Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray has always been vocal about mental health and how to deal with issues regarding it as she shared several times in the past that she also went through it.
Thus, she took the opportunity of sending uplifting and encouraging message to everyone who are going through hard times due to their mental health challenges this pandemic, in this interview with Metro Chats.
She bravely admitted that pre-pandemic, she experienced a lot of online bullying and body shaming, particularly during her pageant journey. She did not deny that it was really difficult to deal with, especially when people threw misconceptions of who she was as a person.
The 27-year-old beauty queen emphasized that the current situation has been an extremely trying time for everyone. Even though she’s privileged enough to sustain herself and her family throughout this pandemic, she confessed getting anxious every time she watches the news and witnesses the plight of less fortunate Filipinos who found it hard to provide for their families.
“What a horrible situation to be in not knowing what tomorrow holds for you and what you’re going to do with your family,” Catriona commented.
As for the mental health issues that many people have been experiencing, she said that the pandemic has been instrumental in bringing the discussion about mental health to the forefront and including it in conversations is very beneficial to so many people here in the Philippines.
“I feel like we have so much work to do in erasing a lot of the stigma that happens around mental health. Also the creation and accessibility of resources about mental health has allowed people to understand the importance of checking up on people, on your loved ones and on your friends,” the Filipina-Australian stunner stated.
Lastly, Catriona gave pieces of advice that could be of great help to those who are trying their best to overcome their mental problems and trying to survive every day.
“If you feel like you’re battling with something and you feel like you’re having a silent fight with something mentally, I really encourage you to reach out to someone. It might feel like a scary thing to do. Maybe you feel that you’d be invalidated or they might just blow you off or brush you off or invalidate what you’re feeling but...it’s better to say something and to find resources that you feel could help you,” she advised.
At the same time, the Miss Universe 2018 also has a reminder for everyone on how they could help their loved ones or other people who are trying to reach out to them.
“And to those of you who may not be experiencing something, check up on your friends and when they do share to you that they are going through something, try to enlighten yourself on the right language to use. Please don’t dismiss their feelings, please try to validate them and be the person that they need,” she conveyed.
Metro Chats is a one-on-one interview with former Metro cover girls and other trending celebrities and personalities. Catch them on FYE Channel's official Kumu account (@FYEChannel) every Thursday at 7PM, hosted by Metro Editor-in-Chief Geolette Esguerra. You may also binge-watch past episodes on TFC.tv.