Is the Love Month really good for the heart.and mind?

MANILA, Philippines - This February, or the month of love for many, it is with no doubt that society would once again be struck by an enigmatic force of nature that seemingly conditions the human brain to be in love.     

Customarily, this conditioning is achieved by the number of imprints all over the city saying “I love you,” “I miss you,” “Can you be my Valentine,” to name a few, that create the whole February phenomenon, which seems to be enough to drive one insane: be it plain crazy or crazily in love, as some people would put it.

And this is because of the social pressure that is linked with celebrating the love month, according to Dr. Lourdes Ignacio, president of the World Association for Psychosocial Rehabilitation (WAPR), which is an international association of psychiatrists and mental health professionals and leaders.  

Ignacio said, “Occasions such as Valentine’s Day can create an invisible social pressure that pushes an individual to feel a sense of happiness and love that, at some point, may already become superficial and detrimental to one, because such emotions are not to be demanded from a person.”

And if you think about its long-term effect, such perception might even send a wrong signal to one’s mental health, she added.

“Because people may think that, to experience a feeling of love and happiness, one should first be romantically linked with someone to be able to join in the ‘love bandwagon’ that a great part of society has been following through the years.”

And this should not be the case, she said. “For instance, a lot of our youth these days think that ‘love is everything.’ Yes, this is true. But what we should first evaluate is their understanding of love because sadly today’s representation of this has become increasingly commercialized and hyped.”

One relevant downside of this is the rising reports of love-related suicides and crimes in the country. “Because some people have become so desperate for love that they tend to become irrational when dealing with matters of the heart,” she said.

And people must change this notion, according to Ignacio. “Love is as complex as the human brain. It means a lot of things and is linked with a lot of issues, such as depression and insecurity, which can lead to a more serious mental health problem.”

Intervention

As the first Filipina to head the WAPR, Ignacio aims to help those people who are struggling with the imperceptible, if not ignored, pressures brought about by social occasions, particularly Valentine’s Day.   

She said, “Through implementing activities and spreading information, we continue to pursue our objective of improving the quality of life of those who are and have suffered from psychosocial problems caused by heart-related crisis.”

In fact, on Feb. 19, WAPR-Philippines will hold a benefit show exhibiting the artistic prowess of Ballet Manila and Side A group as they perform in the world premier of Manuel Molina’s Love Beyond Goodbye, as choreographed to the arias of Josh Groban.

The musical-for-a-cause aims to campaign for the strengthened implementation of programs on mental health since its proceeds will be used for the activities of WAPR, which are geared toward uplifting the status of mental health in the Philippines’ health care delivery system and agenda.

“Like love, there is so much to talk about mental health. If only people would listen and if only people would be more open about it.” 

It is because the recovery of people afflicted with psychosocial disorders becomes all the more difficult when their social support is ignorant on what they are going through and what they need in order to properly get over the effects of an adverse life experience, such as social pressure. 

“With common ailments, we can react easily because we know that treatments are available and that recovery is very much possible. With conditions such as psychosocial disorders, oftentimes we won’t know how to react and we don’t know if a person we care about has a chance of recovery,” she said.

But generally, to rise above the pressures of society, Ignacio had this to recommend: “Today and every day, decide to smile and decide to love. And don’t wait for the next occasion to say and do it, because it is you who have the hold of your life. So, live it now and live it fully.”