#HAWMC Day 12: Day of Rest

#HAWMC Day 12: Day of Rest

I have a number of blog posts piled up to be written and published, mainly because I was out of town somewhere in Dumaguete City where there was erratic internet access.  I thought it would be sort of a vacation, sight-seeing and putting my feet up to rest.  Unfortunately, work seems to catch up with me wherever I go.  

Mark, a colleague at the conference, asked me "what do you enjoy doing in your spare time?"... I stared at him, flabbergasted.  I had no answer to his question.  He laughed and added "so, do you have spare time?" and it was then that I realized that I am a workaholic.  I tend to accumulate all these activities that I want to jampack into 24 hours of a day.  There is so much I want to do in my life yet, it's like I might run out of time.  Carpe diem seems not able to capture the way I've led my life.  It's not even sufficient to suck the marrow out of life - there seems to be a restlessness in me that will not rest until some unknown goal is achieved.

Fortunately, I am able to enjoy the scenery and it is these sights that relax me the most:

Whether it is sitting on a beach, enjoying the sand, sun, wind and sky...

Or driving down country roads and exploring new places, beholding the beauty of the Philippines. Have you ever seen such blue like that?

Or cherishing the rare times I can arise with the sun, kissing the sea across the horizon... simply thanking God for a new chance at life and for giving us all these bounteous blessings.

There is beauty in a new day.  There is hope for the future.  So long as I wake with my beautiful roses blooming, I am happy.

Helen Madamba, traveller, happy with nature, pretty little rosebud.

#HAWMC Day 11: Pet Pal

#HAWMC Day 11: Pet Pal

I consider myself a dog person, and one memorable dog I had before was Trixie.  She was originally named by my auntie Annie as Patrixia Procorpia - "Trixie" for short.  She was the offspring of my auntie Nina's spaniel Lady and my auntie Rissa's Japanese spitz White Fang, so you'd imagine a short blond dog with white whiskers on her ears.  

Trixie was a faithful dog.  Throughout high school, she would sleep with me in bed.  I didn't really mind the dog hairs, but I had to be sure to bathe her before bedtime.  I was lonely in high school. Trixie kept me company.  There were times I would come home in tears, I would lock myself up in my bedroom and blast Miss Saigon on my earphones.  Trixie would lay down her paws on my chest, seemingly saying "it'll be alright, I'm here..."  Trixie was my faithful dog.

When I went off to college in Laguna, I had to leave home and board with a family.  I would come home on weekends and Trixie would be all excited to see me.  Because of the demands of college life, I would come home less and less.

I remember being the only one in our block to have a cellphone at that time - that big radio-like receiver with the long antennae.  It was using that phone that my dad called me one time.  My mom told him to be direct and to keep his message short, so he said "Helen, I need your blood!" -  what a shock that was, so I dropped everything and hurried home.  It turned out my dad was diagnosed with lung cancer and needed blood transfusion for severe anemia.  Even Trixie seemed depressed.  She was no longer trailing behind me, but was following dad wherever he went.  Nine months after diagnosis, my dad died quietly in the master bedroom of our house.  Everything seemed pretty quiet at home after that. Everybody felt at peace that dad was no longer in any pain. 

However, Trixie would not be consoled.  She kept staying in the garden outside the window of dad's room.  She kept digging among the plants until she made for herself a comfortable nook of earth.  It was about two weeks after dad's funeral that I found Trixie there, in perpetual slumber.  Trixie had found a way to follow after my dad.  Trixie had become my dad's pet dog.

Helen Madamba, dog lover.  In remembrance of Trixie.

#HAWMC Day 10: Comfort Food

#HAWMC Day 10: Comfort Food

Disclosure: I don’t cook.  I used to cook our simple inexpensive meals back in college to economize, but after that I realize that I am too absent-minded or too preoccupied to pay attention to cooking.  One time I set out to boil an egg, I left it cooking on the stove thinking that it’ll be done in 10 minutes.  So I left to do something else.  When I came back, the kitchen smelled of soot and smoke and burnt egg.  The pan looked like a dry charcoal-grill and I resolved never to cook again, for the safety of my family – both from fire hazards and from carcinogens found in burnt food.

