Lara-ism

2024 has been the toughest year of my career so far, but I'm proud of how I've handled it with grace and composure. Interestingly, it also turned out to be the most rewarding. The Universe truly works in curious ways.Recently, I had the honor of being selected as a speaker for World Mental Health Day during a global webcast. There was no assigned theme, no prompts, and no scripts. I'm grateful that the Leaders and organizers trusted me to speak freely—no reviews, no approvals. I knew exactly what I wanted to say the moment I was informed. Talking about mental health has always felt natural to me.I centered my message around three key points: vulnerability, curiosity, and kindness. As I refined what I wrote, I decided to align it with the language Shell is currently using—Care, Courage, and Curiosity. It was a perfect match: • Have the courage to be vulnerable. • Stay curious when things get tough. • Choose kindness to strengthen the ability to care for others.I recorded my presentation with the intent of transcribing it into an article, but for now, I've decided to share the audio instead. Please excuse the pauses, especially the moment when someone went off mute (and said “call my brother!” in a language unfamiliar to me

⚠️TRIGGER WARNING: Self-harm In this episode, I shared what I went through yesterday after harming myself. 

⚠️TRIGGER WARNING: Suicidal Ideation Last night, I had a moment of severe depression. I broke down. But I reminded myself that it was just a symptom of my disorder. I thought of sharing it in case anyone is feeling the same. If that's you, here's a HUG.

In this episode, I shared what I've been going through while in a depressive episode. I've realized during therapy that I've been too harsh on myself lately so it's nice to be reminded to be kinder to myself, to let myself be because I'm not doing okay right now. I just need to do what I can at the moment to get by. Survive now, thrive later.

First episode of the year is a salad of things. I talked about 1) how officially, my diagnosis is bipolar disorder type 1 (not type 2) and the consequent medication adjustment, 2) how I've been coping, while still in a depressive episode, but now able to function enough to work half days, 3) how we don't have be optimistic all the time especially during this pandemic, the same way that we shouldn't tell people to see their trauma as a good thing because it's what made them who they are today and lastly, 4) how one of my childhood trauma is affecting my relationship and my perception of marriage. Whew! I hope you get something out of that chaos.

A short tribute to those who are spending the holiday season alone or in whatever other unconventional way. I SEE YOU. It's okay. There's nothing wrong with you.

Fresh from a therapy session, I recorded to share an epiphany about my diagnosis (as Bipolar Type 1 Disorder). In this episode, I focused on the other pole of the spectrum, that is Mania. I shared examples of manic behavior, which include my own. This, yet again, is another reminder that not all mental health disorders are extreme. Sometimes, they may seem like simple and normal behaviors, so don't be quick to judge people.

This is a short episode. I just wanted to share my thoughts about expectations – how our expectations is related to our constant struggle with control over our lives.

Thanks to two friends, I was reminded of my intention to dedicate an episode just answering questions I gathered in October (in celebration of World Mental Health Day). In this episode, I discussed the difference between a Psychologist and a Psychiatrist, which to approach first depending on your condition and how consultations with both need to go hand-in hand. I also discussed the medication side effects I've experienced and how I manage/d them – which include a decrease in libido and mental sharpness. I plan to continue this series. If you have a question, send me a direct message via Instagram (@lara.isms). Also, visit www.recoveryhub.ph for free Mental Health Care in the Philippines – an initiative by our Vice President, Leni Robredo.

This is part of the speech I delivered for my best friend, Justine, during her wedding. Having two mental health disorders, I've been through very dark times and Justine has been my rock each time (even until now). Her strength inspires me to become stronger myself. I am honestly still alive big thanks to her.

I feel a sense of duty to keep recording and sharing my thoughts even when I really don't have something specific to talk about. In this episode, I referred to realizations I've written in my notes: 1) Self-love is the foundation of the quality of our lives, 2) Life is a process of becoming who we truly are, 3) Our identity is fluid and lastly, 4) Being a friend to yourself makes it easier to know how to love yourself.

This is a very candid episode but I still hope you learn something from it. I talked about what love is and how my childhood trauma affected my relationships.

Disclaimer: This episode is spoken both in Filipino and English. In this episode, I talked about how I got diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, what the symptoms were and how I got better.

Disclaimer: This episode is spoken both in Filipino and English After crashing from a manic episode into a depressive episode, I realized how much medication I've been taking to keep me functional at the bare minimum. In this episode, I shared all the medication that I've been taking and what each does for me. This episode is also yet another reminder to be kind. You sincerely do not know what people are going through, or in this case, how much medicated a person is just to be a functional human being.

