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Employee Wellness How To Mental Health 101 Self Help

The Weight of Waiting:  Anticipatory Stress And 5 Effective Ways To Overcome It

Are you consumed by heightened anxiety while waiting for a future event such as a work presentation, an exam, or a first-time plane ride? You might be experiencing anticipatory stress or “pre-event” stress. This happens when dread builds up and you stress out ahead of time, leading you to experience extra stress. This unhealthy amount of worrying can leave you restless, trapped, and mentally depleted.

How Is Anticipatory Stress Different From Other Forms Of Stress?

Stress, anxiety, and anticipatory stress are related but distinct experiences. Stress is the body’s physical response to current external pressures or demands, such as managing a heavy workload or dealing with a difficult colleague. Anxiety, on the other hand, refers to the general state of unease and intense worrying about things that may be absent and without clear triggers. Anticipatory stress is related to anxiety, but what sets it apart is a specific trigger: an uncertain future outcome.

In contrast with other forms of stress, anticipatory stress, on the other hand, is based on perceptions and expectations rather than the actual situation itself. It often stems from uncertainty, lack of confidence and control, and fear of the unknown. Moreover, this form of stress can  be prolonged if the waiting period takes longer.

In contrast with other forms of stress, anticipatory stress, on the other hand, is based on perceptions and expectations rather than the actual situation itself.

What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Anticipatory Stress?

  • Feeling tense and on edge
  • Racing thoughts
  • Increased heart rate and breathing difficulties
  • Sleep problems
  • Upset stomach, diarrhea, and frequent urination
  • Irritability
  • Difficulty in concentration
  • Anticipating the worst
  • Unhealthy behaviors such as stress eating, drinking, avoidance, and procrastination
  • Low levels of self-esteem and confidence

How Can You Cope With Anticipatory Stress?

While worrying is normal, people with greater tendency to be a worrier or to overthink things may be more prone to anticipatory stress. Fortunately, there are many strategies that can help you cope with anticipatory stress and prevent it from taking over your life.

  1. Challenge and reframe your thoughts. Anticipatory stress is often based on negative or irrational thoughts, such as “I’m going to fail” or “Everyone will judge me.” Challenge these thoughts by acknowledging that the event you dread may not play out as negatively as you imagine. You may try to create facts or action steps to counter the negative thoughts. Remember the ratio 1:5. Pair 1 negative thought with 5 healthy or positive thoughts and facts about the situation.
  2. Preparing and planning ahead as much as possible may reduce anticipatory stress. You can do this by rehearsing the situation, visualizing positive outcomes, or making a checklist to help you feel more in control.
  3. Ground yourself by focusing your attention on what you can control in your day-to-day activities. You can also do this by reflecting on your routine prior to the event that causes anticipatory stress
  4. Be compassionate to yourself. Positive affirmations can help to establish strength of character. Recognize the things that you have successfully completed despite facing anticipatory stress. Remind yourself that you can take one step at a time.
  5. Seek help from a trusted friend or family member to manage and release anticipatory stress and develop effective coping strategies.

If talking to a friend doesn’t work, help can also come from a MindNation WellBeing Coach or Psychologist. They can help you manage your stress, anxiety so that you can live your best life today without constantly worrying about tomorrow. Book a session now by downloading the MindNation app at mindnation.com/app.

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Employee Wellness Featured Mental Health 101 Self Help Work in the New Normal

#HavenForHer: How Home Credit Promotes Women’s Safety And Wellbeing In The Workplace

Women’s presence makes the workplace more meaningful. But do organizations create an equally nurturing environment where they can flourish? Companies should cultivate psychologically safe spaces for female employees. And that’s what Home Credit Philippines and its Chief People Officer, Alpha Omega Aquino, are doing.

Alpha was one of the many Filipinas who struggled with work-life balance when she worked abroad. Apart from long, stressful work hours, she had to be absent from important family events, felt isolated, and was constantly on the verge of burnout. Working as a woman in a non-Catholic country and male-dominated industry was challenging due to her gender. These negative experiences led to frustration and anger, feelings of inadequacy, and even depression. 