One time I remember joining the summer camp in Badian, Cebu, organized by the Cebu City Taskforce on Street children.  I love soup, so I volunteered to cook one dish – to make Chinese oriental egg drop nido soup from scratch, so that the kids would know what “fine dining” tastes like.  It turned out ok since I put in my full attention so that we don’t waste the ingredients.  It was really good, if I might say so myself – one of my rare culinary achievements!  I proudly scooped up the soup into the kid’s bowls as they lined up for their share of dinner.  To my horror, they crinkled their noses, took a teeny weeny sip then poured the soup into the “lamaw” (left over scraps for pigs) bin… so that’s that.  I vowed never to volunteer to cook for streetkids again.

So we’re supposed to talk about comfort food.  My primary comfort food is sashimi and other Japanese cuisine – it’s healthy and yummy and fresh, and NOT “bawal” (prohibited) according to whatever diet I am on… I don't know technically how to prepare sashimi, but it seems easy to prepare because you can buy a slab of fresh or frozen salmon from your friendly grocery store, bring it home with wasabi and kikoman, cut into strips and enjoy! Good thing that Japanese restaurants abound also so that when I don’t feel like tinkering in the kitchen, I can just order it like fast food…

Helen Madamba, sashimi lover.

#HAWMC Day 9: Challenger

#HAWMC Day 9: Challenger

Overcoming a daunting challenge

If I had to choose among all the things I’ve gone through which I would never want to go through ever again, it would be first year residency training.

1.      

1. Blind obedience.  We were expected to behave like foot soldiers, nay slaves!  You are lower than the scum of the earth.  You are expected to follow orders with complaint and without question.  The words “wala po” (there is none) and “hindi po” (no) were erased from our vocabulary and replaced by “gagawan ko po ng paraan” (I will make a way) and “yes mam”.  If your senior issued you an order, follow it first before you ask questions.
2. Physical exhaustion.  In my eyes, first year residents must be super humans to survive extreme physical trials: functioning several days without sleep; learning to eat whatever food bites you can get your hands on in secret hiding places like even the toilet; walking around the hospital like zombies running on autopilot; being dead to the world enough not to feel it when robo-rat nibbles on your chocolate-smeared finger; learning to beg for blood at the blood bank for your patient utilizing all your God-given drama talents, or worse donating your own blood even if you’re post-duty just so your senior would agree to send you home…
3.  Emotional abuse.  Always being absent in family gatherings and having to endure the many sermons and public humiliations because you have not been able to perform to expectations.  I never got to see my mom and brothers, been out of circulation from my social life.  I would cry almost everyday because of the oppression.  You don’t eat so you lose weight.  You lose weight drastically, so much so that your parents wonder if you have tuberculosis or uncontrolled diabetes mellitus.  Suddenly, you need to buy a belt to keep your pants up and you hurry by Pedro Gil to choose from the wares of the street vendors because you never catch Robinson’s department store open. You suddenly get whiter from lack of exposure from the sun – you leave the house before the sun rises and drag yourself home long after the sun has set.  Several times you wish you could quit, but realize that your batchmates would have it so much more difficult if you leave.
4. Heirarchy of Needs.  As a first year resident, you are bottom rung.  Even if the second years are only one year ahead of you in training, you are still inferior to them hence you need to follow what they say.  The second years answer to the third years and the third years answer to the fourth years and the most senior answer to the chief resident and the consultants.  The buck stops with you though.  If there is anyone to blame, blame the first year.  You are taught to just bow down your head and accept.
5.  Forced donation.  When your patient does not have money and she needs a mechanical ventilator to breathe, automatically your batchmate collects your atm cards to withdraw money for the downpayment.  Thankful that you have salary, because a big chunk of it pays for whatever the patient needs to stay alive.  You swallow your pride and call home to ask mommy to send money.

