As I write this, I am grieving the loss of a nurse coworker. We salute frontline responders, who, despite the dangers, continue to give life-saving assistance and protection to those who need it most. What does it mean to be a hero, though? What does it take to help those in need, the impoverished and at-risk populations, and those who are most vulnerable in the event of a disaster? Why should we see the actions of people who lend a helping hand daily as heroic?

In these unprecedented times, Filipino frontline workers, like my fallen colleague, put their safety and well-being on the line every day to provide life-saving help and protection to those most in need, despite the genuine danger to themselves.

Since the beginning of the year, humanitarian workers in the Philippines have been on the front lines dealing with the challenges posed by COVID-19 and other disaster events, such as the displacement by the Taal Volcano eruption, the damage caused by Typhoon Odette, as well as continuing relief efforts in Sargiao, Cebu, and responding to those affected by the Palawan and Mindanao earthquakes. Despite the numerous dangers, doctors, nurses, and humanitarians continue to do their work, devotedly and selflessly assisting those in need.

After an earthquake, you may confront hazards such as damaged buildings, downed power lines, and leaky gas and water lines, to name a few. Follow the tips below to keep yourself and your loved ones safe after an earthquake. More minor earthquakes that occur after a significant earthquake are known as aftershocks. After an earthquake, they can occur minutes, hours, days, weeks, or even months later. DROP, COVER, and HOLD ON if you feel an aftershock.

Buildings can be damaged and rendered dangerous by earthquakes. In addition, the power is out, and there is a high risk of harm during and after an earthquake. Earthquakes can cause tsunamis in coastal areas in some situations. These can occur anywhere from minutes to hours following a powerful earthquake.

In the Philippines, where people live in rural areas and are impoverished, rescue teams are at a disadvantage due to a lack of resources such as medicine.

The country’s healthcare community has embraced a truly localized approach by understanding what at-risk communities themselves can do in these challenging times, based on years of reacting to numerous catastrophes and relying on national expertise and capacity.

In the Philippines, the private sector has also increased its resources and expertise, collaborating with other humanitarian actors and organizations to assist affected local governments and populations.

Isn’t it true that life would be so much easier if every day were rainbows and sunshine?

Unfortunately, that is not the case. Difficult times are an unavoidable part of life. Life can be so difficult at times that we don’t know how we’ll manage to stay strong in the face of it. These strategies will help you uncover your inner strength in various situations, from global disasters to personal losses.

5 Strategies in Finding Strength During Difficult Times:

1. Acceptance – Before we get to that level, we have to cycle through all of our prior emotions. Acceptance is achieved by a combination of denial, rage, bargaining, and melancholy. Accepting reality now will allow us to concentrate and find solutions to survive.
2. Ask for Help – Understandably, we can’t always manage everything ourselves. One of the most acceptable ways to stay strong through difficult times is recognizing that some problems are too huge for one individual to solve.
3. Offer Help for Those In Need – Helping others get through difficult times is not only excellent for the soul, but it’s also a great method to keep yourself going strong. Helping friends, family, or even strangers might “mitigate the impact of daily stressors on our emotions and mental health,” according to a 2015 study published by the Association for Psychological Science.
4. It’s Okay Not To Be Okay – When life gets overwhelming, reframing negative thoughts is one of the most effective methods to stay strong. This doesn’t mean you have to transform into a walking cliche, singing about the sun shining and putting on a cheerful face. It’s no good pretending to be happy, panicking, or anxious.
5. Pray – Whether you are feeling spiritual, mentally, or physically weak at the moment, finding strength will help you find courage, peace, and calm within you and around you to face your world.

COVID-19 has wrought many changes and instilled terror in many people worldwide during its two-year period. We are now confronting a war that we were unable to anticipate due to the global pandemic. We’re all fighting our own battles now; some are frontline warriors risking their lives to stop the spread of this sickness, others are fighting for their own lives, and the majority of us are secure inside our own houses, helping to halt the spread of this disease. We’re all fighting this problem in our ways, no matter where we are or what we’re doing right now.

Like my fallen colleague, the bottom line is that we can all choose to be the hands of a lifesaver wherever we are.

We undervalued the importance of handwashing until this outbreak taught us that such a simple gesture could save lives.

Handwashing with soap and water before and after activities can help prevent infections, including the COVID-19. Our first line of defense against disease-causing organisms is good hand hygiene.

Such microbes can enter our bodies in various ways, including touching our eyes, nose, and mouth, touching the food we are about to eat, and accidentally transferring microbes to items when we feel them, which can then spread to other people.

We engage in these common behaviors regularly, and they are difficult to avoid. The good news is that we can still do these tasks without bringing microbes into our bodies or transmitting them to others if we wash our hands properly.

Our hands are used in various daily activities, making them a beneficial human body element. Unfortunately, because they’re so widely used, they’re also a frequent way for disease-causing organisms to spread.

On the other hand, these hands can save lives; they’re utilized by medical professionals who are working tirelessly to help patients, they’re a part of scientists’ battle to find a cure, and they’re a critical component of many people’s efforts to combat this disease.

Our hands are so potent that they can save or endanger lives; luckily, we get to choose which one it is. We know your answer if you’re partaking and washing your hands.

The COVID-19 pandemic has uncovered a slew of vulnerabilities and our shortcomings in stress prevention. It has also demonstrated that the scale of the crisis outstrips any single partner’s or country’s ability to respond. It is, in fact, one of the most potent appeals for cooperation. Our ability to learn from our mistakes and remain devoted to the highest humanitarian values will be critical to our victory in this struggle.

Our real-life heroes have already set the benchmark. COVID-19 may be today’s supervillain, but that doesn’t stop our real-life heroes from performing their jobs and working relentlessly to find ways to counter the threat and eventually defeat the unseen nemesis. We grieve for the thousands of people who have died due to the virus worldwide, including my colleague I mentioned earlier.

At the same time, let’s join Filipinos and people worldwide in continuing the tradition of honoring the finest of human kindness, generosity, social justice, human rights, solidarity, and respect in the face of severe adversity.

We celebrate the qualities that make our first responders and humanitarians real-life heroes. We applaud them for continuing to put their lives on the line in the face of danger and uncertainty.