5 Filipino realities that harm our well-being and what we can do about them

Given that a significant portion of Filipinos fall into low-income (58.4%) and middle-class (40%) brackets, with the PSA setting the poverty threshold at a national average of P13,873 per month, it’s no surprise that many of us feel trapped in the daily grind, burdened by mounting bills and financial pressures.

While we manage to show up day after day, it’s easy to overlook how the relentless pace, digital overwhelm, and often unspoken cultural stressors contribute to the decline of our mental, emotional, and physical health.

To help us recognize these issues and suggest ways to improve our overall quality of life, we spoke with experts Luis Serafin Cosep, a sports scientist and performance specialist, Celine Ann T. Ibay, a mental health occupational therapist, and Celine Sugay-Costales, a licensed psychologist and certified positive psychology coach about how our daily lives affect our mental well-being and what we can do about it.

Everybody wants a comfortable life, but that typically entails working hard to earn the money to support that lifestyle. The endless cycle of work leaves little room for personal time, which can severely impact our mental and physical well-being.

“Time is gold,” as the saying goes, and once it’s spent, there’s no way to get it back. But truth be told, most of our time is spent working, with Filipinos spending a whopping 40.63 hours per week doing the hustle, landing us at the second to the last in work-life balance, according to Remote, a human resource platform.

This relentless work ethic often comes at the cost of family time, leisure, and even basic self-care. “It even comes to the point of having very little ‘me’ time—time for ourselves where we just want to ‘be,’ rather than ‘do’ all the time,” Ibay said.

Managing time effectively is crucial to prevent burnout, she said. “Our own mental health and well-being gets sacrificed in the long run,” Ibay added.

2. Our daily commute is taking a toll on us. The Philippines is notorious for its traffic congestion, with Filipinos commuting anywhere from 15 minutes to over an hour daily, intelligence platform Statista reports.

But regular commuters will agree that this is a significant underestimation, especially during the "-Ber" months when vehicle volume in Metro Manila rises by 20%, the MMDA said. 

A 2022 study shows that more time spent on daily commutes is linked to higher stress and fatigue levels, poorer mental health, and lower lob and leisure satisfaction.

Sugay-Costales suggests making the most out of long commutes to compensate. “Use your time commuting to be productive,” she advised. Whether it’s listening to an audiobook, watching educational videos, or simply meditating, using this time can help you feel like you’ve done something beneficial for yourself rather than just losing hours in traffic, she said.

“Create pockets of time where you can do something for yourself,” Sugay-Costales suggested. This can be as simple as five minutes of meditation in the morning, but it’s important to plan for it. “Create a plan for these things instead of winging them. You are more likely to do something for yourself when you plan for it than if you just ‘wait and see’ if you can get around to it,” she explained.

3. We have an unhealthy relationship with social media use

According to the Digital 2024 report published by DataReportal in partnership with Meltwater and We Are Social, Filipino online users lead the world in weekly video content consumption. Additionally, the report shows that we rank fourth globally in time spent on social media, averaging three hours and 34 minutes online daily.

But social media platforms — designed to make it easier than ever for people to stay connected — users don’t necessarily foster deep, meaningful relationships. In fact, those who use social media to maintain relationships may feel lonelier than those who use social media for other reasons, a study published in 2023 said.

Many people also engage in “revenge bedtime procrastination,” doomscrolling until the wee hours of the night to “get back” for not having enough time for themselves during the day.

Ibay advocates for a social media detox. “I found myself often scrolling ENDLESSLY through my phone and not noticing how much time has actually passed! Often, I was bummed out about how I wanted to do and try new hobbies but never found the time to do so.”

She shared that when she cut down her social media accounts to just her personal Facebook and Instagram, she started having a lot more time for her interests and hobbies, like crocheting and gardening. 

“I learned how to connect with myself, my environment, and even with my friends by disconnecting (from the internet),” she added.

The typical modern lifestyle—working at a desk job and spending “leisure time” scrolling through a phone or watching Netflix while eating junk food on the side—paints a clear picture of a sedentary existence. 

Extended periods of sitting can lead to a range of issues, including obesity, heart diseases, and mental health problems like anxiety and depression.

You can tweak your daily routine to help you become more active. For example, try standing instead of sitting while on public transport, or better yet, walking to work. However, it’s understandable if this isn’t appealing—our country’s humidity can make for a sticky situation when you arrive at work.  

In that case, make the most of your workplace’s cool environment and stay active during work hours. “Sitting down for extended hours can impact our physical well-being,” Sugay-Costales notes. She recommends taking time to stretch and walk, even if it’s just for 10 minutes a day. If you work from home, using a standing desk makes all the difference—it burns more calories and makes you more productive. 

Better yet, look for an active hobby you can do during the weekend or in the evening after work. Cosep suggests finding an activity that you enjoy the most. 

“It’s easier to stick to something if it’s fun. Try different sports, go to different locations, or try it with friends and family. Nothing makes time faster when you’re having fun,” he said.

According to Cosep, adults should aim for 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous cardio each week, along with resistance or weight training twice a week targeting multiple muscle groups. “Ideally, this should be spread throughout the week,” he added.

That said, 15 minutes of jogging after work or joining a spin class once a week should be enough to keep you in the “active” category.

5. Mental Health Often Gets Neglected in the Hustle

Mental health is frequently overlooked as we focus on daily responsibilities. However, neglecting it can lead to more serious issues, including anxiety, depression, and burnout.

In the Philippines, where hustle culture is prevalent, mental health problems often go unnoticed and missed. Based on the Special Initiative for Mental Health conducted in the early part of 2020, 3.6 million Filipinos, or around one in 30, have one kind of substance use, neurological, or mental disorder.

And do you know what can increase your risk of having these conditions? Stress. 

One simple way to reduce your stress is to practice gratitude. Sugay-Costales suggests practicing gratitude daily. “Find something to be thankful for, no matter how small,” she advised. This simple practice can shift your focus to the positives in life, boosting your emotional well-being.

Take a break—literally. Ibay explained, “People who go on frequent vacations are happier.” She specified not going over eight days, referencing a study that said it might take eight days before a person shakes off their stress. However, the positive feelings that come with vacations drop drastically by day 11.

“The Philippines has approximately one month combined worth of regular and special non-working holidays every year. We should use them, along with our leaves, to our advantage as much as we can,” Ibay encouraged.

Traveling to new places and having novel experiences can help us find ourselves—and our purpose again—something that may get lost over the continuous cycle of repetitive work.

“It allows us to interact with the environment around us, with different stimuli, and integrate it in our minds and memories to hopefully create better personal goals, emotions, and inner beliefs,” said Ibay.

— LA, GMA Integrated News