After 15 years of working overseas, Alpha decided to go back home and eventually found her way to Home Credit in 2019. 

 Home Credit provides world-class financial inclusion, lending, and other similar services to customers, mostly first-time borrowers. They take pride in being a financial ally that develops and delivers innovative financial services for financing purchases, for their clients to save for the future, and for businesses to develop closer relationships with their customers. As the company’s current Chief People Officer for four years now, Alpha takes care of over 14,000 employees, ensuring that their physical, mental, social and financial needs are met. She especially strives to make sure that the women of Home Credit won’t have to experience what she has gone through. 

Creating a #HavenForHer: What Companies Can Do To Promote Women’s Safety And Wellbeing In The Workplace

Home Credit and Alpha are at the forefront of ensuring that Home Credit’s employees, especially women, work in a safe space where they won’t have to feel excluded, stressed, and mentally depleted. “Twice a year we have our eNPS survey, [in] which more than 85% of our employees participate. It’s a very good data point for us to improve the services we provide for our employees,” Alpha tells MindNation. This way, Home Credit can stay on top of employee wellbeing, maintain their job satisfaction, and foster engagement. The data that they gather also informs how Home Credit can address their concerns, create positive mental health outcomes, reduce stress and anxiety, and help employees at risk for mental health issues by providing them with psychosocial support and resources.

Home Credit is also committed to promoting gender equality in the workplace by providing equal pay and opportunities for women to advance in their careers. They also offer hybrid work arrangements and wellness leaves to support work-life balance. In addition, they foster a culture of respect and inclusion by addressing and preventing harassment and discrimination of women and promoting diversity and inclusion.

Home Credit is also committed to promoting gender equality in the workplace by providing equal pay and opportunities for women to advance in their careers.

Supporting Companies In Creating A Gender-Inclusive Workplace Culture

The commitment of Home Credit and Alpha to building a work culture that prioritizes health and wellbeing has earned them Workbean’s Workplace Health Advocate of the Year Award. last March 2023. Read all about it here. With the initiatives mentioned, Home Credit and Alpha successfully created a positive, respectful, and supportive workplace culture that every woman can describe as a #HavenForHer.

MindNation is also committed to supporting companies in creating a gender-inclusive workplace culture that prioritizes employee wellbeing. With the help of our mental health professionals, we can guide you in building a culture of empathy and mutual support that employees will find healthy, fulfilling, and meaningful. For more information, email us at [email protected].

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Featured

MindNation Partners With City Government Of Pasig To Make Mental Health Care More Accessible To Employees And Constituents

The social and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed people to situations linked to poor mental health outcomes, such as isolation from loved ones, fear of the virus, business bankruptcy and job loss, and even return-to-work anxiety. Because of this, experts have declared that the next global health crisis will be a mental health pandemic.

To help address these issues, the local government of Pasig City in the Philippines and MindNation renewed and expanded the partnership that began in December 2020.  Under the terms of the revised agreement, MindNation will be providing FREE mental health services to City Government frontliners. Plans are also underway to extend the same service to Pasig City residents who are small and mid-size enterprise owners.

These services include 24/7 teletherapy sessions with psychologists, 24/7 chat support with a trained mental health professional, mental health webinars, and Premium access to the MindNation app. 

“We are very thankful to MindNation for reaching out to our local government unit and greatly alleviating the stresses of our public servant employees through their advocacies in mental health.”

Atty. Diego Luis Santiago, Asst. City Government Department Head II from the Office of The City Administrator.

The partnership kicked off this morning with an onboarding talk from MindNation Chief Product and Data Officer, Cat Triviño, and a stress management seminar conducted by MindNation Chief WellBeing Officer, Eiza Fusingan for members of the City Government’s Ugnayan sa Pasig Unit and the Office of the City Administrator.

