In her blog, Woman in Action, Gretchen Ho shared her reflection on the ABS-CBN franchise denial and the country’s current condition because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gretchen recognized the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and believes that it will “get even worse before it gets better”.
She also emphasized the hardship our medical workers are facing with the end of this pandemic is yet unreachable.
“There seems to be no end in sight yet, with public and private hospitals reaching full capacity, and the virus getting nearer and nearer to even those in their home quarantines.”
Adding up the ABS-CBN franchise denial, which is personal for her, she admitted that being ‘hopeless’ and ‘helpless’ is inevitable at this time.
“It’s easy to feel helpless and hopeless nowadays, with the crushing headlines hitting you left and right. It’s even become personal to me as I scroll through my social media feed, seeing colleagues I grew up with, bidding their jobs in ABS-CBN goodbye.”
She then emphasized that we must do everything to protect ourselves and that includes our mental health.
My reflections on the ABS-CBN shutdown, the Philippine COVID19 pandemic, the scarcity of hope and why "time-outs" are important.
READ MY LATEST:https://t.co/1lXCnkXsSk
— Gretchen (@gretchenho) August 16, 2020
“No matter what our officials decide, and God forbid, we ever get to a clear plan out of this crisis apart from waiting for a vaccine, it’s become quite clear that we must do whatever we can to protect ourselves. That includes our mental well-being.”
Gretchen said that taking a break from work helped her to heal and ‘learn the importance of leaning back and being able to detach yourself from a situation’.
She then mentioned the importance of separating ourselves from our emotions.
“Our emotions say a lot about us and what we value, but we are not our emotions. There may be nights where we feel like sinking into the darkness, but we are also not our anxiety, nor our depression.”
She also said that creating an ‘internal bubble’ helped COVID-19 not to infect her psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually. The bubble caused her not to be blind to reality, but to filter what gets to her.
This means she gets to ‘pick’ what to absorb and what to reject. She said that she always starts her day with positivity, filling her mind with good thoughts.
“This helps to remind me that so much more is happening in the world apart from the COVID-related events. LIFE is still happening around. There is GOOD that remains.”
With the quarantine, she also learned to celebrate small wins, by focusing on things she can control and also learned to be grateful for all the blessings she has received.
“Some people may call this ‘toxic positivity’, but I don’t quite agree. In fact, I think it takes much courage to keep the joy and to keep afloat despite the times. By protecting your internal world, you put yourself in a more effective position to keep on fighting.”
She then advised people to take a break, if they feel they need to, as she realized the value of ‘time-outs’ or having a break from reality. Time-outs serves as a refresher, it gives you time to earn energy and strength and restart.
“If you’re feeling like taking a break, go do so. If you haven’t figured your life yet, it’s perfectly fine. Breathe a little.”
Gretchen then reminded everyone that at this crucial time, we must find hope within ourselves.
“Hope may be a scarce resource nowadays, and in times where we can’t find it outside, we must find it in ourselves. By finding the light within us and in the Greater Force that sustains us, it’s easier to light the way for others.”
