Self-care is the way to go

How to thrive in mental wellness

BY POCH EULALIA

Jan 9, 2024 10:11 AM

  

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AT A GLANCE

• Your mental health is everything— prioritize it. Make the time like your life depends on it, because it does.

• — Mel Robbins

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Often when things get so busy, we tend to neglect our own needs. This leads to a burnout of sorts or, worse, a melancholic feeling of not wanting to do anything. To ensure that our lives never get to that level, we need to focus on our mental wellness. Here are some self-care tips to make sure you treat yourself right. 

Prioritize your needs
Self-care makes or breaks our mental wellness. Always make sure you find time to take a break from things to dedicate time to activities that spark joy, relaxation, and rejuvenation. Perhaps choose to sleep in on a free day or engage in a physical activity to keep the blood pumping. Finding a hobby will also help in reducing stress and enhancing your well-being. 

Find time to socialize
Even introverts have a need to interact with their closest friends! Keeping to yourself for long periods can be damaging to your mental health as we are wired to be around others. Hit up a friend you haven’t talked to in a while and reconnect. As they say online, go outside to touch the grass and crack open a cold one with your pals!

Meditation is key
Mindfulness and meditation are powerful tools for nurturing mental wellness. These practices encourage being present in the moment, calming the mind, and reducing stress. Exercises like yoga and Pilates are a great way of clearing your mind and keeping your body active.

Time for a digital detox

Keeping our eyes glued to the screen might be appealing to pass the time but it can also be harmful if done too long. Social media often has us viewing the best parts of other people’s lives. This might lead us to think we aren’t doing things right if others appear to be enjoying more than we are. When you start to feel like this, it’s best to take some time off social media.  Engage in activities that do not involve screens, allowing your mind to rest and recharge.

Seek professional help
Therapy goes a long way. Sometimes there are problems within us that need professional help, and there’s no shame in that! Seeing a therapist or a counselor allows us to get a different view of our life. Often they’ll give us ways to cope, tools for managing stress, and most importantly a safe space to vent about our troubles.

Think positive
To be healthy in the mind, one must be free of problems. But to be free from problems, you need to look at the brighter side of life. Mucking about on the downside of things will only discourage you from being your best self. If life kicks you down, remember to kick back harder!

Philippine-German Relations (V) - Deutsch-philippinische Beziehungen (V)

Jose Rizal - the Initiator of Philippine-German Cultural Relations


After considering the diplomatic exchange of the British and Spanish government in Manila, Father Hermogenes E. Bacareza described in his book now a cultural link between individual Filipinos ad Germans.

One of the very first Filipinos who admired the Germans in the Philippines and abroad was Jose Rizal, the Philippines' national hero. More than anybody else, it was he who, "initiated the cultural relations between Germany and the Philippines and the German-speaking scholars" - as Dr. Celio Lopez wrote in "Rizal and the beginning of German-Philippine cultural relations: The Joint Enterprise, Manila Enterprise Publishing.

Lopez, a Professor Emeritus of Linguistic and Oriental Studies at the University of the Philippines wrote:

"With his inquisitive nature and thirst for knowledge, particularly in what concerned his country, Dr. Rizal sought out these scholars, exchanged ideas with them, and nurtured friendship to the end."

One of the German scholars and scientists whom Rizal befriended was Dr. Alexander Schadenberg, who became his personal friend. Schadenberg took great interest in Rizal and even made his the recipient of all his writings. Another scientist friend was Dr. Adolf Meyer, the director of the Royal Ethnographical Museum in Dresden. It was with Meyer and Blumentritt that Rizal discussed. 

Why Rizal chose to study in Heidelberg instead of Berlin. Hamburg or Munich seemed to find no definite answer. Maybe it was really the beauty of the place that attracted the Spanish poet Rizal.

(To be continued!)

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Jose Rizal – der Initiator der philippinisch-deutschen Kulturbeziehungen

Nach Betrachtung des diplomatischen Austauschs der britischen und spanischen Regierung in Manila beschrieb Pater Hermogenes E. Bacareza in seinem Buch nun eine kulturelle Verbindung zwischen einzelnen Filipinos und Deutschen.