“A barrier to mental health support is inaccessibility; many are unable to receive appropriate, affordable services in a timely manner ” says MindNation Chief Impact Officer Kana Takahashi. “Community partnerships like these are key to improving access to mental health care and ensuring that people know where to go for help.”

“The importance of mental health cannot be overstated, especially from our experience during the time of the pandemic and even during our daily duties. Oftentimes, our frontliners come face to face with stressful situations, affecting us mentally and emotionally, causing new or aggravating already existing psychosocial disorders. We are very thankful to Mindnation for reaching out to our local government unit and greatly alleviating the stresses of our public servant employees through their advocacies in mental health.” says Atty. Diego Luis Santuago, Asst. City Government Department Head II from the Office of the City Administrator.

To explore partnership opportunities with MindNation, email [email protected].

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Featured

Putting Employees First

MindNation is running a series of articles about how the finalists for the Workbean Employer Brand Awards are building exemplary work cultures and making health and wellbeing a true organizational priority. 

Winners will be announced on March 2, 2023.

MindNation is the official judging partner for the Workplace Health Advocate Award.

Home Credit is the Philippines’ leading consumer finance company. They provide world-class financial inclusion, lending, and other similar services to customers, often first-time borrowers. 

MindNation: In what ways is the company’s leadership team prioritizing mental health, and how is it incorporated into the overall business strategy?

Home Credit: At Home Credit, we understand that an essential part of our employees’ success and productivity is their mental health and overall well-being. We actively work to create a work environment where everyone feels safe and supported.

Aside from providing all our employees with enhanced mental health care benefits through our HMO, we also empower them with proactive approaches to caring for their well-being. We’ve combined our Sick Leaves and Vacation Leaves and transformed them into Wellness Leaves, so they have more flexibility to take care of the things that matter to them. On top of that, we acknowledge that celebrating birthdays with family and loved ones is important, so we have added a Personal Holiday that our employees use during their birthdays. In addition, we have monthly engagement activities to give employees a break from their daily activities. Finally, we’ve brought back our hobby clubs where employees can socialize with other employees with similar interests and advocacies.

Over the years, we have been actively working to make employee health and well-being not only an essential part of our business strategy but embedded into our everyday employee experience.

MindNation: How does Home Credit promote a culture of open communication and support for employees experiencing mental health issues?

Home Credit: One of our Home Credit Leadership Qualities is People Centricity which in part reads, “Create an inclusive environment where everyone is respected, can be themselves and strive to be their best”, and this is something that we really take to heart. We have a lot of open lines of communication available all the time to our employees. Managers are encouraged and trained to regularly have 1:1 conversations with each team member to support them not only on their work tasks but also on employee wellbeing. Employees are encouraged to maximize their wellness leaves, and if needed, utilize the mental health support through our HMO.

Over the years, we have been actively working to make employee health and well-being not only an essential part of our business strategy but embedded into our everyday employee experience.

MindNation is committed to supporting companies in creating a workplace culture that prioritizes the mental and emotional well-being of their employees. With the help of our team of experienced mental health professionals, we can guide you in building a culture of empathy, inclusivity, and mutual support that can help you create a workplace culture that is not only healthy but also fulfilling and meaningful. For more information, email us at [email protected]. 

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Employee Wellness Featured

Leading The Way

MindNation is running a series of articles about how the finalists for the Workbean Employer Brand Awards are building exemplary work cultures and making health and wellbeing a true organizational priority. 

Winners will be announced on March 2, 2023.

MindNation is the official judging partner for the Workplace Health Advocate Award.

Omni Channel Solutions is an organization based in the Philippines with Omni-Channel Retail, Sales, and Digital Marketing expertise that helps brands, retailers, and agencies drive conversion, implement marketing strategies, and scale their businesses.

MindNation: In what ways is the company’s leadership team prioritizing mental health, and how is it incorporated into overall business strategy?

