Real Talk
Sunshine Dizon: Lights, Courage, Closure!
Sunshine Dizon shares her mental health story, encouraging others to find the courage to seek professional help as she has.
This story about Sunshine Dizon first came out in Modern Parenting’s special Mother’s Day-Father’s Day 2023 Print Edition available on https://sarisari.shopping/.
Opening up about mental health is difficult especially for parents. In a culture where faith and resilience are taught as coping mechanisms for difficult situations, it becomes extra challenging to begin the conversation within families. But how can parents help other parents when we always tell one another to be optimistic?
No matter how well-meaning comments such as “kulang ka lang sa dasal” or “kaya mo yan” may be, they’re hardly helpful in providing support towards one’s healing. Actress Sunshine Dizon often heard such phrases when she tried to reach out for help.
“Medyo toxic yung Filipino mentality na kaya natin lahat at madadaanan natin lahat sa ngiti.”
To read the full article, grab a copy of Modern Parenting’s special Mother’s Day-Father’s Day 2023 Print Edition. It’s available on sarisari.shopping. Or you can download the e-Magazine from Readly or Press Reader.
Helping break the stigma
Sunshine’s courage to come out with her diagnosis stemmed from a sudden need to find meaning behind her many experiences, to break away from the negativity that was attached to seeking professional help. “I didn’t want to be part of the stigma. I wanted people to actually ask for help if they needed it.” She shares. “I wanted friends and family to be aware that their loved ones are going through things and they need a good support system.”
To read the full article, grab a copy of Modern Parenting’s special Mother’s Day-Father’s Day 2023 Print Edition. It’s available on sarisari.shopping. Or you can download the e-Magazine from Readly or Press Reader.
Shining light on anxiety
“It was like an out-of-body experience,” Sunshine recalls when the horror first set in, leading to her very first panic attack. “I was just very lucky that my friend called and then I snapped out of it. But then, I started feeling this tightness in my throat and then, it was like I couldn’t breathe. Apparently, that was my very first panic attack. But it became more physical; my hands would shake and when it would, my whole body would shake uncontrollably soon after!”
To read the full article, grab a copy of Modern Parenting’s special Mother’s Day-Father’s Day 2023 Print Edition. It’s available on sarisari.shopping. Or you can download the e-Magazine from Readly or Press Reader.
The Most Obvious Signs That Many Often Miss
Sunshine’s own mental tug-of-war is not an uncommon story among those struggling with their mental health. Some parents may even find themselves having difficulty making the simplest day-to-day decisions. “You don’t even want to take a bath sometimes, you don’t want to eat then all of a sudden, you suddenly want to,” Sunshine elaborates. “It even comes to a point when you’re lying to people about being too busy to go out when you’re just laying in bed. But I think it’s when the physical symptoms, like my whole body uncontrollably shaking that I got scared. That’s when I realized, ‘Oh wait, I really have something to do with this.’”
To read the full article, grab a copy of Modern Parenting’s special Mother’s Day-Father’s Day 2023 Print Edition. It’s available on sarisari.shopping. Or you can download the e-Magazine from Readly or Press Reader.
Healing herself and her family
Many seem to think that healing from mental health issues is a linear matter—you encounter troubles, you seek help, and then you recover. Yet Sunshine knows her own process, like many others, is far from that. “Life itself isn’t linear,” Sunshine points out, comparing the healing process to patching up a house while painting. “It’s not as if something happened to you step by step. When you go through that phase of acceptance and healing, it’s also not step-by-step. Just like how life is, it’s always one step forward but sometimes, in the next couple of weeks—it’s three steps backwards again. But there’s hope, with everyday that goes by. You forgive others [who hurt] you and you also forgive yourself.”
To read the full article, grab a copy of Modern Parenting’s special Mother’s Day-Father’s Day 2023 Print Edition. It’s available on sarisari.shopping. Or you can download the e-Magazine from Readly or Press Reader.
More about Sunshine Dizon?
Sunshine Dizon Mourns Her Dad: “I Will Always Be A Papa’s Girl.”
Why We’re Proud That Sunshine Dizon Opened Up About Her Mental Health Issues
How Kids of Today’s Mental Health Shapes the Future
