SLU Center for Counseling and Wellness

Today, May 15th, we celebrate the Feast Day of our patroness, 𝗦𝘁. 𝗗𝘆𝗺𝗽𝗵𝗻𝗮.

Known affectionately as the "Lily of Éire," she is the patron saint of those navigating the challenges of mental health, including depression, anxiety, and neurological disorders, as well as a source of strength for victims of family trauma and the caregivers who support them.

Born a 7th-century Irish princess, Dymphna fled her home to protect her faith and her virtue after her father, the King, fell into a deep mental illness following the death of her mother. She settled in Gheel, Belgium, where she devoted her life and resources to building a hospital for the poor and the suffering.

Though her life was cut short, her legacy sparked a revolution of compassion. To this day, the town of Gheel is world-famous for its "community care" model, in which residents welcome people with mental illnesses into their own homes—inspired by the grace of St. Dymphna.

For all who are struggling with anxiety, depression, or emotional distress, and for the families who support them, we offer this prayer:

𝑮𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝑺𝒕. 𝑫𝒚𝒎𝒑𝒉𝒏𝒂, 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑 𝒖𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒔𝒖𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔. 𝑮𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏. 𝑯𝒆𝒍𝒑 𝒖𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒆𝒙𝒂𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒘𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒕. 𝑨𝒎𝒆𝒏.

We look to St. Dymphna not just as a figure of the past, but as a beacon of hope for anyone navigating the complexities of mental and emotional health. May we all find a bit of Dymphna's courage within ourselves today.

Finals week is approaching, and the urge to "busy work" or doomscroll is at an all-time high.

𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙨𝙣'𝙩 𝙖 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙡𝙖𝙬; 𝙞𝙩'𝙨 𝙖 𝙗𝙞𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙤𝙖𝙙. When finals week piles up, your prefrontal cortex, the brain's "logical boss", can shut down, leaving you stuck in a "freeze" state of doomscrolling or a "flight" state of busy work.

To get your brain back online, start by respecting your ultradian rhythm; your brain needs a tech-free "refuel" every 90 minutes to combat decision fatigue. Instead of treating every exam and paper as equally urgent, use triage to focus only on what is critically due, which prevents the mental paralysis that comes from an overwhelming to-do list.

Energy management is just as vital as time management. Schedule your most difficult "deep work" for Monday and Tuesday mornings, when your cognitive energy is highest, and save shallow tasks like emails for later in the week. Focus on "multiplier" tasks, the priorities that make everything else easier once they're done, to reduce overall friction.

If you're struggling to start, lower the activation energy by committing to just five minutes of the smallest possible action, like opening a blank document.

By breaking the seal and narrowing your focus, you can trick your brain out of survival mode and build the momentum needed to finish the semester strong.

𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬.

Salamat,
Nay!

Thank you,
Ma!

Agyamanak,
Inang!

Sa mga naging
gabay at ilaw ng tahanan.

Isang
masigabong pagpupugay sa inyong

Walang katumbas
na pag-ibig at pag-alalay.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙛𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙬𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚?

In a world that often demands we "fix" everything immediately, there is a quiet, transformative power in simply being present with what is. We are honored to welcome Dr. Peejay Bengwasan, a clinical psychologist and lecturer at De La Salle University, for a vital talk on "𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞."

Radical Acceptance isn't about giving up; it's about acknowledging our current reality without judgment so we can find the strength to move forward. Join us as we explore how letting go of the "struggle" against uncontrollable situations can be the first step toward true emotional resilience.

Here is the link to the presentation: https://tinyurl.com/ywfwsnbw

𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙚 𝙖𝙨𝙠 "𝙆𝙪𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙖?", 𝙙𝙤 𝙬𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙩?

We hear it every day, in the hallways, over chat, and as a quick greeting. "Kumusta?" has become so customary that we often answer with a reflexive "Okay lang" before the question even fully lands. For many of us, it has lost its intentionality; it's a social script we follow while our minds race toward the next task or deadline. How many of us can truly say what we feel when asked this question? And more importantly, how many of us ask it with the genuine intention to listen?

In a world where we are often physically present but mentally miles away, we invite you to pause and reconnect through our upcoming virtual talk, "𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞: 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬." We are honored to have Mr. Eric Pascua, a dedicated school counselor at an international school in Cambodia, guide us in reclaiming our presence.

Mindfulness is the practice of bringing our full attention back to the "now," allowing us to move past the scripts and truly check in with ourselves and others.

Here is the link to the presentation: https://tinyurl.com/3bwka68j

To everyone still showing up — even when the deadlines pile up and the pressure drowns out your own thoughts.

Yes, the world can be tough. College can feel that way, too. But here you are — pushing through the sleepless nights, the quiet doubts, and the days that didn't go as planned.

That takes real courage.

𝙎𝙤 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙜 — 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙫𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙨. Even when the ending isn't clear yet. Because this was never about being perfect.

𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧.

You are not behind. You are not lost. You are still going — and that is everything.

Take the noise, take the chaos, and turn it into something only you could positively create. The world doesn't just need your best work someday. It needs your voice, right now — uncertain, growing, and beautifully unfinished.

𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞.

Like tulips that bloom in their own season, you are allowed to take your time. Did you know that tulip bulbs are planted months before winter, and they bloom in late spring? They rest through the cold, unseen—quietly preparing for the right moment to grow. In the same way, not all progress is visible. 𝑵𝒐𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒔𝒕. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈.

This , take a moment to affirm yourself:

𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘 𝒔𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒚.
𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒊𝒔 𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉.
𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒐𝒏 𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒆𝒕 𝒅𝒂𝒚𝒔.