Omni Channel Solutions: As an organization composed of employees from diverse backgrounds, Omni leaders ensure that the company is inclusive, equal, and has an accepting work environment. At Omni, leaders put great significance on the psychological wellbeing of team members as much as they value their physical health. Omni has several benefits which aim to alleviate the psychological distress employees may experience, including seven (7) paid mental health leaves per year. For further psychological consultations, Omni has partnered with a mental health and wellbeing provider to give employees unlimited counseling sessions on occasions when they need personal help. Our Human Resources team also conducts focus group discussions with all teams as a substantial way of checking our members’ welfare as a group beyond work discussions.

To protect their physical and mental well-being. Omni holds specific Equal Employment Opportunity and Harassment-Free Workplace provisions through the employee handbook and in-house seminars.

In addition, the organization is committed to strict compliance with Republic Act 10911, otherwise known as the “Anti-Age Discrimination in Employment Act.”

Ultimately, Omni promotes a healthy culture and a good working environment where discrimination, stigma, harassment, and such will not be tolerated.

MindNation: How does Omni promote a culture of open communication and support for employees experiencing mental health issues?

Omni Channel Solutions: Omni believes that the plight towards mental wellness has to be organized, realistic, and properly executed. To accomplish this, awareness is not enough; a solid support system is needed to directly address each employee in times of mental crisis. So on top of our partnership with a mental health provider, Omni fervently believes that having in-house mental health assistance will also be extra beneficial for its members. Two members of the Human Resources team, both psychology graduates, one of whom is a Registered Psychometrician, have been trained and designated as the company’s mental health officers.

Ultimately, Omni promotes a healthy culture and a good working environment where discrimination, stigma, harassment, and such will not be tolerated.

In 2021, the company implemented seven (7) paid mental health leaves as an additional benefit to its employees to help them regain themselves in times of mental anxiety, anguish, stress, and overwhelmed feelings. Omni strongly advocates for employees to have enough time to rest—both physically and mentally—to be productive. Providing such benefits that would specifically be used for this purpose reduces the stigma associated with mental illnesses. With this, employees will no longer shy away from acknowledging their anxieties and seeking professional help.

MindNation is committed to supporting companies in creating a workplace culture that prioritizes the mental and emotional well-being of their employees. With the help of our team of experienced mental health professionals, we can guide you in building a culture of empathy, inclusivity, and mutual support that can help you create a workplace culture that is not only healthy but also fulfilling and meaningful. For more information, email us at [email protected]. 

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Employee Wellness Featured

Promoting Holistic Wellbeing In The Workplace

MindNation is running a series of articles about how the finalists for the Workbean Employer Brand Awards are building exemplary work cultures and making health and wellbeing a true organizational priority. 

Winners will be announced on March 2, 2023.

MindNation is the official judging partner for the Workplace Health Advocate Award.

Tala is a global technology company building the world’s most accessible financial services.

MindNation: In what ways is the company’s leadership team prioritizing mental health, and how is it incorporated into the overall business strategy?

TALA: Tala promotes psychological or mental wellbeing and safety in the workplace. Talazens are empowered to speak up with ideas, questions, and concerns. Well-being is also one of the key areas that the management checks every year during our quarterly pulse survey, indicating that Tala is very much aware and concerned about the mental health of our team members, which is also aligned with our overall business strategy and performance.

Talazens have an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that can help them deal with the issues that somehow diverted their performance. We’ve also utilized our wellbeing and health insurance providers to create a robust annual wellness plan comprised of fitness sessions, webinars, kamustahans, and weekly boosts. In addition to this, Tala has implemented a global company holiday called “Sloth Day ” where Talazens are encouraged to disconnect, unwind, and recharge (on top of their planned leaves and paid time off), and enjoy a relaxing weekend. We also encourage our Talazens to take regular time off when they are able to unplug from work and don’t expect to answer emails or sSack messages until they get back to work.

Global working norms were implemented during the pandemic and are being practiced to this day to help with burnout, increase our effectiveness as a global organization, and prevent work from affecting our personal lives. This includes but are not limited to turning off Slack notifications when not working, not booking any meetings on a late Friday afternoon to prepare for the weekend, and not messaging your colleagues on their time offs or weekends.

