Taking Care of your Mental Health during COVID19

As things progress during today’s pandemic, a lot of people are experiencing stress and anxiety especially in these times of uncertainty amid social isolation. While we take care of our physical health, we must also take into consideration our mental health and try to follow some tips to reduce anxiety.

There are a lot of things that could be done to ease the stress and anxiety we have been feeling during this crisis. Here are some measures that we can practice in order to take care of our mental well-being during this pandemic:

1.      Limit your social media and news exposure - in the height of this pandemic, social media has become a powerful tool to disseminate information about the disease. However, as a free platform, social media caters to all kinds of information – may it be positive or negative, and this can cause distress among ourselves. Identify the balance between which kinds of news you should watch and which news to avoid, for the sake of preventing feelings of depression and disruption of mental health. Take a social media break occasionally and mute or block words and accounts that could trigger you. Also make sure to get information from reputable sources only.

2.      Utilize technology to connect with loved ones frequently – while frequent exposure to social media can be detrimental to our mental health, certain apps, especially those used in communication, can be used to create a sense of connection to those who are far away from you. Applications such as Messenger, FaceTime, Skype, Telegram, etc. are readily available to easily connect with your loved ones. Communicating with friends and family and creating a feeling of community greatly helps in promoting hope and healing.

3.   Distract yourself – taking your mind off the negative news in your surroundings and making yourself busy are great ways to improve your mental well-being. Do activities that make you happy and give you a sense of purpose. It can be hobbies that you can rediscover such as cooking, painting, dancing, reading, planting, etc. Now is also a great opportunity to learn something new. There are several online classes and tutorials about several topics that are offered for free. If you can, also try to keep a routine even at home – maintain a consistent sleeping and waking time, list down things you need or want to accomplish for the day and other measures that could give you sense of control.

4.     Exercise if you can - Although it may come as a challenge and is easier said than done, exercising proves to have several benefits not just on our physical well-being but also to our mental health as well. Exercise helps boost our mood and self-confidence. Studies also show it decreases stress, promotes better sleep, and helps in boosting brainpower. There are several exercise routines that can be found online, and options are available for which ones are suitable for you.

5.     Be kind to yourself and to others – Remember that we are facing a crisis and being in home quarantine does not mean that it’s a productivity contest. If you don’t feel doing anything, that is fine too. It is important to be gentle with yourself and recognize when to take a break. We must also take consideration the emotions of other people and show compassion. Now is not the time to create dissent and spread hate, instead we must help each other to get through this crisis. Try to relax and focus on the positive things around you and tell yourself that what you are doing is enough.

6.  Seek professional help and reach out if you need to talk – if you find yourself having problems organizing your thoughts and expressing what you want, there are several support groups that offer free counseling and other mental health and psychosocial services online. If you can still share what’s on your mind to your family members and friends you trust, feel free to do so. But if you still find yourself being anxious and is seeking the need to fully understand what you feel, it is completely fine to get professional help. In this way, you can help yourself properly deal with the bad emotions and anxieties this pandemic has brought.

Sources:

https://patient.info/news-and-features/covid-19-how-to-look-after-your-mental-health-during-coronavirus-lockdown

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/taking-care-of-your-mental-health-during-covid19-outbreak

https://www.health.state.mn.us/docs/communities/mentalhealth/mwbcovid19.pdf

Philippine Coast Guard Seaborne Patrol in Davao City Coastal Areas

On Saturday, April 11, 2020, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) conducted their regular seaborne patrol from Panacan to Toril aboard MRRV-4408 Cape San Agustin. The sea patrol was done to ensure that the guidelines of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) were being followed. The PCG has been conducting daily seaborne patrols even before the 2019 novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) hit Davao Region.

Captain Edgar Ybañez, Commander Garry Laynesa, and their crew went about their duties, monitoring the coastal areas of Davao City. Under ECQ, fishing boats are prohibited from ferrying passengers and residents aren’t allowed to go swimming in the water. The PCG made sure no one was violating any of the ECQ guidelines in addition to the regulations already in effect.

Councilor Mabel Acosta serves as the chair and representative of Mayor Sara Duterte in the Davao City Maritime Coordinating Council (DCMCC). During the patrol, Team Acosta witnessed how diligent and disciplined the Coast Guard operate despite regularly conducting these patrols 24/7. The PCG and the other peace keeping forces have been serving as front-liners during this health crisis, along with health care professionals and service industry workers. They have been risking their lives to protect us and to contain the virus. We owe it to them, to our loved ones, and to ourselves to follow the law, especially the ECQ guidelines.