But thankfully, first year residency is only one year long.  After this, there will be new residents to traumatize and to bully.  With less physical exertion, you start to gain back all the weight you lost and add a couple more pounds for good measure…  You realize that graduation from residency is all the more meaningful because of all the difficult experiences you had to go through, and that friendships with your batchmates run deep because you’ve been through thick and thin…When you’re going through tough times, remember this:

• Keep your head above the water and remember to keep breathing.
• Know you self-worth.  Nothing anybody can do to you will decrease your worth one bit.
• Draw strength from people who care for you the most.
• Be humble to accept the blame when you make mistakes, so that you learn from them. 
• This too shall pass.  There’s a rainbow always after the storm.

Helen Madamba, first year residency survivor.

#HAWMC Day 8: Things Remembered

#HAWMC Day 8: Things Remembered

ROSEBUD - that's what I call my car.  Papers have my name on it. It is a second-hand red 2010 Toyota Vios, which my mother bought for me upon my final (hopefully, my last ever) graduation from all the training in my life.  It reminds me of my mother and how far we've travelled from the old flaxen Toyota Corolla that we have in Las Pinas, which saw us through medical school, residency and fellowship training. 

#HAWMC Day 7: World Health Day

#HAWMC Day 7: World Health Day

Daily nutrition and diet.  How do you maintain a healthy regimen?

Aha! This hit a sore spot with me as I have always been struggling with diet and nutrition.  Ok, so I admit that I am fat.  The weighing scale and the BMI charts say that I need to lose somewhere around 50 pounds... and I notice that whenever I go on a diet and count my calories, I feel deprived and end up gaining more weight!  So I just stop stressing myself and just eat what I can, when I can and just avoid the evil food...

My mother read about the alkaline diet and how it addresses all the health problems I am experiencing - bloatedness, burping, bone and teeth problems, etc.  Sounds like a cure-all and how food can be your medicine.  I googled images on alkaline foods and I am sharing here some useful images that I found to guide eating habits:

In general, I try not to restrict myself and just try to select food choices that are alkaline.  When we have buffet, I generally stick to the salad bar and sashimi station.

One habit that I am able to follow is to drink 5 freshly squeezed calamansi first thing in the morning. I even planted calamansi in our garden in the hopes of growing them myself.  If you want alkaline water, Dr Willie Ong says adding calamansi to a liter of water will do just as well as lemon water, as is usually served in restaurants.

I probably am the last person to tell you about how to diet, but these are the tips that I think I can personally follow.  I've tried different diets to lose weight, but most are not sustainable, expensive and stressful.  So basically I don't think about eating to lose weight, but eating healthy to maintain general health.

Helen Madamba, struggling dieter.

#HAWMC Day 6: My Heroes

#HAWMC Day 6: My Heroes

There are people in your life who touch you and change you forever.

My Lola Sising. 

I was her favorite grandchild.  I am her mini-me.  She told me time and again how much her heart overflows with joy since I arrived in this world.  She taught me how to write kilometric letters.  She brought me along in her meetings with people who work in community development.  She brought me to slum areas where she was an advocate of improving literacy among the poor, feeding the growing children and keeping the youth out of trouble by sending them to school.  

We share a love for documenting everything in life - grabbing each opportunity to have family pictures taken.  She showed me her collections of stamps, love letters, coins and all sorts of memorabilia.   She would even cut out newspaper clippings to store for future reference.  If she were my contemporary in this day and age, she would probably have a facebook account, a blog, a twitter account, instagram and all forms of social media.

She taught me about the importance of family and about standing up for one's values.  She stood up for social justice and peace and the value of being good.   She told me that one's life should be more than living for oneself.  One's  life should be lived for the benefit of others.  She taught me always to do my best in everything that I do.  She would always express how proud she is of my accomplishments, and how I've grown into the person that I am.