Einer der allerersten Filipinos, die die Deutschen auf den Philippinen und im Ausland bewunderten, war Jose Rizal, der Nationalheld der Philippinen. Mehr als jeder andere war er es, der „die kulturellen Beziehungen zwischen Deutschland und den Philippinen und den deutschsprachigen Wissenschaftlern initiierte“ – wie Dr. Celio Lopez in „Rizal und der Beginn der deutsch-philippinischen Kulturbeziehungen: Das gemeinsame Unternehmen“ schrieb , Manila Enterprise Publishing.

Lopez, emeritierter Professor für Sprach- und Orientalistik an der Universität der Philippinen, schrieb:

„Mit seiner neugierigen Natur und seinem Wissensdurst, insbesondere in Bezug auf sein Land, suchte Dr. Rizal diese Gelehrten auf, tauschte Ideen mit ihnen aus und pflegte die Freundschaft bis zum Ende.“

Einer der deutschen Gelehrten und Wissenschaftler, mit denen Rizal befreundet war, war Dr. Alexander Schadenberg, der sein persönlicher Freund wurde. Schadenberg zeigte großes Interesse an Rizal und machte ihn sogar zum Empfänger aller seiner Schriften. Ein weiterer befreundeter Wissenschaftler war Dr. Adolf Meyer, der Direktor des Königlichen Völkerkundemuseums in Dresden. Mit Meyer und Blumentritt diskutierte Rizal.

Warum Rizal sich für ein Studium in Heidelberg statt in Berlin entschieden hat. 

Hamburg oder München schienen keine eindeutige Antwort zu finden. Vielleicht war es tatsächlich die Schönheit des Ortes, die den spanischen Dichter Rizal anzog.

(Fortsetzung folgt!)

Typical Filipino (XXXV) - Typisch Philippinisch (XXXV): Two kitchens - Zwei Küchen

 

In einem westlichen Haus ist die Küche ein zentraler Ort, da in der Regel die Frau des Hauses selbst kocht. Viele westlichen Küchen sind mit einer Essecke, dem Esszimmer oder sogar ganz offen mit dem Wohnzimmer verbunden.

Da aber Filipinos mittlerer oder höherer Einkommensgruppen einen Koch oder eine Köchin im Haus beschäftigen, ist die Küche lediglich Arbeitsplatz eines Hausangestellten. Diese Küchen sind keine hellen mit karierten Vorhänge verzierte und mit Elektrogeräten ausgestatteten Räume , die vom persönlichen Geschmack der Dame des Hauses zeugen.

Wenn Sie selbst kochen wollen, dann begutachten Sie auch die Küche, ihre Lage im Haus, ihre Größe und die Einrichtung.

Viele  philippinische Häuser leisten sich zwei Küchen: eine für die Dame des Hauses und einen unscheinbaren Raum in hinteren Teil des Hauses, wo der Koch an einem mit Gaskocher ausgestatteten Arbeitsplatz die täglichen Mahlzeiten zubereitet. Die Energieversorgung mittels Gasflaschen ist zudem überaus sinnvoll, da während der "Brownouts" Ihr hochmoderner elektrischer Superherd schlichtweg nutzlos wird.

Als zweckmäßige Anpassung verläßt sich die "schmutzige Küche" auf weniger ausgeklügelte Technik.

(Fortsetzung folgt!)

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In a Western home, the kitchen is a central place because the woman of the house usually does the cooking. Many western kitchens are connected to a dining area, the dining room or even the living room.

However, since Filipinos in middle or higher income groups employ a cook in the house, the kitchen is only the workplace of a domestic worker. These kitchens are not bright rooms decorated with checkered curtains and equipped with electrical appliances that reflect the personal taste of the lady of the house.

If you want to cook yourself, then also examine the kitchen, its location in the house, its size and the furnishings.

Many Filipino houses afford two kitchens: one for the lady of the house and an inconspicuous room in the back of the house where the cook prepares daily meals at a workstation equipped with a gas stove. Supplying energy using gas bottles is also extremely useful, as during the “brownouts” your ultra-modern electric super stove simply becomes useless.

As a convenient adaptation, the "dirty kitchen" relies on less sophisticated technology.

(To be continued!)