“Stay active at home.”
This was the advise of Camillian priest Dan Vicente Cancino, executive secretary of the Episcopal Commission on Health Care of the Catholic bishops’ conference.
“Part of the well-being and resiliency of mental health is to stay active at home,” said the priest.
“Let us have a 30-minute daily physical activity. Our body and mind need activities,” said Father Cancino in an interview over Radio Veritas 846.
He reminded those working from home or attending long online meeting to “take regular breaks from seating by stretching or by getting a quick walk.”
The Department of Health said last month that at least 3.6 million Filipinos are battling mental health issues as the country continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic.
About 1.14 million Filipinos have depression, 847,000 are battling alcohol-use disorders, while 520,000 others were diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Several crisis hotlines have been launched in the country to help those who have mental health issues.
In April, the Health department’s hotline received 1,805 calls, which is 200 calls higher than the 1,604 calls recorded in March.
Between January and February, the same mental health crisis hotline has registered a monthly average of 289 suicide-related calls.
