Corine Ann R. Pangilinan
ECON 3
The online mental health symposium is entitled “How to Find JOWA: Jubilance;
Optimism; Well-balance life; and Adaptiveness in the Post COVID-19 Era”. Dr. Ava Bustillo
is the resource speaker in this online mental health symposium. Ma’am Ava discussed,
How to find JOWA using the PERMA Model of Martin Seligman. PERMA means Positive
Emotion, Engagement, Relationship, Meaning and Accomplishment.
At the beginning of Ma’am Ava’s discussion, she immediately got my attention. I
became more engaged to listen to her because this symposium will help to raised
awareness about mental health which is needed by the majority especially those who
experience it. In the discussion of Ma’am Ava in the beginning she tackle about the
research that UNICEF and Gallop conducted in 2021, it is said there that a lot of young
people today is more anxious than the elderly, and I agree with that because I notice
that it happens in myself and to the people around my age. There are times that we get
anxious even though there is nothing to be anxious. She also discuss about the stigma in
mental health, and somewhat I realize that I am lucky because I know that if ever I need
some help I could talk to our Guidance Counselor.
All throughout Ma’am Ava’s discussion, I realized and learned a lot. I also thought
of the answers to the questions that Ma’am Ava said earlier. Jubilance means joy,
happiness, satisfaction and such, while discussing what Jubilance is she said a question
that made me think “ Pano ba maging masaya?”, that how can I genuinely happy, what
do I need to do to be happy, especially when I am very sad. It makes me think of what
makes people happy? How can I make myself happy? Ma’am Ava said a quote that made
me realize something, “It’s okay not to be okay” this quote I heard it a lot of times from
the Korean Drama, to my friends and to Ma’am Ava, and it made me realize that it is okay
if you are sad or you are not okay right now but let’s not let it last long.
When Ma’am Ava was discussing the PERMA model, Ma’am Ava asked a lot of
questions that made me think and realized that even simple things make me happy, that
simple things make me okay. There is a question that Ma’am Ava mentioned, “Do I live
in the present moment?” and I thought, yes I do live in the present moment, but there
are times when I think about what will happen to me in the future, or I think about my
past, that maybe if I hadn’t made that decision, my present would be different, but
because of what Ma’am Ava said,” be here in the present moment” it made me realize
that I should only think about the present and not overthink about my past and future. I
feel so engage listening to the discussion that I am completely absorb into it, just like
what Ma’am Ava discussed in the middle, about engagement. Ma’am Ava’s discussion
about engagement made me realize how important engagement is and also it needs to
be well-balance, like having real life activities if you are doing something. Relationship, I
don’t have any experience about being in a relationship, but I relate it in terms on my
relationship with my friends and family. I learned that relationship should help you be
alive not make you dead. That it should be a supportive not the other way around.
Meaning, sometimes I do ask myself what is the meaning of my life, what is the reason
why I am still fighting and living my life, but I always think to myself that I should continue
to live my life until I can finally know what is my purpose. Until I became contented and
happy to what I am doing, until I am able to help those people who needs my service. I
sometimes think of the things I am good at, because I feel like I know to do things but I
am not good enough to say that I am good at it. Accomplishment, I feel like I accomplish
something when I get a good result about the things that I do, or if I feel contented to
my works. There this question that made me think “How do I define success?” honestly
my definition of success is when I can finally say that I am happy to the outcome I
receive.
At the end of the discussion, Ma’am Ava has a question “Where will you begin
and most importantly when?” it actually made me think, when should I look for JOWA,
where should I start, and my answer is that I will start now, I will use what I learned to
day to find my JOWA. This symposium today is very fun and enjoyable. I learned a lot
from Ma’am Ava and I will do my best to apply it in my daily life.