Talazens have an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that can help them deal with the issues that somehow diverted their performance. We’ve also utilized our wellbeing and health insurance providers to create a robust annual wellness plan comprised of fitness sessions, webinars, kamustahans, and weekly boosts.

Meeting Free Week for the last week of December (during the December holidays) was also implemented globally for our team members to unplug so that they’re able to  enjoy a relaxing week of zero meetings.

MindNation: How does Tala promote a culture of open communication and support for employees experiencing mental health issues?

TALA: Tala promotes good mental health to help create a holistic working environment that increases Talazens’ productivity and keeps them engaged at work. We’ve built a culture of connection and feedback through regular 1:1s, group huddles, kamustahans, and office hours where everyone can ask questions and open up. We advocate a good work-life balance and make wellbeing one of the top priorities at Tala. We have a weekly reminder on the Employee Assistance Program wherein they can always reach out to our mental health provider if they’re experiencing any well-being issues or concerns. With our mental health policy in place, we’re also able to communicate and raise awareness among our team members to stay mentally healthy, and not be afraid to raise concerns related to depression, anxiety, stress, burnout, and other mental health issues. We emphasize that Talazens health matters to us.

MindNation is committed to supporting companies in creating a workplace culture that prioritizes the mental and emotional well-being of their employees. With the help of our team of experienced mental health professionals, we can guide you in building a culture of empathy, inclusivity, and mutual support that can help you create a workplace culture that is not only healthy but also fulfilling and meaningful. For more information, email us at [email protected]. 

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Employee Wellness Featured

Mental Health Matters

MindNation is running a series of articles about how the finalists for the Workbean Employer Brand Awards are building exemplary work cultures and making health and wellbeing a true organizational priority. 

Winners will be announced on March 2, 2023.

MindNation is the official judging partner for the Workplace Health Advocate Award.

Asticom Group of Companies is a Philippine-based shared services company that provides staffing and tech solutions that empower businesses towards meaningful growth.

MindNation: In what ways is the company’s leadership team prioritizing mental health, and how is it incorporated into the overall business strategy?

Asticom Group Of Companies: The leadership and management of the Asticom Group of Companies give importance to the mental health and holistic wellbeing of its people through various professional development and wellbeing programs. 

With Asti SPACE (Asticom Shared Platform of Accessible Courses for Employees), employees are able to engage in various learning and development courses ranging in both technical and people skills. In line with this, Asticom also supports the career development of its employees by encouraging them to pursue opportunities in other positions within the organization. This is done on multiple levels, inter-division as well as inter-company. Some key leaders have been rotated to as many as 3 companies.

Asticom also taps mental health professionals, registered psychologists, and psychometricians to conduct seminars that talk about recognizing emotions, communicating them, as well as having a growth mindset. Through these, Asticom is able to help its people become resilient, productive, and impactful.

More than those initiatives, Asticom Group of Companies, together with all of its subsidiaries, takes a firm stance against discrimination. Asticom does not tolerate any discriminatory acts, be it physical, verbal, or any form of harassment or sexual assault. Declared in Asticom’s Code of Discipline, the Professional Conduct section, are provisions highlighting the proper behavior our people should have towards their fellow employees. 

Asticom also prides itself as a company that continuously pushes for diversion and inclusion in the workplace. As a people-focused business and organization, they welcome people of different gender, ethnicity, age, disabilities, sexual orientations, and cultural backgrounds.

Asticom also taps mental health professionals, registered psychologists, and psychometricians to conduct seminars that talk about recognizing emotions, communicating them, as well as having a growth mindset. Through these, Asticom is able to help its people become resilient, productive, and impactful.

All these efforts are cognizant of their purpose and aim of improving people’s lives.

MindNation: How does Asticom promote a culture of open communication and support for employees experiencing mental health issues? 

Asticom Group Of Companies: Asticom Group of Companies promotes open communication by giving importance to the “voice of the employees”. Through quarterly pulse surveys, employees can voice out their concerns, thoughts, and point-of-views. It also surfaces the different motivators and levels of employee satisfaction.