She was an emotional person too, easily prone to tears.  Parting is such sweet sorrow - a concept that I learned each time she would hug me so tight that it was nearly painful.  She would always weep at goodbyes for she'd always think that each goodbye would be our last.  Then I would cry too.  Even if she's with her one true love Atty Francisco Sy Valenzona in heaven, she will always be in my heart.  During her final moments when she could not even recall my name, or who I was, she would nevertheless smile whenever I entered the room, and she would exclaim "I know I love you!"

I love you too, Lola Sising!

My mother Bebe.

My rock.  My shield against all troubles, woes, trials and confusion.  My anchor whenever I tend to float too far away from the shore.  My support group.  My sounding board when I need to rant.  My worst critic.  My bestfriend.

She was a dsrama queen in her early years of life.  She was best in behavior.  She was an activist during the first quarter storm of the Marcos regime.  She met her one true love at the barricades! Such a romatic adventure they had!

She is a great economist and model dieter... but then for some reason, try as I might, I can't follow in her footsteps in terms of economizing and dieting.  She's a great mentor, guiding us through our difficult teenage years, teaching us that it is ok to be different.  You can be strong and be yourself.  She reads to us from the Bible, from Daily Conversations with God and other spiritual materials.  She also advices time and again that our habits and our relationships should not lead us away from God.

She is a superwoman.  During my father's convalescence, it was the time when she held all of us near to be a family, cherishing the final moments of forgiveness, spiritual healing and offering sacrifices for the sins of the world.  It was difficult to care for a patient with advanced stage of cancer.  I never felt as helpless as when I was rubbing my dad's back in the wee hours of the morning to ease his gnawing bone pain. When my dad died, I was a senior in college.  Our youngest brother was in highschool.  A year after college graduation, after a lot of soul-searching, I decided to go to medical school, and she quietly agreed.  I know how difficult it was for her to send four kids through college, then add to that one kid through med school and another kid through law school.  Isn't she amazing?

#HAWMC Day 5: Breaking News

#HAWMC Day 5:  Breaking News:  Share your proudest accomplishments in the last 5 years.

The past five years have been a series of transitions for me.  From a series of examinations and graduations, the forks in the road have lead me to different opportunities that I would not have even imagined I would have.

Graduation from Residency Training in Obstetrics and Gynecology.  I was fortunate enough to graduate from residency training with my healthy batchmates, with whom I've been with through thick and thin.  I am very thankful for all my great mentor who guided me and helped me to be the obstetrician that I am today.

Passed the Philippine Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology Diplomate Examinations and Induction as Fellow.  I am blessed to have passed both the written and oral diplomate examinations so that by 2014, I was inducted as a board-certified fellow of the Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society (POGS) Inc.

Graduation from Fellowship Training in Infectious Disease Subspecialty.  After graduation from residency, it was providential that I spoke with a revered mentor, Dr. Ricardo M. Manalastas, who honored me by inviting me to train as an infectious disease specialist for OBGYN.  It was not a piece of cake, as I really needed to work doubly hard to study infections and antibiotics and stewardship.  I was introduced to the advocacy on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the concentrated epidemic in the Philippines, a ticking time bomb that I think has already exploded and needs to be contained.  This remains a personal advocacy as I commit to preventing mother to child transmission of the infection.

Participation in the 2013 BIARI Research Institute in Providence, Rhode Island, USA.  Towards the end of my fellowship training in infectious diseases, Dr. Cecilia Llave recommended me to the BIARI program at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, USA.  To my greatest surprise, I was chosen among thousands who applied worldwide and was among the four Filipino delegates to this prestigious research institute.  This was my first and only opportunity so far to travel outside of the country, to venture out of my comfort zone and to lose sight of my "shore" and experience a whole different world.  Here I learned a lot about geography and varied cultures, realizing that the situation in the Philippines is a stark contrast to the situation in Africa and in the temperate countries.  This experience broadened my horizons and taught me that humans no matter the color of skin, nor accent in speech, are all the same inside - with needs to love and be loved, to care and to be cared for.

