CTPD further promotes mental well-being through training

With the aim to continue on instilling the crucial role of mental well-being among its employees, the Center for Training and Professional Development conducted another two-day seminar-workshop entitled, “Coping Mechanisms for Well-Being” on June 22-23, 2023 held at the UCU Cafeteria.

“Are you well today?,” Dr. Josephine S. Lambinicio, the Vice-President for Academic Affairs first and foremost asked the audience as she delivered her opening remarks.

As she explained the importance of the endeavor, Dr. Lambinicio added, “We have to check our well-being in a holistic approach. Because the main purpose of why we are here is to serve. If we are sick, we cannot serve our clients. Every part of the system of ourselves is very significant. Are you productive if one part of your system is weak? It will affect the holistic performance of a man.”

Prof. Nikky S. Garo, a Faculty member of Saint Louis University - Baguio City, quoted the philosopher Socrates in his adage, “The unexamined life is not worth living,” as his inspiration to his topic, “IDEALISM towards a Happy and Good Life.”

Garo taught how daily meditation and reflection create a better version of ourselves in terms of outlook and perspective in the environment that we live in, and also in life itself.

In her topic on “Mental Health and the Power of Forgiveness,” Prof. Ylona Veronica A. Bayod, another Faculty member from SLU, emphasized the lifetime impact of giving out forgiveness and receiving in forgiviness, through her experiences with some of her clients in psychological counseling sessions.

Bayod said that the greatest contributor of unforgiveness is pain. “...and the only thing that you can do in that moment is to allow the moment. That’s how painful it is.” But despite this, we still need to undergo the process of giving out forgiveness, and eventually inner healing, because “Forgiveness is given not because they deserve forgiveness, but because you deserve peace,” she added.

“The Power of Gentleness and Communication in Mental Well-Being,” one of the on-deck lectures was presented by Prof. Rhea M. Agibuay, a Faculty member of the College of Teacher Education at Urdaneta City University. In this segment, it was taught that appreciation is vital in the workplace in order to build a “safe space” for the employees, and one of the ways to attain this is through kindness and gentleness in communication because as Paolo Friere stated on his book Pedagogy of the Oppressed, language is never neutral.

“Establish a common ground, a neutral zone where you can speak with each other professionally. Come to a place of sincerity… be kind in your interactions,” Agibuay said.

She also pointed out that one of the major effects of using unkind words in the workplace is incivility. “Incivility is contagious, but so is kindness, gentleness, and positive communication. It is contagious. What to do? We start small: say thank you, smile. Even the littlest things: kinuhanan ka niya ng tubig? Salamat. Grineet ka niya? Greet back.”

The power of being bearers of kindness and gentleness in the workplace works wonders as she added, “Be the sunshine; bring the sunshine in the workplace.”

The last day of the workshop focused on the connection of physical wellness to mental health. In his lecture, “Physical Exercise: Coping Mechanisms for Mental Well-Being,” Dr. Jason L. Vicente, a Faculty member at the Philippine Military Academy - Baguio City, taught the audience forms of physical exercise and proper breathing techniques such as what he called “box breathing” that employees could do even while at the workplace to help them vent out the stresses and toxicity of the workload. Vicente also pressed on the importance of “nugget nap” or a 10-minute nap during break time in the office to refresh our minds.

Healthy lifestyle and proper grooming and hygiene were also emphasized to be contributing factors toward healthy mental well-being. Dr. Christopher R. Bañez, the Dean of the College of Health Sciences at Urdaneta City University, on his topic, “Employees’ Health: A Vital Factor for Workplace Productivity,” taught health facts and tips in hope to instill health awareness among the participants.

As the workshop ended, Dr. Bañez handed out the Employees’ Holistic Health Development Action Plan (EHHDAP) forms to each of the participants to help them plan and strategize on how to be holistically healthy, body, mind, and soul, as was the  main goal of the endeavor.