Dr. Geraldine “Ging” Zamora is a locally acclaimed rheumatologist and loving mother. She was recently invited to CHiNOY TV’s podcast, Rise Up with Janeena Chan to discuss her inspiring journey of healing, resilience, and self-love.
At present, Dr. Ging is an active consultant in the field of Adult Rheumatology and Internal Medicine and a Clinical Associate Professor. She graduated from University of the Philippines College of Medicine in 2004, and attained her B.S. Physical Therapy degree from University of Santo Tomas in 2000. She is a published book author and a board member of Sagip Buhay Medical Foundation Inc. and Phi Lambda Delta Sorority.
In this podcast episode, Dr. Ging shares insightful advice on mental health awareness and holistic wellness:
1. Don’t dwell on everything you see on social media.
“It’s nice to scroll, but we also have to always remind ourselves that what we see on social media is really curated,” Dr. Ging said. “I’ve seen a lot of couples fight because, ‘Eh bakit sila ganito? Bakit ito ganyan?’ It’s because you see it on social media. Sometimes you feel a little bit down because, ‘Ah, kasi wala akong ganyan [pero] sila, meron nito.’”
“I think social media can be a double edged sword,” Dr. Ging said. “It can help us, but it can also harm us. So I think one way people can help themselves with social media is you choose who you follow, and you also try to decipher which ones you’ll let yourself be affected with.”
2. Talk with a psychiatrist.
“If we feel that we are lonely, siguro it will help if we try not to do the blaming game anymore, na we blame someone else, we blame our childhood, we blame ourselves, because it will not really get us anywhere. I think if we want to be healthy mentally and emotionally, it really all begins with self-love, self-acceptance.”
“If you feel like you are sad without much of a reason, then it’s really maybe good to talk with a psychiatrist,” Dr. Ging said. “In the past, we felt that if you are seeing a shrink, then you’re crazy, but that’s not really the case. They really have training to help us understand why we are feeling so and so, and sometimes, like I mentioned, sometimes these feelings that we have may be scientifically explained. Pwede pala na may hormonal imbalance diyan, kailangan lang ng certain medicine to regulate that,” she added.
3. Healing comes in many forms.
Dr. Ging reminds us that there are a lot of ways to cope since healing is a process. But the first step must be the willingness to heal.
“Healing will come in many forms. For me, what really helped was the presence of friends and my family, and I really prayed a lot,” shared Dr. Ging. “For me, believing in something and believing in the people who love me the most give me strength. I think healing starts with that,” she added.
“And I also believe that time heals wounds,” she added. “We shouldn’t rush it.”
Dr. Geraldine Zamora. Photo courtesy of Dr. Geraldine Zamora.
4. Cut ties with the toxic people in your life.
On how to know if we are in a toxic relationship, Dr. Ging said, “We deteriorate. We do not perform to the best of our abilities. We always feel that we’re inadequate. I don’t think that’s a good situation to be in.”
“If you have a lot of people telling you, if your friends are telling you, siguro parang, “Hindi na tama yan eh, parang ganun,” said Dr. Ging. “Siguro we have to listen, eh noh? Siguro we have to think twice, ‘Bakit ang dami nagsasabi sa akin na mali na yung ginagawa sa akin?’”
Dr. Ging then emphasized the importance of loving ourselves in order to better analyze the situation clearly and determine if the person is abusing us already.
5. Learn to love yourself.
“Love yourself. We have to understand that we’re not perfect,” Dr. Ging advised. “There will always be somebody who will be more beautiful, more intelligent, more successful than you or than us, but if we are able to accept who we are and love ourselves then, we will be in a better position in life.”
“I’d like to impart, or I’d like to share, or I’d like to remind everybody that the best part of falling, or failing, is you can decide how you’ll get up, or if you’ll get up, rather, if you’re going to get up strong, stronger then, it’s going to be better in the long run.”
For more advice on how to Rise Up, check out some of our previous podcast guests, such as Camille Co, Tim Yap, Nicole Cordoves, and more.
