Hyacinth Callado reminds us of the beauty in ourselves, those around us, and of breaking the stigma around mental health.
As you go through your school years and leave those trenches to enter those of a working adult, the questions that keep you up at night will naturally change. “How do I get good grades?” and “How do I get into a good college?” and “How do I find a good job?” become “How do I find myself?” and “How can I positively affect the world around me?” and “What does it mean to be a good person?” All wonderfully complex and frightening questions that you will spend the rest of your life trying to answer.
Hot take: Life is full of struggle. It comes from different places and in different forms, and we spend our whole lives trying to mitigate it or run away from it. But what if the call is coming from inside the house? Contrary to the paragraphs you may write in your journal or notes app while in a fit of impassioned rage and angst, your worst enemy may not be your annoying sibling, insensitive uncle, or awful coworker. The final boss you need to face in this life, turns out, is: yourself. Learning to genuinely love yourself, including and especially the parts that you deem unworthy of it, is something that we all struggle with. Hyacinth Callado, rising Gen Z actress and mental health advocate, uses her platform to steer people onto this path of self-acceptance.
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Related: 6 Fun Facts About University Series Breakout Actress Hyacinth Callado
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As a public figure, and as a fellow human being, Hyacinth knows what it’s like to face pressures from all around. But she doesn’t let that stop her. She muses, “I’ve kind of gotten to the point of, even though I do notice the pressure, it doesn’t really affect me that much.”
Her secret? Prioritizing her own needs. Societal expectations weigh us all down, but when you cut that all away, Hyacinth reminds us that your own well-being matters more, “I try to focus on moving at the pace that I need to move into even if sometimes it may be slower than others. If it doesn’t seem like what society expects of me then whatever. Because at least I’m happy and healthy. Although I know many feel they don’t have the privilege and choice to do so, I hope we can all collectively (at least) learn about the importance of allowing ourselves to take it slow or take a break when needed.”
top and pants by @althea.laluna, round toe pumps by @asuncionclassica_shoes
Wellness is a very personal topic and looks different for everyone. This is why it’s important to be attuned to your own body and needs and honor them. Hyacinth explains, “Learn to prioritize yourself when needed. Pay more attention and notice what you love and makes you happy, what can help you personally despite what others may think is better for you. Acknowledge them and empathize with all emotions and parts of yourself – the good and even the ones you may view as bad.”
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LET GO
For Hyacinth, taking care of your personal health requires a holistic approach that considers the physical, mental, and spiritual. And part of being a well-adjusted individual is being able to confront negativity, as it is a natural part of life. “One of the things that I really noticed about our society is the huge amount of toxic positivity. There are pros and cons with that. It’s good to be able to look on the bright side of things but it’s not healthy to suppress or push down all the negative emotions. Because how can we move on or heal from them?” she observes.
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In the Philippine context in particular, where tenacity, grit, and resilience are commonly attributed to us Filipinos and seen as a point of pride, it is common to have members of your family or community undercut your negative feelings and experiences by encouraging you to be grateful for your circumstances. This, however, is misguided. Hyacinth explains, “They’re so quick to shut it down. It’s understandable because it’s also what they’re taught. That also ties into survival instincts. I just want to remind people, especially younger generations, that it’s important to acknowledge all of the negative feelings that you have – all of the negative thoughts – because they’re a part of you.They don’t have to be true. But it’s good to acknowledge them because, if you don’t, they will just continue to build up. Things will get heavier and they won’t get better.”
top and skirt by @vicfajatin_official, necklace by @alchemistaonline
It is this belief that led Hyacinth to create the Facebook page Silakbo – Rant & Release. She created it with the intent of it serving as a safe space for those who need to express themselves freely without judgment. There, she shares informational posts and observes posters helping one another. And, while she admits that she is not always active on the page, she reminds her followers that they are free to privately message the page as a way to vent out their frustrations and pains, and she makes it clear that she does not read them so users can feel at ease writing whatever it is they need to in order to relieve their negativity.
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Hyacinth’s passion for mental health advocacy comes from a genuine interest in others, “I love talking to people and hearing about their human experiences, because I find humans so beautiful.” It is also a product of being surrounded by socially conscious peers, as well as from her own personal experiences. “I fell in love with psychology because at my lowest level, I really wanted to figure out: Why am I like this? Why am I feeling so heavy?” she recalls. By educating herself, she, by her own estimation, has arrived at a place of relative inner peace – something she hopes everyone can experience. “Because of how much that changed my life and helped me and my relationships, I wish for that for everyone else.”
Social media has helped to spread mental health awareness as well, and is a powerful tool by which people can connect to each other and get assistance. “Sometimes there are people who don’t feel safe enough to reach out with their identity but they need someone to talk to. They can do that anonymously and still get the help they may need. Because of social media there is so much more access to resources, which is such a beautiful thing,” Hyacinth said. “That means more communities, more safe spaces.”
top and skirt by @vicfajatin_official, necklace by @alchemistaonline
The rise of mental health awareness in the country is only just beginning, but the soft-spoken yet determined young star remains optimistic. As she puts it, “It’s been beautiful to see a lot more people speaking up. A lot more people with big platforms and influence are starting to speak up about things and their own experiences and be brave. It just really shows that there is some hope. We just want a better world.”
Society growing in its acceptance of mental health and its importance to us all is heartwarming indeed. More than this, Hyacinth encourages us to accept the reality of ourselves, regardless of our flaws: “How I’ve found more of my inner peace personally, is when I started to validate all parts of myself. All the things I didn’t like about myself, all the things that I did like, all the things that I hated, all the things I was mad about, and learning to accept it but to grow on it if I needed to.” There is a fine line that we all must dance on when it comes to balancing the need for growth and the need for grace. Learning to accept who we are, and accept that we are worthy of love even as fallible as we are, is the project of a lifetime – one you will always come out the other side of as a better and truer version of you.
top and pants by @althea.laluna, round toe pumps by @asuncionclassica_shoes
Photography by JOSH TOLENTINO
Assisted by ANTONIO VAZQUEZ
Creative and Fashion Direction by ANDRE CHANG
Art Direction by GELO QUIJENCIO
Styling by ANDRE CHANG
Assisted by KURT ABONAL and APRIL LOZADA
Production Design by ARJ MADZ of JAGGER STUDIOS
Makeup by ARON GUEVARRA
Hair by BRIX BATALLA
Shoot Coordination by JASMIN DASIGAN
Editor-in-Chief MAGGIE BATACAN
Managing Editor RAFAEL BAUTISTA
Brand Associate BIANCA LAO
Order your copy of the MyZine Zen Print Pack featuring Hyacinth Callado here.
Continue reading: Why Setting Boundaries, Even with Family, is so Important
