Nurses, Seafarers, Domestic Helpers, and other Overseas Filipino Workers or OFWs leave the Philippine shores to find a better life for their family and loved ones. OFWs are modern day heroes. But this comes at a cost. Just like all heroes have to make a sacrifice, right?

To help us better understand today’s episode, we talked about from a mental health point of view the movie starring Vilma Santos called “Anak” 

(00:00) Important Disclaimer

(00:14)  Introduction

(00:52) What are we going to talk about?

(03:18) Summary of the movie “Anak”

(07:39)  The movie’s 2 main characters Josie and Carla

(09:39) The Monkey Love Experiment 

(14:01) What does it mean when a child is emotionally abandoned and neglected?

(20:02) What happens when a child who feels emotionally abandoned and neglected grows up?

(21:37) What causes mental health issues among OFWs?

(26:13) What are the common mental health issues experienced by OFWs?

(31:09) A plea from your inner hurt child

(33:14) How to heal from emotional neglect or feeling abandoned?

(35:18) How can OFWs maintain a healthy state of mind?

(38:20) Our humble opinion on the move “Anak”

(39:30) Key takeaways

(39:57) Outro

Welcome to today’s episode of our second season focusing on The Effects of Love, Sex, and Relationships on Mental Health.

Today’s episode we will talk about extraordinary but often misunderstood people in our society; the Adults on the Autism Spectrum. To help us relate to adults on the Autism Spectrum and see how they navigate dating and finding love, we will talk about a documentary called “Love on the Spectrum”. This is is a 5-part documentary about young Australian adults on the Autism spectrum.

(00:00) Important Disclaimer

(00:14) Introduction

(00:57) What’s today’s episode about?

(02:20) Stereotypes of Autism

(03:48) What we need to know about Autism

(08:51) What does "Spectrum" mean in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

(11:57) Common Symptoms of Level 1 ASD also called "High-functioning Autism" or Mild Autism

(16:23) Get to know the young adults with Autism from “Love on the Spectrum” Documentary

(20:10) What common misconception about Autism the documentary dismisses

(23:45) Screening test for Autism in Adults: AQ test

(29:02) Tips and tricks on dating or loving someone who’s on the Autism spectrum

(35:06) Key takeaways from the documentary

(36:09) Outro

Today’s episode of Season 2 "The Effects of Love, Sex, & Relationships on Mental Health", we will talk about  the wide age gap in a relationship popularly called May- December relationship. Does age really matter in a relationship? Will this kind of relationship last? How do couples strengthen their bond?

To help us understand this type of relationship, we will critic and use the movie "Glorious" as an example. 

We will also briefly talk about another issue in the movie- verbal abuse suffered by the female main character. What’s the difference between a big and heated fight versus verbal abuse?

Here’s Episode 6!

This is the 1st episode in Season 2 of the podcast “The Effects of Love, Sex, & Relationships on Mental Health”

This episode focuses on our emotional baggage specifically from romantic relationships.

To help us have a better understanding, we will use the movie Hintayan ng Langit and its characters as an example. 

We will go beyond the heart breaking scenes, tear jerking lines, and most especially the character stereotypes.

(00:00) Important Disclaimer

(00:14) Introduction

(00:36) What’s today’s episode about?

(02:24) More on today’s movie-"Hintayan ng Langit"

(03:54) The Backstory of Manolo and Lisang

(04:43) Amateur movie critics in ACTION- our humble opinion

(07:42) A simple psychological profile of the main character- Manolo

(11:31) A simple psychological profile of the main character- Lisang

(13:10) Manolo and Lisang Relationship

(14:11) What is emotional baggage?

(16:35) Regret and Anger as emotional baggage

(19:28) Is carrying emotional baggage normal? What are the causes?

(21:14) Why do people hold on to emotional baggage? Why do we bury our emotions or bottle it up inside?

(23:00) How can you tell if you or your partner carry unhealthy emotional baggage?

(25:57) How to heal from emotional baggage?

(29:17) Key Lessons Learned

(29:31) How NOT to talk to Ghosts

(33:05) Did this movie make you cry?

(33:28) How do you rate this movie? 

(33:44) Will you recommend this movie?

(34:07) Mental Health Key Takeaways

(34:41) Outro

In this last episode of Season 1, Kristine and Dianne talk about creating and sticking with your mental health goals whether you have depression, anxiety or any mental illness or you’re just an average Juan and Inday looking to improve yourself.

(00:00) Disclaimer

(00:14) Introduction

(00:34) Meet the Hosts Kristine and Dianne

(00:46) What will we talk about today?

(00:56) Let’s check out the previous episodes

(01:38) Why set mental health goals?

(02:31)  What are mental health goals for people with mental illness and without any mental illness?

(03:48) Examples of treatment goals

(05:33) Examples of mental health goals

(05:49) Ask yourself these questions when creating mental health goals

(06:20) How to create your own personal mental health goal?

(06:51) What are S.M.A.R.T. goals

(09:05) What can prevent or derail me from achieving my mental health goals?

(11:51) How can I stick witch my mental health goals?

