“𝓢𝓽𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓼 𝓲𝓼 𝓪 𝓢𝓲𝓰𝓷𝓪𝓵 𝓽𝓸 𝓢𝓵𝓸𝔀 𝓓𝓸𝔀𝓷, 𝓝𝓞𝓣 𝓪 𝓼𝓲𝓰𝓷 𝓽𝓸 𝓴𝓮𝓮𝓹 𝓹𝓾𝓼𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓾𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓵 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓑𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴.”

Many students struggle to balance their academic tasks, personal responsibilities, and daily challenges. With all these pressures, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. To help students better understand and manage these experiences, the Social Work Major Circle (SWMC) officers facilitated and organized a seminar titled “Mind in Balance: A Seminar on Caring for Your Mental Health and Coping with Stress.” The activity was conducted on November 24, 2025, at the Iyaman Hall, Dakilan Building, Cordillera Career Development College (CCDC).

A total of 173 students from first-year to third-year levels participated in the event. Two guest speakers from the Philippine Mental Health Association – Cordillera Chapter served as resource persons.

The first speaker, Ms. Dully Mae B. Calicdan, a licensed psychometrician and Program Relations Officer, discussed practical ways to care for one’s mental health. She highlighted the importance of regulating emotions, recognizing early signs of stress, seeking professional help when needed, and building healthy coping habits.

The second speaker, Ms. Catherine Mae A. Empleo, also a licensed psychometrician and EAD-PRO, focused on understanding stress and responding to it effectively. She shared helpful insights on identifying stress triggers, practicing healthy coping strategies, managing time wisely, seeking support from others, and maintaining self-care to build resilience. Ms. Empleo reminded everyone that stress often builds up slowly—and even small problems can affect our well-being. This is why dealing with stress early on and breaking tasks into manageable steps can make a big difference, instead of ignoring them until they become too heavy.

After the talks, students joined a short activity where they wrote positive messages or inspirational quotes. These were collected, mixed, and randomly redistributed. Volunteers then read their messages aloud, filling the room with encouragement and creating an atmosphere of support.

To all students, remember this: challenges will always be part of life, and sometimes they will feel too much. But every time we choose to face stress with courage, self-awareness, and healthy habits, we grow stronger. By taking care of ourselves—mind, body, and emotions—we become more prepared to handle whatever comes our way.

In moments of pressure, pause, breathe, and choose to take care of yourself—because your well-being is your greatest strength.

By: Ms. Camile A. Ventura, SWMC Vice Governor

Photo Layout by: Jhulie N. Alangwawi, SWMC Vice Mayor