Graduation from Masters in Public Health.  I have always wanted to pursue further studies.  It was my veterinarian friend Dr. Mej Villareal who introduced me to the notion of public health.  Being at PGH, I was privileged to apply for the fellowship scholarship grant that would allow me to take a two-track program where I could pursue my masters degree at the UP College of Public Healthy while working on my fellowship training in infectious disease.  After all, infections and public health go hand in hand.  Going back to class work, it was tough, but very fulfilling.  Experiencing our field practice and investigating the surveillance systems on malaria elimination in Laguna, it was a memorable experience to have presented to the Department of Health then Secretary Enrique Ona our findings, and to be have been appreciated as a significant contribution to the National Malaria Program.  Another achievement was my passing the comprehensive examinations at the end of my course, lucky enough to pass on first take.  It is a humbling lesson since this examination was one of the most difficult I've taken thus far.  I am proud to have been the third graduate of the Masters of Public Health - Tropic Medicine course.

#HAWMC Day 4: Creature of Habit

#HAWMC Day 4: Creature of Habit

What good habits do you have?

I can't say I am creature of habit.  Each day holds a surprise for me, and my daily schedule although always full, is erratic at best.  At most, I have two good habits to share:

One habit that I gladly keep is the #HealthXPH tweetchat every Saturday night.  It has provided me with an outlet to express my thoughts on subjects that I hold dear.  It has enabled me to meet new friends and to find support for advocacies that are most needed in the community.  For one hour each week, I put on hold whatever worries and deadlines I have.  When I get online, I am ready to engage. I am ready for friendly debate and discussion.  I feel accepted and I feel that I have a voice, and people listen.  They say I am addicted, yes maybe.  This way I feel connected and that I make a difference.

Another habit that I sorely rely on for spiritual support is attending Sunday mass.  I would have wanted to attend mass everyday, but I feel that Sunday mass, one hour with the Lord, is sufficient for my needs.  I feel so absorbed in prayer especially during communion, that the tears just quietly flow. I always wonder if I was ever meant for contemplative life, but I figured that I am of better use as a missionary.  For one hour, I let go of all distractions and just focus on our Lord.  I offer up to Him all my worries, the desires of my heart, whatever I was able to accomplish with my best effort, my mission in life.  I get my strength recharged during this one hour.  I may be surrounded by so many people, but in prayer, it is just God and me.  He is my anchor in the storms of my life.

Bad habits? I have lots of those.  

I don't really eat breakfast in the morning, just my cup of mint coffee and my glass of juice.  Then my meals for the rest of the day are bits and pieces that I can pick up when I can.

I don't have a regular exercise regimen, because it often gets railroaded by work that urgently needs to be done.  Although I do my best to keep my evenings free for running at the oval or swimming laps at the pool, I think it is high time that I enroll in a class to force me to attend to my exercise, or lack thereof.

I have difficulty sleeping at night, so I work and work until I am exhausted to stay awake. Luckily, I wake up refreshed the next morning.

I know I really need to attend to my health as it is just as important as the work I do for public service.  I need regular "ME" time for self-care.

#HAWMC Day 3: Good Samaritan

#HAWMC Day 3: Good Samaritan

Going through the Stations of the Cross, we relive Christ's passion and crucifixion:

• We hear about how Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the cross despite his hesitation.  
• We remember how Veronica gently wiped away the blood and sweat with the towel she held despite the threats, jeers and derisions of the crowd.  
• We reflect on how the women of Jerusalem wept for Jesus. 

Somehow, one might think that these events occurred 2,000 years ago.  Truly, acts of kindness like these still happen today.  Big ways and small ways, random acts of kindness reflect the goodness of humankind.

Patients care for doctors too.