To support that, the AGC management also hears from the employees through quarterly town halls and open forums. Feedback and data are gathered and used in action planning as well as in the improvement of various programs. 

Asticom also made efforts to improve the quality of conversations even when done virtually and offline. They do this by communicating with honesty and transparency, being direct with one’s feedback, offering solutions, and promoting understanding among each individual.

Finally, the challenges of changing work styles made it necessary to refocus on one’s well-being and mental health. With a hybrid work set-up, regular check-ins made it possible to build authentic and strong connections among the people of Asticom. This created opportunities for them to interact with one another on a personal level.

All these efforts boil down to having empathy and knowing where someone is coming from.

MindNation is committed to supporting companies in creating a workplace culture that prioritizes the mental and emotional well-being of their employees. With the help of our team of experienced mental health professionals, we can guide you in building a culture of empathy, inclusivity, and mutual support that can help you create a workplace culture that is not only healthy but also fulfilling and meaningful. To know more, email [email protected].

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Featured

 5 Celebrities Who Are Taking Mental Health Breaks

Grammy-nominated singer Shawn Mendes announced recently on his Instagram page that he is taking a break from his world tour to take care of his mental health.

“I’ve been touring since I was 15 and to be honest it’s always been difficult to be on the road away from friends and family,” he wrote. “The toll of the road and the pressure has caught up to me and I’ve hit a breaking point.”

Celebrities are human, too

Celebrities may seem like they have it all, but the spotlight does not make them immune to mental health issues. Here are other famous personalities who have also chosen to take mental health breaks at the peak of their popularity:

  • Prince Harry Of Wales

    While Prince Harry has always been open about his mental health struggles, many in the world were still shocked when he and his wife Meghan Markle decided in early 2020 to step back from royal duties and move to North America to live a quieter life.  In an interview with talk show host James Corden, he said the British press was negatively affecting his mental health. “It was a really difficult environment, as I think a lot of people saw,” he said in the episode. I was like, ‘this is toxic.'”
  • Naomi Osaka

    In June 2021, tennis superstar Naomi Osaka announced that she was withdrawing from the French Open to prioritize her mental health and self-care. “It’s O.K. to not be O.K., and it’s O.K. to talk about it,” she wrote in an article for TIME magazine. “There are people who can help, and there is usually light at the end of any tunnel.”
  • Simone Biles

A month after Naomi’s announcement, bemedalled Olympic gymnast Simone Biles also withdrew from the team during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to mental health concerns.”Put mental health first, because if you don’t, then you’re not going to enjoy your sport and you’re not going to succeed as much as you want to,” she said in an interview afterwards. “So it’s OK sometimes to even sit out the big competitions to focus on yourself, because it shows how strong of a competitor that you really are, rather than just battle through it.”

  • BTS

    In June 2022, global Kpop sensation BTS announced that they are taking an indefinite hiatus as a group and will instead focus on their individual music. They indicated that they wanted to use the time for personal growth and also manage burnout. “I always thought that BTS was different from other groups,” RM said in the video. “But the problem with K-pop and the whole idol system is that they don’t give you time to mature. You have to keep filming [producing music] and keep doing something.” 

Working hard is important, but taking mental health breaks can make you happier, healthier, and more productive. 

BOOK AFFORDABLE MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS WITH MINDNATION

Book the MindNation Daily Breather Plus © for only PHP3,000 to get 6 30-minute sessions with a WellBeing Coach © to calm your senses and practice grounding techniques to ease your anxieties. This bundle comes with MindED self-paced deep breathing and mindfulness exercises. Book and buy this mental health bundle now through http://m.me/mindnation?ref=book or email [email protected].

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Get Inspired

5 Fearless Females Who Are Inspiring Us Right Now

To cap off International Women’s Month, here are five women who are breaking biases, smashing the glass ceiling, and paving the way for future generations.

