9 10 11 12
Emily Reed
S O U N D
O F
S I L E N C E
Aswathy Dinesh
T R Y S T
W I T H
M U S I C
Suriya Badrinath
T E T
A
T E T E
Anagha Rajesh
T E E N T A L K
M U S I C
A N D
R E C O V E R Y
Umang Dhingra
M U S E
T O
M Y
M I N D
Gopika Girish
N O W
P L A Y I N G : W H E N
N A T U R E
H E A L S
Moufida Mohideen M A R V E L S
O F
M U S I C
Fatema Khuzaima
T H E
K N O W N S
U N K N O W N S
A N D
O F
M U S I C
Mohini Chandra A
S N E A K
M U S I C
P E A K
I N T O
T H E R A P Y
Akshaya Pai O D E
CONTENTS
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M U S I C
T O
T H E
Anagha Rajesh
H E R O E S
E L B A T
2 3 4 5 6 7
O F
B E N E F I T S
F O
1
P S Y C H O L O G I C A L
OUR TEAM EMILY REED
Co-founder, Writer, Designer
ANAGHA RAJESH Co-founder, Editor, Writer
OUR TEAM
UMANG DHINGRA Writer
FATEMA KHUZAIMA Writer
GOPIKA GIRISH Writer
SURIYA BADRINATH Writer
OUR TEAM
ASWATHY DINESH Writer
MOHINI CHANDRA Writer
MOUFIDA MOHIDEEN Artist
AKSHAYA PAI Designer
OUR TEAM
BHAKTI GHAGHDA Designer
HELENA WILLIAMS Designer
NITHISHA NANTHAKUMAR Designer
OUR MENTORS
Several mentors of the 1000 Girls 1000 Futures Program under the aegis of the New York Academy of Science have been extremely supportive of our venture. They have offered feedback on various aspects of the journal.
Ms. Indrani Guha She is the Principal of Credo World School, Dahanu, India. She is an experienced English teacher with a fondness for crafting and music.
PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS OF MUSIC
BY EMILY REED
Emily Reed is from Auckland, New Zealand, and is a member of the writing team. She is super passionate about raising awareness on mental health issues, and loves to write as a way to explore different ideas and perspectives. In her spare time her hobbies include gymnastics and piano, and she loves mathematics and science.
Diving Deep Into Music We all love to listen to music. Music is everywhere; at weddings and funerals, parties and concerts, churches and restaurants. It is a massive part of our lives, and scientists say it is possible that listening to music can improve our health. Music can have a significant influence on our thoughts, feelings, emotions, and behaviours. It helps us to relax and can even help to manage pain and mental illnesses. But the question is: how? How does music impact our minds so much? In this article, we will be diving into this question to search for some answers.
Releasing Stress Music has always been known to release stress in our brain, and we now have scientific research to back this theory up. We have all experienced how cheerful and upbeat music can boost our mood, while calm and peaceful music can relax our mind. The research behind this shows that music playing at around 60 beats per minute causes our brain to coincide with the beat. This reaction releases alpha brainwaves, which always appear in our brain when we feel relaxed. A surprising study proved that the music most effective at relaxing our mind includes Indian stringed-instruments, Native America, Celtic, and flute. Other genres such as classical and jazz and are also useful in relieving stress.
Improving Mental Illnesses The powerful effects of music extend beyond reducing stress. A significant way music can impact us is by improving conditions with mental illnesses. Conditions such as Tourette's Syndrome, anxiety, dementia, strokes, Parkinson's disease, and depression can all be benefitted by music. This goes to show how much impact music has on our mental state. Many people in our world experience mental illnesses throughout their lifetime, so think of how much of a difference music could make for them. It is natural, harmless, and scientifically proven to help us. So why not try it? As an example, in one study, patients with fibromyalgia (widespread muscle pains) were separated into two groups. One group listened to music every day for a month while the other group didn't. Once this experiment finished, the group that had listened to music showed a significant decrease in pain and depression. These astounding results only begin to represent the benefits of music therapy.