(14:17) Writing down things helps a lot

(15:03) Journaling your way to mental health

(16:41) Do vision boards help us in achieving our mental health goals?

(17:35) After creating your vision board, what’s next?

(18:17) Using a simple calendar and breaking down time to achieve your goals

(18:56) What happens when you don’t plan well

(19:09) Know your WHY

(19:40) What do I do if I’m having difficulty sticking with my mental health goals?

(24:03) Episode summary

In this episode Kristine and Dianne will discuss what you need to know about counselling and therapy. How do you know which one to do?

(00:00) Introduction/Disclaimer

(00:37) Meet our hosts

(00:45) What will we talk about today?

(01:02) Check out our previous episodes

(01:27) After my diagnosis, how do I know which help I need?

(02:51) What is the difference between counselling and therapy?

(03:52) On marriage counselling and couples therapy

(04:39) Key difference between counselling and therapy

(04:59) What to look for in a counsellor or therapist

(06:53) Ask yourself these questions when looking for a counsellor or therapist

(07:18) What to look for in a counsellor or therapist in the Philippines

(07:41) Tip: If you’re an adult male looking for a counsellor or therapist

(08:10) Weird question to ask your future counsellor or therapist

(08:45) What happens in my first counselling or therapy session?

(10:58) Weird questions to ask in your first counselling or therapy session

(12:50) Is it normal to cry during a session?

(13:16) Can I change and look for another counsellor or therapist?

(15:28) What to do if I want to change my counsellor or therapist?

(16:12) Common reasons to change you counsellor or therapist

(16:44) Things to do or not do to while on counselling or therapy

(19:37) Episode summary

In this episode, Kristine and Dianne talk about how mental health professionals assess and diagnose mental disorders. Is there a one, single test to know if you’re mentally healthy? Krisitne will discuss tests you can take on your own to screen if you have symptoms of depression or anxiety. And no, these are not the tests you can find in magazines! Before the episode ends, Dianne willingly takes a screening test for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The scores are, to say the least, pretty high!!

(00:00) Intro/Disclaimer

(00:55) in case you missed other episodes

(01:10) So what will we talk about today?

(01:42) What is an Assessment?

(02:33) Getting to know the real you

(03:15) What is a Diagnosis?

(03:42) What are the tests I need to take?

(05:51) Is there a mental illness test?

(06:42) Screening tests for my mental health

(07:57) What is a PHQ9 test for depression?

(09:04) What is a GAD7 test for anxiety?

(09:35) How do I prepare for a psychological test?

(10:31) How are psychological tests done?

(10:54) I’m done taking psychological tests, what now?

(11:48) I finally got my diagnosis, how do I deal with this?

(12:40) 3 Steps in accepting a diagnosis

(14:57) Experiment #1 Dianne takes an AQ test

(15:49) Some questions and answers in the AQ test

(17:49) Dan-dan-dan Dianne’s AQ screening test results

(18:35) Reflections on the AQ screening tests

(21:13) Episode Summary

In this episode Kristine and Dianne will talk about the mental health professionals who will help you - school counsellors, psychologists, and the psychiatrists. What is their educational background? Are they regulated? How much do they charge? And where do Life Coaches fit into all of these?

(00:00) Intro and Disclaimer

(00:41) The non-physical effect of the pandemic

(01:34) Brief background of co-host Kristine

(01:55) Do Filipinos know where to ask for help?

(02:28) Who are the mental health professionals in the Philippines?

(03:02) Your first interaction with a mental health professional

(03:40) Your interaction with a mental health professional outside of school

(04:25) School Counsellor vs Psychologist vs Psychiatrist

(06:39) Misconceptions of a School Counsellor in the Philippines

(07:53) How much do School Counsellors charge?

(08:20) What are Psychologists?

(09:45) What are Psychiatrists?

(10:55) How much do Psychologists and Psychiatrists charge?

(11:33) Does the Philippines have mental health care hospitals?

(12:37) What are Life Coaches?

(15:47) I have been feeling sad lately, am i depressed?

(17:30) I feel paranoid and I can’t sleep, do I need medication?

(18:29) How do I deal with the stigma on mental health?

(20:30) Episode summary

(20:54) Next week’s episode

(21:15) Outro

In this episode Kristine and Dianne will find answers to important questions you may encounter as you take the first step to a happy and healthy mind.

(00:00) Introduction and Disclaimer

(00:34) Brief history on the state of Mental Health in the Philippines

(02:07) When co-host Dianne started to be aware of her mental health

(03:05) What really is this thing called mental health?

(03:46) Does mental health even apply to me?

(03:59) When will I truly know I need help?

(07:54) Who is that person in the mirror?

(08:05) The traumatic experiences in my life

(09:26) What are the reasons I say to myself that prevents me from asking for help?

(13:33) Why is asking for help important?

(16:03) There is only one me

(16:30) Steps I need to take for my mental health

(19:37) Next episode

(20:02) Episode summary

Welcome your hosts Kristine, a registered counsellor, and Dianne, an Investment analyst and amateur interrogator.