  1. Jessica Jung
    Korean-American singer, songwriter, actress, novelist, and businesswoman
Jessica Jung (Photo from Vogue)

“I actually learned that you should never give up, and if you love something, take courage and absolutely go after it.” — Jessica Jung

Jessica rose to fame in 2007 as one of nine members of the K-pop girl group Girls’ Generation. The group was dubbed by TIME Magazine as one of the most influential K-pop acts that helped introduce Korean music to the world, and in 2013 even became the first K-pop group to reach 100 million views on YouTube. 

In 2014, Jessica launched her luxury brand business Blanc & Eclare. She was subsequently dismissed from Girls’ Generation due to conflicts between the group’s schedule and her work with Blanc & Eclare. Even though fans questioned her decision, Jessica continued to follow her own path, releasing new music as a solo artist and becoming an actress. Blanc & Declare’s products are now being sold in around sixty stores in locations such as Seoul, New York, Beijing, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Taiwan, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Vancouver. In 2020, she published Shine, a young adult romance novel about a Korean-American K-pop trainee whose experience closely mirrors Jessica’s. A sequel, Bright, is currently in the works. 

2. Kathrin Jansen, Kizzmekia Corbett, Elena Smolyarchuk, Nita Patel, Hanneke Schuitemaker, Sarah Gilbert, et al.
The women who gave us the COVID-19 vaccine

Nita Patel

“Women often don’t recognize, you have incredible strength inside you. It just needs the right moment to come out. I think in science, you can do this.” – Nita Patel


Throughout the pandemic, women scientists, researchers, and medical professionals have been at the forefront of the rapid development of the COVID-19 vaccines.

  • Kathrin Jansen led the effort at Pfizer that produced the first vaccine approved for emergency use.
  • Kizzmekia Corbett is an immunologist in the U.S. National Institutes of Health who helped design the Moderna vaccine.
  • Elena Smolyarchuk is the chief researcher of the first completed clinical trials for the vaccine Sputnik V.
  • Nita Patel – and her all-women team of scientists in Maryland – led development of the vaccine for Novavax.
  • Hanneke Schuitemaker is the global head of viral vaccine discovery for Janssen Pharmaceuticals (owned by Johnson & Johnson).
  • Sarah GIlbert is the architect of the University of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.

This good news comes at a time when many working women are feeling the double burden of managing full-time work and household responsibilities due to pandemic-related school closures and work-from-home orders.  According to Nita, the COVID-19 crisis is negatively affecting women’s “productivity, boundary setting … and mental well-being.” But she also hopes there is a silver lining to the pandemic: A new generation inspired to get into science.

3. Angelina Mead King
Restaurateur, hotelier, race car enthusiast, sustainability advocate

Angie Mead King (L) with her wife Joey Mead King

“The greatest lesson I’ve learned is that life is very short to do things you don’t want to do, so make sure you spend your waking moments doing the things you love doing…”

After Angie King came out as a transgender woman in 2016,  she experienced many instances of discrimination, from being questioned by an immigration officer at the Changi Airport in Singapore to being asked to leave women’s bathrooms in public establishments. But with the support of her wife – international host and model Joey Mead King – the two are now one of the most prominent LGBTQ+ couples in the Philippines.

“I think a lot of shock value [comes from questions like], ‘How can a real woman still have a relationship with a transwoman?’ It’s so categorised,” Joey said in a 2021 interview. “[People think] if you’re a transwoman then you must automatically favour a male. Our relationship broadens people’s perspective on the possibilities of love. It’s not just A, B, or C.”

4. Monique Ong
Traumatic Brain Injury Survivor, MindNation co-founder and Chairman

Monique Ong

“If I just believed the doctor telling me that [I was] below average and cannot go back to work, then I would never get better.”
Mon sustained a devastating traumatic brain injury (TBI) in 2017 that left her with aphasia, a disorder that causes the patient to have trouble speaking, reading, writing, and understanding language. She was told that with therapy, her brain capacity could improve up to 80% — at the most. But she refused to let doctors determine her fate; in her quest to return to her normal life, she challenged herself and those tasked to treat her.  When she was tested by her neurologist six months after her accident, her brain was operating at 95%.