Improvements in Our Everyday Life Besides the fact that music therapy can help with stress and mental illnesses, there are some other essential benefits that everyone needs to know. Firstly, music improves your memory. A study that took place proved that students who studied music in school performed better in learning tests when they listened to neutral music in the background that was easy to ignore. Secondly, music may help you sleep better. Experiments have shown that those who listen to music before going to bed has better sleep performance. Lastly, music can improve motivation. Researches have discovered the impact of different paced music. The results? Fast-paced music significantly enhanced performance in participants.Â
As you can see, the list of benefits of listening to music is endless. It is highly recommended for anyone who may be feeling stressed, have mental illnesses, or want to relax after a busy day. In conclusion, here are some essential tips when listening to music: Find music that you love. Whether it be jazz or pop, classical or country, there is the perfect playlist for everyone out there. Remember that you don't always have to listen to the same music. Some days you may feel like listening to punk rock, and others you may want to listen to blues. Forcing yourself to listen to music that doesn't suit your mood will make you feel irritable and tense. When listening to music in the background while studying, make sure always to use neutral music that doesn't have lyrics. This way, you won't get distracted. Find a calm and safe environment where you can listen to your music. This can be under a tree or on your bed. As long as you are in a comfortable setting where you can close your eyes and block out any distractions, you will be able to relax fully.
Sound of Silence ASWATHY DINESH
Tears brimmed red brimmed eyes. A reflection so usual, I realize. Not that I try to change My clouded thoughts It's harder to erase them than create. Are you sad? they ask Not sure, I say. Are you anxious? they ask A lot, I say. It's like my heart beats faster, Time a little slower. Help a little distant. Thoughts a lot faster. My breathing all rapid. But the sound of the waves, The rain, The birds, The little hymns so smooth with words They spurred the darkness away. Creates path for the light to stay. The symphony on my violin, And the sound of silence, Makes me want to forget, My tear brimmed red brimmed eyes
Author - Aswathy Dinesh Trying to find happiness out of little things. Finding happiness through art and poetry . A firm believer in hardwork. Hoping to make a difference in this vast yet small world
Tryst with Music Suriya Badrinath is a talented Indian singer based in the UAE She is a member of the Tunes and Tones band and has performed at various events across the country She is a winner of several youth festivals and coveted singing titles Suriya is currently preparing to debut as a playback singer in the Indian film industry She is a student at BITS Pilani Dubai She happily volunteered to share with team MindChamps the story of her tryst with music and the major role it has played in shaping her mental well being .
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2005 was the year it all started. Music channels were the most common commodities on T.V. and I could be heard humming along with them. My parents realized that my fondness for music was much more than childish fantasy and signed me up for music lessons. That was a turning point in my life. I started with learning the ABC’s of Carnatic Music. I believe that listening to music has a relaxing effect on my mind and body, especially slow, quiet classical music. As music can absorb attention, it has proven to be a beautiful way to boost concentration. It helps me meditate and prevents my mind from wandering away.
I am student of BITS Pilani Dubai Campus. I have a hectic lifestyle of travelling to and fro between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, which is close to 3 hours of journey during peak traffic. During these long journeys I rely on music for companionship. It helps me explore my emotions and forget my worries. Ever since I started learning music, I put myself to sleep through lullabies. Calming music before bedtime promotes peace and relaxation and helps me enjoy a good night’s sleep. I encourage everyone struggling with their stressful lives to hum away what is troubling their minds by striking a chord with music.
Tet a Tete This month Team Mindchamps got in touch with Ms. Ainun Aida, the lead researcher at Science and Wellness Organization in Malaysia. She and her team took up a research project to find out if the impact of music on our minds is a fact or mere coincidence. Here is an excerpt from our interview with her.
1. Can you tell us a little about your research centre? When was it set up? What is the strength of your team? Our research is conducted through Science and Wellness Organization (SWO). It was set up in 2012, but our research activities started way back in 2009. We currently have 6 active researchers and we also have a board of advisors comprising of psychologists, scientists, trainers, educators and doctors who help us understand the impact of lifestyle triggers on quality of human life. 2. Why were you attracted towards research on cognitive impact of music? Every patient we meet carries a certain thought pattern along with their disease (psychosomatic). In order to provide personalized care to each of these patients, we decided to research on the cognitive impact of music. 3. How was the research carried out? How long was the entire process? In 2015 we began researching on the effect of sound and music on water cymatics (waves) and human mind. As the nature of our research is explorative, we did not measure brain wavelengths per se. But our focus was to find out whether or not a specific type of music helps our patients heal faster in relation to existing solutions and treatments. The research was conducted over 8 months with over 300 participants.
