Crises truly bring out the best in Filipinos. Our bayanihan culture shines through whenever we are faced with adversity. It’s great to see many examples of people helping out in so many ways, even as we wade through the combination of negativity and positivity on social media.

I’ve been thinking lately about how many of us may be fortunate enough to stay in the safety of our homes with loved ones, while health workers and other service-oriented employees continue to put their lives at risk to help the sick and keep the community’s basic needs going.

Meanwhile, we are also faced with much more poor families who have lost their means of livelihood due to the enhanced community quarantine. While the health impact of COVID-19 is well documented, equally critical is how we will recover from it from an economic point of view.

But in the meantime, we all need to focus on health. Health is, indeed, wealth. This is the perfect time to start a fitness routine and eat right. Your immune system needs to be on high alert to combat any virus.

My hubby Dennis and I recently visited the Aegle Wellness Center at the Alphaland Makati Place. As a medical center, it is one of the few places that can be open, as it provides medical services to the community around it.

More than that, as a wellness center, Aegle’s services go beyond the usual medical procedures to be expected. Aegle’s philosophy is that wellness is the combination of physical well-being and one’s state of mindfulness.

We opted to have an IV Immune Boost drip to strengthen our immune systems against any viruses.

Then I decided to try out their Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment (HBOT). I loved being put into a “time capsule” by Dr. Ben Valdecañas, who brought me to the equivalent of 50 feet underwater on pure oxygen, which allowed my stressed-out muscles to heal faster. It’s a great alternative since I can’t get any massages these days.

Info overload

These days, Dennis and I swap so many jokes, fake news and hate mails, along with real info about COVID-19. Most couples are probably also on info-overload mode.

Here is something shared by good friend Angeli Valenciano, wife of Gary V, that I would love to pass on.

Angeli told me that her sister is a doctor and that she is also a board member of a diabetes foundation, so the implications of Sen. Koko Pimentel’s mistake really angered her at first, but she turned to compassion when she realized he was probably excited about his baby and forgot all protocols.

“We as a people forgot our families, our children, our churches, our calling. Our cellphones and laptops became our gods. Some worshiped money; others, cars. Some had insatiable desires for the things of this world. So to throw stones… I will not.”

As we pray for the health of our front-liners and those working so hard to keep us all safe, perhaps we should also choose not to hate. This is how we can imbibe our bayanihan spirit, and make us all be stronger in order to survive this crisis.

Let me end with a big “happy birthday” to Matteo Guidicelli. I was so happy to attend a dinner for him hosted by Swatch head Virgie Ramos, luckily held just before the lockdown. Amazing to think about all the events that we all got to enjoy prior to the quarantine. It all seems so long ago.

What will life be like when we finally beat this virus? We are all looking forward to that!