I was a senior OBGYN resident when I had one of my first patient mortalities - a newly married pregnant patient who was warmly anticipating their first child.  She had heart disease and a severe form of pneumonia that required intensive care.  I could never forget that Sunday afternoon when we did everything we could to save the mother, and still she died.  I took it hard. Although I know doctors are not supposed to show emotions, I could not help the tears from quietly flowing.  It was the patient's sister who tapped me on the shoulder and even hugged me tight to reassure me that I did everything I could for my patient.  I should have been the one to comfort them in their loss, but that show of understanding helped me to accept that I could only do so much.  Doctors can receive from their patients too.

Other patients care for total strangers.

We had a young patient who lost a bit of blood during pregnancy and delivery.  Her family members were nowhere to be found.  The patient needed to be intubated to help her to breathe. An ambu-bag is a rubber cylinder breathing machine connected to an plastic tube that goes down to the patient's lungs to help the patient breathe.  The problem was that someone had to pump the ambu-bag, otherwise the patient won't be able to breathe and die.  Unfortunately for this patient, the family members deserted her, and it was the watcher of the patient occupying the nearby bed who volunteered to ambu-bag. After that, several watchers took turns manually pumping just so this total stranger might live. Amazing modern-day Samaritans!

Those who are poor give from the little that they have.
We had a patient who had recently given birth and the family had utterly nothing.  Her husband was getting desperate to pay the hospital bill so that he could bring his family home.  We had appealed to the medical social service and they had given the family all the support they could give and yet they were left with a bill that they could not pay.  Short of stealing, the husband pleaded that he would do anything.  So we went around the hospital begging for lose change, thinking that each peso will eventually add up to the needed amount.  I had given my last money at that time.  Eyes round with surprise, fellow patients were more than willing to part with their pesos, saying they know what it is like to have nothing.  Nurses were giving voluntarily, and we came up with the exact amount for the hospital bill and spare change to pay for fare to Cavite for two persons.  Just because they were poor did not mean they had nothing to give.  This was surely a humbling experience for me, and I realize that I would gladly beg for these less fortunate.

Heroes in time of crisis.

Seeing the television pictures of how Typhoon Haiyan struck the Visayas, there was an outpouring of kindness and generosity from all sectors in society and from the global community.  As we prepare for another disaster in the form of Typhoon Maysak,  we pray that everyone be safe and secure.  That everyone will keep helping one another.

#HAWMC Day 2: Key to Happiness

Taking my cue from Vanessa King's Ten Keys to Happier Living on Action for Happiness, five keys deal with external factors to happiness while five keys deal with factors from within.  Let me correlate it with my own experiences:

1.  GIVING.  Do things for others.

• One can get high on doing good deeds.  There's a warm fuzzy feeling inside that money cannot buy that only comes from knowing that you offered a service to others, no matter how small.  I was flying from Cebu to Manila and we needed to board a bus to get from the airplane to the airport.  I was already seated when the bus was filling up, and the last one to board was a slow-moving old man that a little boy called "lolo" or grandfather.  With no seats left, I offered him my seat for the short ride, receiving his warm smile in return.  Something as simple as giving up a little comfort can touch lives, making people feel you care. The simple acts of kindness leaves you that lasting sense of happiness that can make your day. 

2.  RELATING.  Connect with people.

In the dating circles, the goal would be to "put yourself out there".  It's scary to think that people may not accept you or find you lacking, but by making yourself vulnerable you are opening yourself to endless possibilities.  No pain, no gain.

What I learned from training as a counselor is that counselling is client-centered, and more important than giving information is helping the other person identify issues and concerns that need to be addressed to be able to move on and take action.  Empathy is more important than sympathy.  In taking time to sit with a friend over coffee, you are telling that person that my time is important but you are important too.  By connecting, you realize that YOU are important to that other person as well.