4. What is the conclusion of your project? Â We concluded that certain types of music help patients to heal faster as compared to others, especially those which are instrumental with no lyrics (and the instrument violin had the best effect). Heavy metal, rap and melancholic music had the worst effect. 5. How are you planning to promote your findings in society? We currently have ongoing awareness programs in the form of talks, workshops and trainings that we provide to the public here in Malaysia. We focus on basic education and information about the human mind. 6. How important do you think it is for people to know about the role of music in mental health? I think it is very important for people to know about the role of music in their mental health especially youth as their mind is very fragile and they are easily influenced. If you study the habits of many great leaders, you will notice that they set aside some time from their daily routine to take power naps with their favourite music in the background. So I believe that the impact of music on our mind is not a coincidence. Log on to http://www.swobodyandmindcare.com/ to read more about the initiatives of Ms. Aida and her research team.
Author: Anagha Rajesh is a high schooler hailing from UAE. She loves reading and penning her thoughts in words. She is a passionate speaker, debator and MUN'er who seeks to help solve challenges of the world. She believes that small ripples create big impacts. She is a cofounder of the Nuclear 4 Peace campaign to create awareness about the peaceful use of nuclear technology. She has taken part in the 1000 Girls 1000 Futures Mentorship Program of the New York Academy and is currently an active member of the Girls in Science 4 SDG's platform under the aegis of the United Nations.
teen talk BRINGING
YOU
EXPERIENCED
WORDS
LIFE
OF
WISDOM
COACHES
AND
FROM
PSYCHOLOGISTS
Are You Aware? Success brings us into the spotlight and makes us feel positive about ourselves. Everyone loves talking about their success but we often forget an equally important element of our personality- our flaws. Self awareness has the ability to transform your life. Self awareness helps you identify your grey areas so that you can work on transforming them into
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strengths. are
realization certain
The
those
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life-changing
bring
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are
lagging
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life
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about
behind
work.
a
in
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Practicing
mindfulness helps you evolve into a better person. Working
on
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weak
areas
takes
time.
Start
small, by choosing one goal at a time and working to
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Reward
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when you achieve small targets so that they act as an
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together the bigger puzzle. Choose a trustworthy person to assist you in your planning stages and to confide in.
Young friends, the most important aspect of our personality is not the vastness of our knowledge about
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the
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Kherun Khan is a certified NLP Practitioner, Life Coach, Time Line Technique Practitioner and Hypnotist from the Federation of NLP Coaching Professionals, UK. She conducts training and counselling sessions with parents, teenagers and children on handling life challenging scenarios, behavior patterns, confidence building, stress management and goal settings. Her passion is to unleash the potential in young people. Her articles and blogs on self-actualization and motivation are followed by people from all walks of life.
She has worked with more than 2,000 teenagers and children through various training camps, workshops and open houses along with multiple personal counseling sessions with parents.
Music and Recovery: A Glimmer of Hope BY UMANG DHINGRA
Walk down an alley. Step into a public transport. Look around a library. Chances are, you would see this one person, their earphones plugged, bobbing their head to music. Meters away, yet worlds apart. Chances are, you are this person. Music has been accredited to do so much, mean so much. It transcends language, borders, and walls. Yet, music is something that most people take for granted. How often is it that an aspiring musician is forced to let go of their dreams and work in a more traditional line? But it has a huge impact on our life. The mandatory car radio we cannot go without, the Spotify membership; music can have a powerful influence on emotions. A 2013 study found that music helped put people in a better mood and get in touch with their feelings. And while we are on the subject of walking down an alley or standing in a public transport, take another glance. See that person in their most vulnerable-yethardcore state? The homeless, exhausted look; the bags under the eyes, slightly stinks of alcohol? The kind of person our parents warned us to steer clear of? According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health ,19.7 million American adults (aged 12 and older) have battled a substance use disorder in 2017. Almost 74% of adults suffering from a substance use disorder in 2017 struggled with an alcohol use disorder. The rehabilitation industry has always had a major weight on its shoulders. There are over 14,500 specialized substance abuse treatment facilities in the United States, yet relapse rates are between 40% to 60%.
According to the 2008 Treatment Episode Data Set, 25% of patients simply drop out of their chosen treatment programs. This has led the industry to ditch the traditional approaches and find alternatives that make drug treatment more effective and more fun. Music therapy does just that. Music therapy involves using the power of music in a controlled way. A music therapist is trained to in how to use music effectively. They use their knowledge to decide on the exact course of treatment that will work best for each patient.
