1. Saying ‘no’ is saying ‘yes’ to yourself. - “It came to a point where I stopped saying ‘no.’ It was all just ‘yes.’ When you say no, [ang] feeling mo, mawawala ‘yung mga opportunity na ino-offer sa ‘yo. But then, I have learned to say no to a lot of things and just put my health first.”@nadine
2. A physical place or a person can both count as a safe space. - “I guess I’m very fortunate because I have a home that I can run to. I have Siargao, which is definitely now my safe space. But aside from that, people could also be safe spaces. I always open up to my boyfriend, especially [since] he knows all the ins and outs of me.”@nadine
3. Confront your crisis. - “Pause and go through what it is. Process what it is you’re going through because sometimes, we’re so busy na we forget to process everything hanggang sa makalimutan mo na lang and you sweep it under the rug. It comes back up and then you’re like, ‘Oh, okay. This is that one thing I didn’t deal with.’”@nadine
4. Depression is a real deal. - “Right now, I’m really so open about what it is that I’m going through because I know that a lot of the younger generation are going through the same thing. At least, be the light and show everyone that it is a real thing and that everyone goes through it and no one is really safe.”@nadine
5. It’s okay to ask for others’ help if you happen to hit a snag or mishandle a situation. - “They may be silent battles but those are battles that I know how to win na. If you can handle it yourself, go ahead. But if you need help, it’s also not bad naman to ask for help. You always have to choose your battles lang din and you have to choose them wisely.”@nadine
6. It’s never too late to learn new things. - “I love having my team around just because they’re younger. They have fresh, new ideas and they’re into the ‘now’ stuff, which I’m not super familiar with. It’s not necessarily the stuff that I do but it’s still good to have knowledge of what’s going around in the social media world—what’s in and what’s not.”@txcjosh via @nadine
7. Those who truly love you accept your life choices and changes. - “They [fans] have been very accepting of who I am and even if those changes are also very difficult for them or if it’s something that’s not to their liking. More so, [I am thankful] sa fans who understood my decisions and who accepted me for who I really am. Du’n ko alam na ganu’n sila ka-connected with me and how they love me so much—they cared about my happiness and they were all moving through the flow that I was going through. That’s hard to find, ha. Those kinds of fans are really hard to find and they would go through any storm to support me.”@edenclona via @nadine
8. Acknowledge and accept both the good and the bad. - “All of the stuff that I went through, I’m happy I went through, just because I’ve learned so much from all of them. I don’t really ward off all negative energies. I mean, we all go through something and that’s not an energy that I shut out. Even with myself, when I’m feeling something, I don’t shut it out and say na ‘okay, good vibes lang, good vibes lang.’ No, I don’t do that! I accept it and I process the whole thing.”@josephbrmudez via @nadine
9. Learn how to take life slowly and one step at a time. - “Fast-paced ’yung life kasi sa city, but when I’m in Siargao, that’s when I discovered slow living. There are days that I can savor or I can just lie down and be in nature—be with myself. I don’t feel bad about not doing anything. I can just go to the beach and be unproductive and not feel bad about it. I think now, more than ever, I want to chill out a bit and just enjoy life—enjoy the slowness and the stillness of life.”@nadine
10. Open yourself to opportunities. - “I want to slow down but at the same time, I want to work. I want to strike while the iron is hot, you know? I’m accepting all of the opportunities that I can at this point, but I’m happy to do it.”@bjpascual via @nadine
11. Shifting to a more sustainable lifestyle can leave you feeling fulfilled. - “You just have to know what to eat and where to eat, and you’re good. I think it’s what people find difficult kasi, e—it’s mainly the discipline. I think we’re so used to eating meat. We’re so used to eating animal products or animal food na. It’s hard for us to switch to plant-based, but it’s really not that difficult. There’s a lot of benefits to it. I feel more energized. It’s done wonders for me and I think I can never go back na. I believe it’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”@lokal.brown via @nadine
12. Every creature is created equal. - “I’m conditioned na not to eat animals. I love animals so much, you know? I don’t like how you butcher them so you can consume them and it’s just like five minutes of pleasure for your taste buds and after that, wala na. At the end of the day, you can’t help but feel bad for the animals. I don’t see them as another species that’s beneath me. I see them as my equal, and they deserve to live in this world as much as I do—as much as we all do. They’re sentient beings and they have emotions and they’re loving creatures, so it makes me feel so bad that this is what’s become of us.”@nadine
13. Love is what is lacking in this world of turmoil. - “A lot of days, I just feel like humans are so f*cked-up. What have we become, really? But if you think about it, those people have gone through something that’s why they’re like that—you know, some trauma in some way. I don’t know what happened but it’s because they’re devoid of love. That’s why that’s happening to them. Love is the answer to everything, honestly.”@nadine
14. Choose who you let in your circle. - “The thing is there’s a lot of low-vibes people, you know? That’s why I don’t go out anymore ‘cause for some reasons, I’ve become so sensitive with the energy that I absorb—energy from people; energy from a plant; [energy] even from animals. I’m still learning how to block [‘yung] mga succubus, energy vampires. There’s a lot of those!”@nadine
15. You are your greatest gift. - “To myself, thank you, because we’ve gone through so much sh*t. You know that. We’ve gone through so much sh*t and yet here we are—we’re fighting and loving life more than ever. I’m proud of you! I love you. Stay as you are. It’s only going up from hereon so be ready.”@nadine