3.  EXERCISING.  Take care of your body.

Of all these keys to happiness, exercising would be my Achilles heel.  My body seems to love its fat and more often that not, time for exercise and attending to general health has always been pushed to the bottom of my "to do" list for the day.  I notice however, that it is when I go running or swimming that I feel a sense of well-being that everything will be alright.  After all, my mother gently reminds me that all my training would be for naught if I was not healthy enough to use these skills.


4.  APPRECIATING.  Notice the world around.

Back in college, I would read on Kerygma magazine how this lady made it her life ministry to write "thank you" notes to each person she encounters.  I remember how Dr. Iris Isip-Tan discussed during a lecture how Liking on Facebook has become a psychological first aid - and I've experienced it myself too.  Affirmation is not only helpful, but it also helps boost one's morale.

5.  TRYING OUT.  Keep learning new things.

I don't consider myself an expert.  I see myself as a newbie to most things - I am willing to try new things.  This past year has been a time of many firsts:

• After graduation, I had my very first income-generating job as an employee at a government hospital.   
• I applied for a teaching job and I had my first class teaching medical students.  I would like to think that this is my contribution to shaping future doctors, public servants and medical researchers.
• When my grandmother and my aunt died a year ago, they left me their legacy of empowering children and youth to become productive citizens of the world through education.  This was my first shot at being an executive director of a non-government organization.
• Now hooked to having a presence in social media this year, I made my first tweet on twitter, participated and moderated in my first tweetchat, attended my first national social media conference #hcsmPH, published my first post on my first blog - all impact of #HealthXPH.

I realized  after all this that I wouldn't have known exactly what I want to do, and where my niche is in the community if I hadn't dared to try new things and explored the extent of my abilities.

6.  DIRECTION.  Have goals to look forward to.

Just because you can do everything doesn't mean you should.  I try not to spread myself too thin. I know my priorities.  The rest are just icing on the cake.  Another way to look at it is for you to choose your own sacrifice.  Many call me a workaholic.  If I keep on working on projects, I would need to sacrifice on my sleep or my social life or worse, my family life.  It is imperative to strike a balance in life.  I usually decide on short-term projects depending on how they will affect my long term goals.  I stuck to med school, residency and fellowship because I wanted to be get the maximum benefit from my training.  Thrills and distractions took a backseat in my life.  But then, I need to keep in mind also that success is not the key to happiness - happiness is the key to success.

7.  RESILIENCE.  Find ways to bounce back.

Whenever I lose a patient, I get depressed and I have difficulty getting back to work the next day. Sometimes I allow myself time to grieve.  Often I unload my woes onto my friends.  At times, I need spiritual guidance from my friend priests.  The one person whom I always rely on to help me bounce back from any crisis is my mother.  She keeps me happy and sane.  She is my angel, my most avid fan and my over-all support system.  Find someone or something that help you bounce back when you hit a roadblock or a pothole in life.

8.  EMOTION.  Take a positive approach.

Count your blessings.  Appreciate the things that you have rather than gripe about the things that you don't have.  When you doubt yourself, just think that "I can do this!"

9.  ACCEPTANCE.  Be comfortable with who you are.

When you set your acceptance high, you keep an open mind.  Accept who you are, where you've been and what you can do. Accept other people warts, pimples and all.  Everybody has a past, but the their present choices and actions will dictate their future.  Everybody deserves a second chance.

Accept your reality.  Things happen for a reason, whether it's to teach you a lesson or to touch your life, learn to accept your lot in life - God has a plan for you!

10.  MEANING.  Be part of something bigger.

•  Live for others.  Be selfless and stand up for something.  Meeting up with my twin nieces always bring JOY and HAPPINESS to my heart.

Helen V. Madamba, happy auntie!

  

#HAWMC Day 1: Wordless Wednesday

Here's me catching up with The Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge 

with a selfie for #HAWMC Wordless Wednesday!

30 posts in 30 days, I hope I can do this!

I am Dr Helen V. Madamba, newbie Dougie-Houser-style blogger and health activist writer.