A recent study conducted by the University of Queensland, et al, found that individuals involved in cognitive behavioral therapy for substance abuse really like music therapy. The researchers found a 75-percent attendance rate, with more than 80 percent of the participants saying that they would do the program again. The reason why most recovering people relapse is because the rollercoaster of feelings they are forced to process. Rehab is difficult. It takes dedication and determination, and not all aspects of it are going to be appealing or even easy to attempt for everyone. People with addictions are forced to get in touch with their deepest, darkest and most painful emotions and spend a long time trying to work through their issues. which is a hard process. Essential, but not something that makes one excited, Music therapy can make the entire process easier and give the participants something to look forward to, every day. And sometimes, that is enough. Sometimes in your darkest times, knowing you will wake up tomorrow for a reason is a glimmer of hope, a ray of sunshine that lets you take the process bit by bit. Have you ever attended a therapy session where you felt you didn’t belong? The music aspect makes people feel as though they were part of the group. This feeling of acceptance can encourage addicts to go through with their treatment, and make it out on the other end - a better, healthier person. Look around one final time. You will see people who look just as regular and ordinary, but they might have fought off an addiction and worked tirelessly to get their lives back on track. Music might have helped them do it. Meters away, yet worlds apart; albeit one common connect: Music.
The author, Umang Dhingra, is a junior in high school and is working towards 3 professional diplomas in information and technology. She aspires to be a humanitarian lawyer someday and runs a community blog-Office Of Dead Letters (www.officofdeadletters.com). She lives in New Delhi, India with her family and a large list of dreams.
MUSE TO MY MIND ~Gopika Girish Stress. Its making my mind sway, Into places I cant relate. Break free, cut loose into ecstasy, But all that does is recklessly flow, entrapped. Was it an angel pulling me out, into humanity? With soothing tone and beautiful verses. Music, a painless emotion, My only saviour from painful hell. From well-drained emotions. Let free. Spill the rainbow of joy, dubious spirits from my mind sway along. Drain the painful memories, wash them, To let the mind sway along graceful notes. Welcoming calmness. Flawless life. Happiness.
Author: Gopika is an avid reader from the UAE who also enjoys penning her thoughts in words.
Now Playing: When Nature Heals MOUFIDA MOHIDEEN
"They say Music heals, but have they ever heard the leaves rustling, the winds whooshing, the birds chirping, the rain pattering, the waves crashing and the fire crackling. Within these rhythms, I find myself healing, And appraising the marvels of creation and the oddities of existence." By Moufida Mohideen Moufida Mohideen is a self taught artist who loves to express her thoughts through brush strokes. She believes that mixed media art and painting give her a sense of freedom where her creativity knows no bounds. She has been recording her art journey on her Instagram page (@anartstroke) since 2017. Being gifted with a powerful voice and expression, she also shows great interest in Elocution and Theatrics. Moufida is a passionate environmentalist who served as the President of her school Eco-Club for 2019-20.
Marvels of Music by Fatema Khuzaima Music has always been my companion. Growing up, I was introduced to Contemporary R&B as well as other up and coming genres because I had siblings who were going through their teenage years! Today, listening to old school songs brings back all those vivid memories. Be it solo rides on the bus or fully crowded parties, music is an important part of it all. Much like a captain guiding the ship and steering its way, music has a way of setting the tone and helping it flow. This very aspect of it has done marvels in medicine. Music is interlinked with science, due to its multifarious effects on our brain. Recently, this was proved through an interesting experiment involving refugees! A camp in northern Greece, where people from Iraq and Syria had been living for up to a year, was put under observation using music lessons and workshops for 5 weeks. The positive impacts of music practice noted here suggest it has the potential to be a promising health promotion approach for young refugees, by helping to create supportive environments, through which community action can be strengthened and personal skills developed. UNICEF recently launched the ‘Musiqati’ program in Jordan’s Azraq Refugee Camp. This program provides a safe space for children to be creative and to share their emotions through words, harmonies, rhythm and melodies. Children learn free expression and group communication through solos, duets, trios and groups. Facilitators,
