathetic? Yes! I affirm.
Now that I am sane and have fully moved on from my first relationship, I cannot help but to laugh.
True, some things can only be worth laughing at after quite a time, and I did prove that one!
I am relieved that I went through it, the pain and everything that goes with the breakup were all worth it.
For the past days, a number of friends shared to me their breakup stories;
seems like breakup season, huh?
There is something about breakups that I can very well relate to,
We might have called it quits for different, and uniquely disappointing reasons, but one thing holds true...
It's never easy to let go and say "not anymore" to the one you have loved deeply before.
If we feed ourselves with the happy memories we have shared, we can never fully move on.
If we hold it close to our hearts, it will never be easy to let go.
In times like this, it pays to go back to the reason why we even chose to end it.
Thinking about it might be a reason enough to fimly stand by to the decision we made.
A breakup is always painful to those who have invested in the relationship.
We invest our time, efforts, emotions; we invested our life into it.
However, the illusion of having lost a part of ourselves, does not at all mitigate the pain we bear.
Instead, we make things worse and more painful to endure.
A breakup is an invitation to become either better or bitter,
and I hope we come to senses to always choose the former.
If things did not work, you are making yourself vulnerable to possible hurts if you push it harder.
If things do not work, they simply do not.
If they do not work now, what are the chances that they will work in the future?
If mistakes were made and you want to give another chance, it's up to you - your shot, your call!
We know ourselves better, we have an idea of the threshold we have for pain,
and I hope we dare not subject ourselves to the pain we can hardly bear.
What you can stand, others might not.
Your choices give the world an idea how strong, weak, shrewd or stupid you are.
Our worth is more than a breakup,
It's not the end of the world for one who has just broken up,
Believe me, you'll get by, you'll get through this.
It's just that, pain will not go away in a snap.
Feel what you ought to feel right now.
Cry if you must and if you really love yourself,
You'd know when you've already shed too much emotions over something not meant to last.
Go, pick up yourself and get a great, grand life you deserve! :)
