Life can be frenetic especially for people who need to effectively harmonize family and work responsibilities. At times, this leaves very little “me” time, giving an individual a deep sense of deprivation and may even result in depression, a common but serious mood disorder.

There is no magic formula to immediately cure this situation but one can prevent this by early detection and taking responsibility for one’s own well‐being. Keeping oneself in a holistic mode of self‐care can usher desired transformation in various aspects.

An informative and insightful session on how to achieve mental wellness was conducted by The Natasha Goulbourn Foundation (NGF), a non‐profit organization dedicated to bringing depression to light, in partnership with the Citizenship and Workplace Enhancement teams of Globe Telecom.

Renato Jiao, Globe Chief Human Resource Officer, said: "We believe in the principle that employees who are engaged, enabled, empowered and energized are productive and able to deliver their best performance, consistently making meaningful contributions to their respective teams, families and communities. Alongside a robust system for learning and development, Globe has various programs that promote holistic wellness for our employees – from nutritional and fitness programs, social and emotional initiatives, to even financial wellness. We are always open to new dimensions that enrich our approach to employee wellness.”

Highly-acclaimed fashion designer and wellness advocate Jean Goulbourn together with endocrinologist Dr. John Reyes and psychiatrist Dr. Jose Gerardo Los Banos treated Globe employees to a whole day of educational lectures and workshops on how one can prevent, recognize and treat this mental illness.

"The mind is the most precious and sensitive organ of the body but it is not given the utmost importance.  All illnesses of the body and feeling not well stems from the mind - it stems from decisions made, past future worries, and most of all the basic food that we eat daily can alter the thinking of the mind.  We can heal the body through the mind beyond perhaps what medicines can do as proven scientifically.  Thus, the NGF caravan this 2016 from schools to corporate focus on the mind-body connection.  NGF is happy to collaborate with Globe on our first pilot program for corporate and we hope to bring to other corporations a three-pronged program on mind, body, spiritual/ energy connectivity,"  said Goulbourn who is also the president of NGF.

One of the ways to combat depression is by boosting your mood with food.  Dr. Reyes said food choice impacts mental health so choose healthy food such as brown rice instead of white rice, raw honey instead of white sugar, olive oil instead of the usual vegetable oil, among others.

Lifestyle and work adjustments are also necessary to reduce stress and prevent or fight depression, according to Dr. Los Banos.  This can be achieved by having a good workplace, managing work time, matching skills with the right kind of work, maintaining good relationship with colleagues, and having an open line of communication with one’s superiors.

The workshop did not stop at simply helping the participants feel good but also taught them, particularly the women, how to look good through a free beauty makeover session from professional make up artists of Jane Iredale cosmetics and Rustan's.

Globe Telecom’s support for NGF, however, does not start and end with the lectures and workshops having been a partner of NGF for several years now. Yoly Crisanto, Globe SVP for Corporate Communications said:  “Globe is a champion of sustainability and one of its key principles is taking care of our people and their well-being. Our Circle of Happiness only works when our people are happy especially when they are at work.  We support the advocacy of NGF because we believe that maintaining mind balance is healthy, allowing our people to easily cope with stress.

Globe is a partner of NGF in providing the information and communications technology infrastructure for HOPELINE as part of the company’s CSR advocacy. Both NGF and Globe encourage those who need someone who can understand their situation, give advice and support, and bring light to their journey of suffering and pain to contact the NGF HOPELINE at (02) 804-HOPE (4673), 0917 558 HOPE (4673), and 2919 (toll-free number for all GLOBE and TM subscribers).