To manage its constituents' mental health and well-being amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, UP Visayas, conducted a two-day webinar on mental wellness.
Held via Zoom on May 3 and 14, 2021, the webinar provided insights on mental health topics on self-care, mindfulness, resiliency, and mental health interventions. The pandemic brought fear, worry, and anxiety to people and added challenges of working from home and remote learning.
Guidance services specialists of the UPV Office of the Student Affairs were invited as resource speakers. They were Ma. Teresa Hortillo, Annie Manzano, Paula Khryss Ushiyama and Juvy Janeo.
Hortillo talked about self-care strategies to curb work and study burn-out. Manzano taught the participants how to practice mindfulness, which refers to a conscious intention to be present in every moment of your life amidst the busyness of life.
Meanwhile, Ushiyama presented how to build resiliency to help manage remote work and learning challenges because of the global health crisis. At the same time, Janeo introduced the importance of mental health interventions, referrals, and collaborations.
The activity is one of the academic support initiatives of the CFOS to ensure that its constituents are equipped with skills and knowledge to keep their mental health and overall wellness in check for optimum academic/work performance. It is also aimed to promote a supportive culture in the UPV Community.
