The state of mental health among Pinoy workers was aggravated and became prominent as an after effect of the COVID-19 pandemia. Many employees who either lost their means of livelihood like those in the transport and food service sectors count among those least comfortable to show their mental concerns to their supervisors, relatives or even friends.
They obtained data through a survey conducted with mental health organization “Calm Collective Asia” by Milieu Insight (M I) showed the following data –

– 38 percent of employees in the Philippines do not feel comfortable sharing their mental concerns with their supervisor, manager or relevant Staff;
– 62 percent of employees in Singapore (actually taking the lead);
– 45 percent of employees in Malaysia (second place);
– 34 percent in Indonesia;
– 33 percent in Thailand;
– 21 percent in Vietnam.

The survey among 6,000 employees of 6 Southeast Asian, conducted in September 2022, showed that 38 percent across do not feel comfortable sharing about their mental health concerns with their managers.

The aim of the M I research-survey in Southeast Asia was “to understand the mental heath needs of employees in S E Asia and how these can be addressed in the workplace.
In the Philippine, the scenario showed the following challenges –

– 52 percent of Pinoy employees feared being judged or discriminated;
– 47 percent not wanting to burden people with their problems;
– 41 percent felt that one may understand what they are going through.

Also, in terms of the Pinoy workers top stressors, respondents said about having anxiety symptom (47 percent), while others experience being burned out (46 percent). And, when the same respondents were asked about their preferred mental health resources in the workplace are flexible work arrangements (49 percent), paid mental wellness leave or time (43 percent and budget for health and wellness activities (36 percent).

MY COMMENT:
I agree with the Milieu Insight’s overall survey data on Southeast Asian workers responses saying that “psychological safety” is either non-existent or poorly implemented, making it a barrier to normalizing mental health conversations in the work place.” Also, as observed, is the absence of psychologist items, want of psychology clinics even in some big-named companies, to cater to the mental health-related cases of employees. I suggest that Congress tackles the issue seriously by passing measures that will make it mandatory, in all establishments with 50 or more employees to have Psychologists available 24/7 and a working Psycho Laboratory equipped with basic instrumentations and manned by academically prepared and trained personnel!
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ON the Solemnity of St. Joseph which this year is celebrated on March 20 instead of the usual March 19, since the latter date falls on a Sunday that is always dedicated to the celebration of Christ’s life, we are reminded that this great and privileged man teaches us how to take care of Christ who as a growing boy also had to be trained in fulfilling the basic duties and virtues common to all humanity.

If we consider that Christ, as man, also had to be born, to grow and mature in us, then it should come as something automatic to us that having a deep devotion to St. Joseph can truly help us become “another Christ” as we should, especially in the “growing years” of Christ in us.

Let us remember that Christ is both God and man, his divinity is always united to his humanity. Knowing how Christ developed in his humanity could help us to understand and enter into his divinity. The humanity of Christ is the “way, the truth and the life” shown and shared with us to lead us to his divinity.

Yes, for us to be “another Christ” in his adult and mature stage, we have to learn first how to be “another Christ” in his childhood days. We have to learn how to bring up the child Christ in us into the adult and mature Christ. We just cannot have the adult and mature Christ in us without knowing the child Christ and what went through his childhood.
In this, we have to remember that Christ made himself subject to Mary and Joseph. In the gospel, there is a passage that describes this truth. It’s that part where the child Christ was lost and then found, and returned to Nazareth. “He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He was subject to them.” (Lk 2,51)

We have to realize that the Christ who in his public life went around preaching and doing many wonderful things and, in the end, offered his life on the cross for the salvation of all mankind, also had to learn how to do the ordinary and little things in his hidden life in Nazareth.

It definitely is a good idea to approach St. Joseph to ask him how to make the Christ as a boy in us learn some basic skills to become Christ in his mature and definitive stage in us. Yes, in a manner of speaking, Christ also has to grow in us from childhood to adulthood, and St. Joseph can play an important role in this regard.

Thus, we have to make our devotion to St. Joseph a real one, not just something sentimental, or something done out of mere compliance, or just for show. If our faith is strong and deep, we know that St. Joseph can be very much alive in our mind and heart and is eager to help us. We should be quick to discern what he is teaching us with regard to how to bring up the boy Christ to be the adult Christ.

Here we should realize the importance of the hidden life of Christ as a preparation for his public life. How Christ was as a child, how he was trained and brought up by Mary and Joseph somehow determined how Christ was to be in his adult and mature life.
The way he spoke, the way he worked, the way he treated women, the virtues of fortitude, endurance, humility, etc. must have been learned with the help of Joseph together with Mary.