teachers, and parents say they've already noticed a positive change in the children's behavior and emotional well-being since the pilot program began — including an improved ability to concentrate, greater self-confidence and taking greater responsibility for their actions at home and at school. STARTTS (Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors) is a specialist, non-profit organisation that for 30 years has provided culturally relevant psychological treatment and support to help people and communities heal the scars of torture and refugee trauma and rebuild their lives in Australia. STARTTS developed several music therapy program for refugees of the Mandaean and Assyrian communities. One of them is a women’s group run jointly by a counsellor and music therapist. The participants in the women’s group all arrived in Australia from Iraq within the last 18 months. Despite their different backgrounds, ages and journeys, they share common experiences as refugees from a war-torn country. In addition to their individual counselling, the women came together for a 10-week period to share their experiences and to learn how to use music to gain additional coping skills. At some of the sessions the women brought popular and traditional music from Iraq to sing along too. Across cultures singing has physical, emotional and social benefits. Singing as part of a group allows people to overcome shyness and nervous reactions. The action of singing strengthens the lungs, improves posture and oxygen flow to the blood stream and brain. Energetic singing releases endorphins which can help reduce feelings of depression and anxiety. Understanding the connection between music and well-being was an awakening for many of these women. They identified what types of melodies, tunes and lyrics cheered them up, made them feel tense, or feel peaceful and relaxed. Armed with
this understanding, the women agreed to write the lyrics to a song that they felt best described the coping mechanisms and emotions of the group. They soon realized that song writing is a powerful form of self expression. It is an effective way to structure the thoughts of traumatic experiences, tell a life story or articulate future goals. On an individual note, we all can admit that music has made us reminisce about good and bad days. It can grasp our emotions and portray them in unimaginable ways. The mind can resonate to music and show its effects. Music is indeed so influential, there are popular challenges on the internet, namely: “Try not to sing along”, or “Try not to dance” wherein the participator has to refrain from letting music affect him/herself, and most people have failed at it! This clearly depicts that music has the potential to affect us subconsciously. To put it in a nutshell: Music is food for the brain and a soulful refuge for the traumatised!
Fatema Khuzaima is often known as Fatemspeare; because, well, the love of English is real! Apart from cooking stories, she enjoys cooking food too. Cycling and swimming help her stay fit after all the cakes she eats. She describes herself as just another Aquarian being: as creative as she can be!
The Knowns and Unknowns in Music by Mohini Chandra
Music has been an important part of every human culture for millennia. It has a huge role to play in brain development, learning new skills, boosting your mood, and ensuring good physical and mental health. There used to be a popular belief that music is processed in the right hemisphere of our brains, along with art and other creative activities. However, recent findings show us that music is distributed throughout the brain. Through studies of people with brain damage, we have seen patients who have lost the ability to read any written script but can still read music. Some such individuals can play instruments but lack motor coordination to even button their sweaters. Today we know that listening to and performing music engage nearly every area of the brain that we have so far identified through years of research. One of the most common effects of music is that it can alter our mood and feelings, by simulating the formation of certain chemicals. For example music directors of a film use music to convey a myriad of feelings which may otherwise be unclear or to induce a sudden rush of adrenaline during particularly dramatic moments. Additionally, our brains respond differently to happy and sad melodies. Many studies have shown that after hearing a short piece of sad music participants were more likely to interpret a neutral face expression as sad and if the melody was happy then the neutral face expression was perceived as happy.
When you listen to music you love, your brain releases a neurotransmitter called dopamine, that has the ability to induce a sense of satisfaction. If you're having a particularly good day, listening to some of your favorite upbeat music can amplify that feeling of happiness. Often we have seen that when someone is sad they often reach out for sad music. This is largely because when they are sad or depressed, they usually feel misunderstood and detached from the people around them. Listening to music that reflects part of their feelings makes them feel understood and results in the upliftment of their moods. In the last few decades, neuroscientists have made enormous breakthroughs in understanding how our brain works by monitoring the human brain using instruments like FMRI. When researchers got the participants to listen to music, they saw multiple regions light up but what's more interesting is that when they monitored the brains of musicians creating music, the whole brain lit up like the sky during fireworks. Playing music is the brain’s equivalent of a full-body workout. Through various detailed studies, researchers have inferred that people who play an instrument have bigger, better connected and more sensitive brains. A study from 2008 showed that children who had at least 3 years of instrumental music training, performed better than their non-musical counterparts in a variety of tests ranging from fine motor skills to vocabulary and reasoning skills, which involve understanding and analyzing visual information. Over the years we have learnt a tremendous amount about music but a lot still remains unknown. It is this spectrum of unknown that enables music to remain not just a thrilling mystery but also an unparalleled healer.
AUTHOR: Mohini Chandra is a grade 10 student at the Mussoorie International School. She has a strong passion for Indian classical music.