Disclaimer: This episode is spoken both in Filipino and English. In celebration of World Mental Health Day, I'm dedicating a podcast entry to answer questions about Mental Health. In this episode, I talked about how to talk to your family, or loved ones in general, about your mental health disorder.

Disclaimer: This episode is spoken both in Filipino and English. I'm quite happy with this episode because I've been wanting to talk about relationships for a while now and today I finally did! Having healthy relationships is important to our mental health so it's also important to know the right way of navigating it. Today, I shared what non-negotiables are and why they matter. Three of my non-negotiables are the following: 1) Sophisticated in arguing 2) Willing to be vulnerable 3) Brings me closer to who I am What are yours?

Disclaimer: This episode is spoken both in Filipino and English. We consume so much information everyday throughout our lives. Have you ever wondered if your thoughts are still yours? In this short episode, I shared when and how I realized that I was living my life based on the values of others. 

Disclaimer: This episode is spoken both in Filipino and English In this episode, "inspired" by another episode of anxiety this past week, I talked about anxiety – what it means, what happens during an episode and the emotions that come along with it, which include shame, guilt and self-doubt, especially when you have a 9-5 job. I emphasized that anxiety is real and valid and that it's okay to take a break whenever you're anxious.

A short episode where I talked about how I am okay now after weathering half a year of a depressive episode and how I've accepted that that is just the reality of being a person with mental health disorders.

In this episode, I talked about how we always tend to reflect on our life at the end of the year based on our productivity and why we should stop doing it. I also shared one of my lowest moments in life, what led me there and how I overcame it – which includes accepting professional help for the first time. As you reflect on the past year, I hope you learn something from this!

This episode is pretty random and definitely more candid than all my other episodes. I started feeling better after almost half a year of being depressed. You'd probably notice a difference with the way I think and speak, but disclaimer that I just babbled my way the whole 20 something minutes. I talked about anti-depressants, how I celebrate my diagnosis anniversary, how waking up feeling normal is a privilege and an answer to a question I was recently asked – how to support people with depression.  

In this episode, I explained how the current pandemic is proof that Mental Health is real and how we all have our own mental health issues to a certain extent.

This is a short sequel to the episode, “I'm a Recovering Drama-holic." There are multiple sub-stories to my journey adjusting to a more stable life. In this episode, I talked about how I came into terms with my medication and how I found my art again.

In this episode, I talked about my addiction to a tumultuous life. If you find yourself getting bored with peace and stability, maybe you'll find this relatable.

Pardon the background noise — from my boyfriend's alarm to my neighbors slamming their doors lol. Anyway, in this episode, I talked about different examples of binary thinking on mental health – how we expect people who are diagnosed with a mental disorder or people who are simply not okay to consistently look the part and how we tend to immediately invalidate what they're going through when they're not. Mental health is NOT binary. Mental disorders or feeling pain DO NOT render people incapable of doing or feeling anything else.

This is a letter I wrote for my parents. Finally seeing them as human beings, just like me, helped me understand that all their actions when I was growing up, regardless of how it made me feel then, were done out of love. That discernment enabled me to forgive, heal and love them even more.

⚠️TRIGGER WARNING: I touched on the topics, suicidal ideation and self-harm, so if you're not doing okay right now, please do not listen to this episode. I keep saying lately that I've been having one of my longest depressive episodes, so I figured why not talk about my experience and what it really feels like? I'd also like to make people understand that depression is not remotely the same as feeling sad.

This is a message to those who are suffering and feel like giving up. Please hold on. p.s. This is the first time I used background music. I recorded on the spot so I wasn't exactly prepared (there was too much background noise when I was recording). Apologies in advance in case you find it distracting!

In this episode, I tried being more spontaneous — no structured framing of overall message whatsoever. I shared several thoughts about Mental Health — my own mental health condition, why mental health is real, focusing on surviving (versus thriving) during the pandemic, how our fear of failure is contributing to our anxiety and going deeper into that fear — why are we afraid of failure anyway? There's no point which is the very point of this episode. (:

A letter I wrote for my partner, John Jimenez, expressing my gratitude for him and his love. Having a person who loves you the right way heals you and John has been one the reasons why I'm in a much better place now.

I was recently asked to share simple things I do during a tough day – which was tough (lol) for me to answer because my immediate reaction to anything is to reflect. So instead of outlining steps or actions, in this episode, I discussed what kind of questions I reflect on during a tough day.

Even before the pandemic, questions about managing anxiety are something I'm frequently asked. People often ask me for tips, but I really prefer going deeper and understanding anxiety. In this episode, I discussed how our trauma is most of the time the root cause of our anxiety and what we can do to address it.