I don't like to sound like some boring and serious guy—but, in the here and now, I cannot help but say that mental health is serious business.
This happens to be the hard, personal lesson I learned from the pandemic. Before this, I really thought mental health concerns could be solved by simply having a strong mind.
How little I knew.
Mental health suddenly became a worldwide concern from 2020 and up. People were stuck inside their homes or tiny rooms or sublets, the lucky ones surrounded by family, the other half left for years with strangers, or even alone, almost all of them fearing the impact of the lockdowns—on their livelihood, on the safety of loved ones, and, for those who really got it bad, on coming under domestic abuse, and on having to face personal demons.
Even the World Health Organization (WHO) on June 2022 acknowledged that “COVID-19 has sparked or amplified much more serious mental health problems” in many people.
“A great number of people have reported psychological distress and symptoms of depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress,” said a WHO report on June 16, 2022.
At the peak of the health crisis worldwide, people also spent more time picking up information from social media sites.
And, given the uncertainty of the times, no wonder many people began looking for more feel-good stories.
This was when PEP.ph's NON-CELEBRITY SECTION was born.
TAKING ANOTHER ROUTE
While non-celebrity stories were introduced in PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) even before the pandemic, it was during the long isolation and lockdown that these stories began showing a leap in readership.
Our NON-CELEBRITY SECTION showcased stories about ordinary folk: From "Kuwentong Kakaiba" (strange occurrences) to service articles (ano ang pinaka-epektibong COVID-19 vaccine); from human interest stories (how teachers prettified a carabao-drawn cart to bring graduation ceremonies to each child's home) to tales of struggle and success (how a child goes through hills and mud and river to get to school).
Read:
- Community folks report “Kataw mermaid” attacks in Agusan del Sur river
- COVID-19 after a year: Anong vaccine ang pinaka-epektibo at iba pang mga tanong
- Graduation sa Antique idinaos gamit ang kareta with special participation of kalabaw
Then and now, PEP.ph's main objective was to introduce a different reading experience to supplement the experience of reading about entertainment and celebrity.
So, we featured more stories of students beating the odds:
The son of a street vendor and tricycle driver who finished Chemical Engineering!
A Grade 12 female student from Quezon City, who achieved a similar feat, accumulating scholarship offers in the total amount of PHP17 million.
What's more, our readers seemed to like our non-celebrity stuff!
The triumph of Bince Operiano, an impoverished nine-year-old boy from Albay, who won four medals in a chess championship in Thailand, was widely read.
We had articles that tackled seemingly mundane things: wrong-sent messages, a bakery offering cakes with very long dedications, an elementary student’s funny drawings, a student's cute bloopers in school, a bride who stops in the middle of her wedding dance to receive a Lazada package.
Read:
- VIRAL: Kinder student 'tumakas' sa classroom, hinabol ni Titser
- VIRAL: "Excuse later" at iba pang funny bloopers ng mga estudyante
All these caught the attention of PEP.ph readers.
EXACTLY HOW DO WE WRITE NON-CELEB STUFF?
Well, in most cases, before we actually write a word, we reach out to the people involved—ask their permission, give them a heads up—saying we would like to feature their inspiring stories.
Most of the time, they reply gladly and say YES!
Of course, we do not always get an enthusiastic response. (Life would be too perfect if we did.) Others take very long to respond, which in the digital world is like death. Some do not respond at all, which is not only discourteous, it is disheartening. And some simply don't want their stories published, period.
Personally, I am humbled every time someone agrees. I am even more touched when they add that it is their pleasure to have others find inspiration in their stories.
These simple statements convince me that they are not after the attention that social media can bring almost too easily.
Or even if they like the idea of going viral, I am still very glad they're sharing their story, especially when their deeper purpose is to make positivity itself go viral.
Honestly, positivity is what the world needs now. Lame as that may sound, I mean it wholeheartedly.
Happily, the PEP team has noted that readers are hooked to topics that are positive, relatable, aspirational. Stories of triumph, of beating the odds, of getting back up— these seem to generate a generally good feeling among PEP.ph readers.
It's been three years since this crazy pandemic and, apparently, it is not over. But people look like they're learning to deal with it. We've been catching flickers of optimism and we've been paying attention.
Who knows? Just like the stories we write for PEP.ph's NON-CELEBRITY SECTION, this could mean that people are beginning to see adversity as a chance for growth and, even better, for triumph.
