“Let your mind serve you and not torture you,” thus said Dr. Clarissa Delariarte, executive secretary of Psychological Association of the Philippines, during her lecture in the webinar dubbed as “Paghubay: Understanding Mental Health in the Time of Pandemic” held on December 22, 2020, via Zoom, Facebook Live and Youtube Live.

The webinar, which was sponsored by Partido State University, Local Government of Goa, and Department of Education-Goa District, was also broadcasted via the partner radio stations namely: Radio Partido (DZRD), Kakampi Mo (KMFM), and Isarog Radio Broadcasting.

ParSu President Dr. Raul G. Bradecina delivered the welcome address wherein he emphasized the importance of having balanced health to function well. “Mens sana in corpore sano—a sound mind in a sound body,” said Dr. Bradecina.

Goa Municipal Mayor Marcel S. Pan also delivered a message, thanking the community for working together to prevent the spreading of the virus in the municipality. He also mentioned that even if the quarantine protocols have been effective, stress brought about by the pandemic is also an issue that the community should address. This was followed by the introduction of the guest speaker by one of the organizers of the event and a member of ParSU Board of Regents, Dr. Ruby P. Pan.

In her lecture proper, Dr. Deliarte enumerated the effects of the pandemic such as stress, limited social association, unemployment, changing lifestyles, etc. She also mentioned that despite all these, we still have a lot of roles to perform which is sometimes mentally and physically exhausting.

Dr. Deliarte taught the participants how to deal with stress using the PERMA Approach designed by Martin Seligman. PERMA is an acronym for Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishments. As per Dr. Deliarte, we should train our minds to focus on PERMA to lessen, if not eliminate, the stress we are experiencing.

The webinar also featured a special performance by singer Jed Madela. Afterward, an open forum was held where participants from public and private agencies asked questions and expressed their opinions.

Ms. Rina Abner, a ParSU faculty member who served as the host of the event, explained that Paghubay is a Bicol term which means to feel a period of relief and clarity.