The Importance of Prioritizing our Front-liners

Last Wednesday, April 8, face shields were turned over to Barangay 2-A, 7-A, 9-A, and 24-C. The materials for the face shields were donated by JCI Davao Region and DCCCII. Last week, face shields were turned over to the various Barangay under Talomo District Cluster A, namely: 76-A Bucana, Matina Aplaya, 74-A Matina Crossing, Matina Pangi, Ma-a, Magtuod, and Langub. Additional face shields were also delivered to Brgy. Talomo Proper, Brgy. 39-D, Brgy. 37-D, Brgy. 21-C, and Brgy. 15-B. The materials for the face shields were donated by Bayani Hand of Davao and JCI Davaoeña Daba-Daba. The office of Councilor Mabel Sunga Acosta assembled the face shields and distributed them to the different Barangay— all while still abiding by the Community Quarantine guidelines by observing social distancing. Beyond Blessed Family Church donated twenty pieces of face shields as well.

These face shields are intended for the Barangay officials and staff on the front lines in the effort to stop the spread of the 2019 Coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the city. As of this writing, Davao City has seventy (70) cases of Covid-19 according to the Department of Health Davao Regional Office (DOH XI).

The city has been placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) since April 04, 2020. With the implementation of the ECQ, all residents of Davao City cannot leave their homes without a food and medicine pass (FM pass) unless there is an emergency. Barangay Purok Leaders were tasked with distributing the FM passes to each household under their jurisdiction.

Our front-liners are responsible for preventing the virus from spreading even further and for taking care of those already infected. All front-liners are at highest risk of contracting the virus. They risk contracting the virus themselves in order to help and save all of us. Therefore, it is a priority to equip them with all the necessary Personal Protection Equipment (PPE). Ensuring that our front-liners are sufficiently equipped and fully supported will bring us closer to beating Covid-19.

If you are willing and able to donate to front-liners and the less fortunate you may do so. However, if you are not, then all you have to do to help is to follow ECQ guidelines.

To know more about the details of the ECQ, click here.

To find out where you can donate, click here.

The Short Answer to Who are the Front-liners in the Fight against Covid-19 and How Can We Help Them?

The front-liners are health care workers, hospital staff, sanitation workers, garbage collectors, food industry personnel, delivery service workers, security guards, and government employees. While most of us are at home, they are risking their health and their lives in order to stop the spread of the 2019 novel Coronavirus disease (Covid-19). While they work more hours and days than they should all for the safety and health of everyone, the least we can do is to stay at home, practice proper hygiene, and encourage others to do the same.

The number of Covid-19 cases are still on the rise with the country’s total at 3,246 as of 4:00 pm on April 05, 2020 (DOH). The number of positive Covid-19 cases in Davao City is at sixty-five (65) as of 8:00pm on April 05, 2020 (DOH). An Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) has been implemented in Davao City and it will last from 9:00 pm of April 04, 2020 until 11:59 pm of April 19, 2020.

People are risking their lives to care for those already infected with the virus and to stop it from spreading any further. They are working themselves to the bone all for us. If we disregard quarantine guidelines, we are invalidating all the progress our front-liners have worked so hard to achieve and we are also jeopardizing not only our lives but the lives of those around us. Let us not be selfish and careless, especially during a crisis like this. The sooner we follow ECQ guidelines, the sooner that this crisis will be over.

EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 01, SERIES OF 2020

"AN ORDER CREATING THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND SUB-COMMITTEES OF THE 2020 KADAYAWAN SA DAVAO FESTIVAL AND DEFINING THE RESPECTIVE POWERS, FUNCTIONS, AND DUTIES THEREOF"

EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 54, SERIES OF 2019

"AN ORDER INTEGRATING PRESIDENTIAL EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 70, SERIES OF 2018, PROMULGATED BY PRESIDENT RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE AND ITS IMPLEMENTING GUIDELINES INTO THE PEACE 911, PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFORE AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES"

EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 51, SERIES OF 2019

"AN ORDER CREATING THE DAVAO CITY EARTHQUAKE RESPONSE TASK FORCE, DEFINING ITS DUTIES, FUNCTIONS, AND OTHER PURPOSES"

Davao City Earthquake and Tsunami Drill

3^rd City-Wide Shake Out Drill

Davao City will be conducting a City-Wide Earthquake and Tsunami Drill dubbed as “Shake Out” on July 26, 2019 (Friday), at 9:00 in the morning. The Davao City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DCDRRMO) along with the other members of the Davao City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (DCDRRMC) will leading the exercise.

The scale of and scenarios covered by the drill increase every year. Now in its third year, the exercise will include an Impact Scenario to be conducted at San Pedro Hospital. This entails the evacuation of patients as part of the drill on Friday. A number of coastal Barangay will also participate in the tsunami drill and conduct evacuations of their own with the aid of emergency services agencies and offices from the local and national levels, as well as non-government volunteer groups.

Our city has often been praised for its safety and security. This Shake Out drill is yet another example that Davao City is more than worthy of such acclaim. We call upon the Davaoeños to be proactive and participate in the drill on Friday, July 26, 2019 at 9:00 AM. Together, let us promote and practice a culture of preparedness.