A Sneak Peak into Music Therapy by Akshaya Pai Music is everywhere. It is in the voice, the tapping of feet, sound of the footsteps, chirping of birds and so on. Emotion is often translated into melody. Music has often been used to express what cannot be compressed into words. Music therapy has become very famous in the 21st century. It is used to address a patient’s emotional needs. It promotes good health by easing the patient’s anxiety and improves behavior. It tends to start off as an aesthetic experience, then becomes engaging, especially in physical activity participation. Soon, it becomes one of those few things that induces us to enjoy life. There are two types of music therapies- Active and Passive. Active therapy is where the patient makes his/ her own music and plays an instrument while Passive therapy is where the patient listens to music (recorded or live). Music is processed in all parts of the brain and accesses and stimulates other areas that are usually not accessible through other modalities. Scientific research shows that music therapy enhances and optimizes the brain improving the performance of cognitive, motor, and language or speech involved tasks.
Individuals from across the globe say that listening to music simply improves their mood and makes them believe in the magical power of healing. So what is the impact of music therapy on some of the most essential skills of the human mind? Motor skills: Research shows that there are parallels between rhythm and movement. Music therapy can be used to organize and coordinate movement. Cognitive skills: Music helps organize thoughts and retain them for long periods of time. It helps sharpen one’s memory. It also helps maintains longer attention spans. Speech/ language skills: Music helps people express themselves non-verbally. As a result music has been widely used as a tool to aid people in learning new languages. For example, the nursery rhyme on English alphabets helps beginners grasp phonetics easily. Sensory skills: Music provides multi-sensory stimulation which helps maintain a balance between sensory stimulating and sensory calming activities. Music washes away from the soul, the dust of everyday life. So awaken the music within you and watch your mind, body and spirit heal!
About the Author Akshaya is a writer who is absolutely passionate about Mental Health. As a flautist and singer, she knows that music has a great effect on the mind. She has a background in STEM and is a young member of the New York Academy of Sciences. She also enjoys advocacy and is an activist for the Meddling Kids Movement. She is a STEMinist who loves to meet people from different areas, cultures, backgrounds around the world.
An Ode to the Heroes By Anagha Rajesh As the virus known as COVID-19 sweeps the globe, each one of us is struggling to cope with self-quarantine and the influx of terrifying data. In the midst of this crisis our health care professionals have emerged as true heroeslaboring tirelessly day and night to find a cure for the virus, treat patients and test potential patients. We appreciate their efforts, and we know that it is our duty to ensure that they too enjoy good physical and mental health. Team MindChamps reached out to a few healthcare workers from across the globe and encouraged them to share their experience of working their way through these challenging times.
An Epitome of Courage Dr. Shaima Waseem Dr. Shaima works as a doctor in the internal health department of the Al Ain Hospital in UAE. This hospital, located in the heart of the city of Al Ain, was recently dedicated to the treatment of COVID-19 patients alone. Working hours have become longer and more tiring for this shero and her team of doctors and nurses in the wake of the pandemic. They work day and night looking into the conditions of several hundred patients suffering from critical cases of the virus attack. But her team of dedicated medics have never once thought of giving up. She admits that she and her fellow medics work under highly stressful conditions. “Nobody in our team has yet displayed mental health issues, largely due to our great team spirit," she proudly remarks. Al Ain Hospital offers occupational health services to assist healthcare professionals in coping with the current situation. The patients in isolation wards are offered the support of Psychology and Psychosocial support team to ensure that their mental health remains stable.
Serving with a Smile Emily David Emily is a medical volunteer at the Sharp Grossmont Hospital, California, USA. She is assigned to a patient floor dedicated to people recovering from heart surgery. She restocks the supplies, helps organize medical records, and assists the nurses and patients. She enjoys serving patients with a smile and offering support to the doctors. She believes that volunteering helps her boost her mental health. At the same time she is highly concerned about the plight of doctors and nurses in her country. They are faced with long work hours along with the stress of their jobs and expectation to perform well and know all the answers right away. According to Emily, the constant worry of being infected by COVID-19 and possibly spreading it to family members or friends is mostly likely taking a toll on the mental health of medical professionals and volunteers. “At this critical juncture, it is important to show our support to healthcare professionals and follow the necessary precautions to stay safe," she says. Emily offers a piece of advice to people who are currently quarantined, either at hospitals or inside their homes. "Keeping spirits up and boredom away is very important. Stay in contact with friends and extended family through video chatting or phone calls. Experiment with new hobbies and activities such as puzzles, cooking, and reading."