We see them everywhere, in the malls, in our commute, and in people staring into space with no emotions on their faces. This may be a sign that this person is facing mental health challenges. There is a real need for people to understand what it means when a person has mental health challenges. This book, The Struggle is Real, hopes to rise to the proverbial challenge.
Written by Pastor Ronald Molmisa of the Lovestruck series of self-help books, The Struggle is Real would like to offer its insights into this trending “phenomenon” to as broad an audience as possible, from Grade 9 and up. He also recommends this to the church, even for the lay people, so as not to “over-spiritualize” their views on people with mental health disorders.
I love how the book was written in contemporary and conversational TagLish. Mas madaling maiintindihan ng primary audience na tina-target ni Pastor Ronald. Maganda din ito sa para sa mga church members na ang tingin sa karamihan ng mental health disorders ay palaging attack ng enemy. You need to read the book first if you are going to judge this statement of mine.
Of course, dahil pastor si Ronald Molmisa, hindi din nya isinasantabi ang spiritual aspect ng isang nagsa-suffer ng mental health disoder.
Maganda din na Pastor Ronald started with definitions backed up by scientific studies and well-written papers on the subjects. Nakakatuwa din na may mga visuals on how the brain works. I-add mo pa ang quirky illustrations ni Nixon Na sa cover and the inside pages which brings the point home. This helps his argument to the Christian community na dapat chini-check ang underlying conditions why a person is suffering mental health disorders like depression, anxiety, and trauma. Makakatulong ito para we do not to quickly judge people na naoobserbahan ng kakaibang kilos ng mga tao. Tapos, Pastor Ronald ends the book with a comprehensive directory of resources that a mental health sufferer or caregiver can refer to. Cumpletos recados! I suggest na read it a few times kasi maraming information na kailangang i-digest.
Of course, dahil pastor si Ronald Molmisa, hindi din nya isinasantabi ang spiritual aspect ng isang nagsa-suffer ng mental health disoder. He offers ways para sa mga church members to help these people and not be judgemental on what they are going through.
Allow me to also cite a paragraph that Pastor Ronald wrote sa kanyang paunang salita on why he approach each case katulad ng isinulat nya sa book: “Maa-identify ko ang aking sarili bilang integrationist counselor na naniniwala sa magandang kombinasyon ng psychology at theology. I do things holistically. Hindi pwedeng paghiwalayin ang ating katawan, isipan, kaluluwa at espiritu.”
Design-wise, the format is very handy. Madali syang bitbitin or dalhin sa bag. Hindi mabigat. Maganda ang size ng font, pwede sa mga malalabo ang mata. Madali din siya basahin kahit na maraming psychology jargon. You can buy The Struggle is Real sa mga Christian bookstores tulad ng Philippine Christian Bookstore (PCBS) at sa publisher nitong si OMF Literature.
P.S. This is not a paid article. I bought the book during MIBF 2024 dahil gusto kong mas maintindihan ang issue ng mental health.