In 2019, she co-founded MindNation, an innovative mental health and well-being company that has grown globally as a trusted partner for organizations and communities alike.

5. Hidilyn Diaz
Weightlifter, the first Filipino to ever win an Olympic gold medal for the Philippines

Hidilyn Diaz (Photo from Tatler Asia)

“Don’t ever give up. Even if some are saying that you are not capable or limiting you… we are born to break barriers. You can do it.”

For the longest time, there are clear categories in sports based on which gender is most represented. For example, football, basketball, boxing, boxing, and weightlifting are examples of male-dominated sports because they are thought of as being more “masculine.” On the other hand, gymnastics and figure skating are thought to be female-dominated sports because they are more “feminine.” Hidilyn changed all that by not only getting the gold for weightlifting in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but also setting a new Olympic record for her efforts. 

Hidilyn’s success has attracted many young Filipinas to start taking up weightlifting themselves, bringing new meaning to the phrase “lift like a girl.”

Talk to a MindNation WellBeing Coach so you can reach your full potential and become the best version of yourself. Book a session now through bit.ly/mn-chat or email [email protected]. 


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Employee Wellness Featured

Top 5 Qualities Of A Good Mentor

A mentor is an experienced or trusted advisor who provides their mentee with the tools, guidance, support, and feedback they need to thrive in their career. A good mentor enhances an employee’s skills, cultivates leaders who can help the company further advance, and drives positive company culture. 

If you want to develop an effective mentoring program in your organization, partner with a mental health and well-being provider to avail of services that build happier, healthier, more empathic teams. Visit www.mindnation.com or email [email protected] to know more about our CareNow Plan© for teams.

Good mentors come in all ages, genders, and even educational attainments. “You can be a good mentor as long as you are dependable, engaged, authentic, and tuned in to a mentee’s needs,” says career and business advisor Grace De Castro of V+A Consulting, a boutique consulting firm with expertise in customized people programs and creative business solutions. 

It is not just a mentee who benefits from the guidance of a good mentor; mentors themselves experience the satisfaction that comes from giving back and having a sense of belonging. “A mentor can find a lot of growth if they are in a group that is supportive and safe, in a community that makes them feel heard and values their life experiences,” shares Grace. 

Mentors themselves experience the satisfaction that comes from giving back and having a sense of belonging.

Grace De Castro of V+A Consulting

If you feel you are ready to take on the role of nurturing someone’s career growth, here are the qualities that you need to be a good mentor:

  1. Optimism. A good mentor constantly uplifts their mentee.  “Make the person feel  that you believe in their potential, that you hear them, and are willing to listen to them,” says Grace.
  2. Teachability. While there are courses and certificate programs for aspiring mentors, these are not requirements to be good in the role. “There are many things you can do on your own to learn to be a good mentor, such as following thought leaders and statesmen on social media so you learn about different perspectives,” advises Grace. “And read! There are so many books that can help you become a better mentor, and don’t limit yourself to non-fiction, self-help, or personal development books. Fiction gives you a different view of how people are and can be great conversation starters. Lastly, immerse yourself with what’s happening outside; have a genuine interest in others.”
  3. An open mind. “A good mentor always comes prepared to be surprised,” advises Grace. “We are all human, which means that most of the time there are deep-seated reasons for mentoring that involve personal issues. So I always make sure I provide a safe space for my mentees if they want to talk to me about deeper matters.”
  4. A real desire to help but no desire to control the outcome. “Sometimes, people don’t necessarily need advice from a mentor; they just need someone to listen to them,” says Grace. “And when you provide a safe space for people to use you as a sounding board, you end up improving more than just careers.”
  5. Trust.  A good mentor never gossips about their clients. “I have lost potential clients because they want to know who else I am working with but I value confidentiality,” says Grace. “A good mentor-mentee relationship involves a trust component that both work very hard to strengthen over time.”