Experience in the 2020 pandemic

Because of my experience during the pandemic, I have strengthened my belief in the importance of taking care of our mental health and practicing self-care, and also the importance of knowing our value and worth. In these uncertain times, we should remain firm and have faith in all of life’s trials. We must teach ourselves that who we are is already great and worth it. It’s about what we feel, how we react, and how we take action, because the true value is what we offer to the world. During this pandemic, all of us have experienced different adversities, whether they are due to what is happening around us or due to different battles in our own lives. This pandemic has brought us huge changes, despair, and loss, but it has also taught me or taught us the spirit of bayanihan, or solidarity, pananampalataya, or faith, and katatagan, or resiliency. I have lived almost my entire life in Batangas, and before the pandemic happened, we were already on the verge of another disaster, the Taal Volcanic Eruption, last January 2020. I saw how important it was to help others, no matter how big or small the thing you did was. It opens my eyes and my heart to how important it is to lend a hand to those who are in need and to support one another. It is where you can find yourself, and it is a rewarding thing and an accomplishment that we should all be proud of. It is also an act of kindness that brings us peace, hope, and sanity, which is good for our mental health. We should be like a phoenix bird. Even if the past has burned us, we can still rise from the ashes. As a psychology student and COVID-19 victim, the disease that killed millions of people and continues to infect many more people and nations up until now, after surviving and continuously surviving every day, I'm able to convey my story and message of hope and hope to inspire others to do so. And I have faith that I can encourage anybody who is facing adversity to speak up about their own experience and story, no matter how big or small it is. And always remember what Mother Teresa once said: "Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love."

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