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Binibining Pilipinas International 2016 Kylie Verzosa pushes for mental health awareness
Since winning the Binibining Pilipinas International 2016 crown last April, beauty queen Kylie Verzosa has been juggling her time as a pre-school teacher, a runway model, and an advocate for depression and suicide awareness.
In a recent article by Manila Bulletin, the 24-year-old titleholder shares the personal reasons behind her devotion to the said advocacy.
According to Kylie in an Instagram post last Saturday, “Depression and anxiety are one of the youth's main problems of today. I want people to know that it is a real sickness and it affects people in many different ways. It is treatable, and you are not alone.”
“Mental health is something we do not talk about often. I believe that one of the most fundamental knowledge is how to manage our own mind and emotions, and this isn't something taught in schools but eventually learned through searching and experience. And also highly believe that our success depends upon our mindset,” she added.
The Filipina beauty queen pushes for a more open conversation about mental health, doing away with the stigma and prejudice.
More than anti-depressants and other medication, Kylie believes that being in touch with one's self—or self-awareness—is an important factor in maintaining a stable and healthy state of mind, and stress-related diseases are just as real as any other illnesses experienced by human beings.
“Also, it's about time to talk about focusing on our inner selves and dive into a much deeper understanding of things. This is the time where we need to quiet ourselves, become self-aware, and learn to expand our consciousness. Because this knowledge hasn't been adopted nor accepted yet in society,” the Binibining Pilipinas 2016 titleholder said.
She explained further, “Depression is a stress-related disease and I present to you other ways of overcoming it instead on relying on western anti-depressive medication that have been know to be causes for suicide.”
“If we understand more on how our own mind and emotions function, by maintaining a healthy lifestyle, by being generous with our thoughts, and if regularly take time to settle in our own depth, then I really think we can make that change in the world,” Kylie concluded.
The beauty queen from Baguio City is set to represent the Philippines in the prestigious Tokyo-based Miss International beauty pageant this year, one of the “Big Four” international beauty pageants along with Miss World, Miss Universe, and Miss Earth. — Bianca Rose Dabu/AT, GMA News
