29/05/2026
The Silhouette of The Brightest Star
There is always that one person in every circleโ the one with the loudest laugh, the one with the funniest and corniest jokes, and also the one who never fails to make everyone smile and sometimes make the atmosphere feel lighter even though the room feels heavy. They are sometimes the embodiment of the brightest starโ the sun. Because of the way they can lighten up someone's mood or even the room itself with their presence and attitude. You might know them as the โstrong friend,โ the happy classmate, the goofy sibling, or the cheerful coworker. And because they shine the brightest, people rarely ask if they are slowly burning out inside.
This is the cruelest truth about self-harm deathsโ the way people always overlook at people with the most positive attitude and jolly personality. But sometimes, the people who often look the happiest are also the ones carrying invisible pain and fighting the darkest battles alone.
๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ๐๐๐ฒ'๐ฌ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐ค?
Recently, Senator Robin Padilla drew criticism over his infamous statement saying that "Gen Zs are weak". This struck a nerve among many young Filipinosโ spreading the said statement online, dividing opinions. For years, we have always told by adults to "toughen up" but many people fails to understand that vulnerability is not weaknessโ neither is crying, and admitting that you need help, and you are already mentally and emotionally drained. It is an act of bravery.
Bravery wasn't always meant being the bravest to face any challenges without any help.
Being brave is to be open and sometimes vulnerable.
Being brave is admitting that you cannot always do anything.
Bravery is to face your dilemmas and fears with the help of the people you trusted the most.
Bravery is choosing to live despite carrying invisible pain every single day.
Crying and asking for help is not really a weakness, sometimes these are also the epitome that we, as a human, also have limitations and can also feel different kinds of emotions and it is normal to feel happiness, sadness, fear, and any other emotions that a human person could feel. The true weakness and also truly dangerous is the way we dismiss emotional pain simply just because it cannot be seen physically.
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ญ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ฉ
Mental health struggles are becoming more and more alarming in the Philippines as the deaths related to intentional self-harm continue to increase for the past 5 years. According to reports from the Philippine Statistics Authority, the national self-harm mortality rate sits at approximately 2.7% deaths per 100,000 of the population. Females have 1.0% and males, on the other hand, have 4.4%โ roughly four times higher than the opposite s*x.
Among adolescents and young adults (ages 15โ29), su***de remains one of the leading causes of death. Recent studies indicate that in Filipino youths who experience depression have considered ending their lives. Some of the leading causes of self-harm are the rise of emotional distress, relationship issues, financial pressure, personal loss, and increasing mental health struggles linked to online bullying and gaming platforms. And behind every number is a friend, a family member, a classmate, a dreamer, and a person who once smiled and laughed with their friends, ate dinner with their family, helped others with their schoolworks, and dreamed of a better future while also silently breaking up inside.
People often ask, โWhy didnโt they say anything?โ
The painful truth is that they didโmany of them. Just not in ways others noticed. Sometimes it appears through silence. Sudden distance. Forced smiles. Sleepless posts at midnight. A person joking too much about wanting to disappear. Not everyone asks for help directly because of how adults tells us to "suck it all up" and the belief that not everyone believes they will be understood.
๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐ก๐๐๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐จ๐ง ๐๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ?
A simple "How are you really doing?" can save someone from drowning into their own thoughts and problemsโ as well as sitting beside a struggling friend without judgement and listening to them instead of invalidating their pain. We must stop assuming that "being cheerful" means "being ok". Mental health should never be reduced to generational stereotypes. It is because pain does not choose age, gender, or even status in lifeโ some people are just better at hiding it. And perhaps, the most heartbreaking realization about deaths caused by self harm is that the people who chose to leave the world early were also once the people who made it brighter and bearable for others.
I hope that this will be a gentle reminder for everyone to check on their friends, family, or any person you know. People are carrying wars inside them that nobody else can see and they might be one of them. Check on your siblings, your family members, your schoolmate, your strong friend (and the quiet ones too), or even the neighbor you never talked toโ check them and be kinder with your words.
Especially the ones that always helps and checks on everyone.
Especially the ones who say โIโm okayโ too quickly.
Especially the ones who comfort everyone else.
Especially the brightest stars in the room.
Because sometimes, even the brightest stars can also burn out and lost their light.
โ๏ธ: Aira Isabel Altare
๐ฉโ๐ป: Nhel-Ann Purificacion
