By Moireen Espinosa
Listening to music has its benefits to productivity, especially for someone like me who has done academic units via the online learning systems or platforms. Even prior to the pandemic lockdowns, I have had a glimpse on how to do things with the “at home” setup. There were times that I have been very anxious. I’d like to attest to how listening to music is beneficial in these situations. As for the podcasts? I wasn’t a fan of listening to these until the majority of people got stuck at home with the work-from-home set up. The realizations? Read on!
Numerous articles on the Internet have explained the benefits of listening to music. Studies have shown that listening to music decreases cortisol (this is what they refer to as the stress hormone), whereas listening to music also help increase serotonin and endorphin levels in the blood. So, ever wonder why even in certain group exercises such as Zumba and spinning or cycling classes, they use music? If you want to know more about the effects of music, you may read articles such as this from Harvard Health Publishing entitled Music and Health. [https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/music-and-health]
I often still use the radio and an online streaming app called Spotify to listen to music. But there are many other ways to listen to music now. Streaming from the internet through different mobile devices includes other apps such as Radio Philippines, Apple Music, and YouTube Music. Curious to learn more about these streaming services? Read this article: [https://www.noypigeeks.com/audio/best-music-streaming-services-philippines/]
On a similar note, I’d like to now focus more on the Spotify podcast initiative by the UPOU Office of Gender Concerns (OGC) in collaboration with the Diploma in/Master of Social Work and Diploma in Women and Development programs of the UPOU Faculty of Management and Development Studies (FMDS). One episode is released every month from April 2021 until December 2021. The maiden episode titled “#BEaWARE: Know about Sexual Harassment in the Cyberspace,” is a 36-minute episode which establishes the foundation for the topic such as definitions of terms, laws and policies related to online sexual harassment.
This short, yet very concise podcast, had Atty. Eric Paul Peralta, Director of UPLB Gender Center and Assistant Professor of UPLB College of Human Ecology as the resource speaker. The Republic Acts and other laws mentioned in this podcast have been enlightening, especially for someone like me who is not that well-versed with how I can protect myself on online platforms. This is also considering that I work and study purely through online platforms. I also have active social media accounts, where I have Facebook groups for example, that share sentiments about how we can maintain safe spaces online.
The second episode of GAD Talk was aired on 20 May 2021 with Asst. Prof. Finaflor F. Taylan, a faculty of UPOU FMDS and the former director of UPOU OGC as the resource person. The episode, tItled “Addressing the Mental Health Effects of Online Sexual Harassment: Gender Responsive Case Management (GRCM) as an Intervention,” is a question and answer type of discussion that focused on the mental health effects and the process of GRCM as an intervention for the victims of online sexual harassment.
Listen to GAD Talk episodes on UPOU Networks, Spotify, Anchor.fm.
*Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed in this blog post are of the original author/s. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of the UPOU, and/or any/all contributors to this site. This is also NOT a paid advertorial.
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