The pains and gains of the post-pandemic lifestyle: How Filipinos’ livelihood and health were reshaped

The pandemic has undoubtedly altered our everyday lives. The transition forced us to reevaluate our livelihood while prioritizing our overall well-being in the midst of a global health emergency.  

While a post-pandemic lifestyle has its pains and gains, Filipinos have begun to put greater importance on their overall health and make mindful choices when it comes to the efficacy and safety of the health solutions we use. 

Whether the situation has influenced our present lifestyle in one way or another, here are a few ways our livelihood and health were reshaped. 

Hybrid work normalized for some industries

The pandemic reshaped work life for many.  Many office workers have started embracing a more confined lifestyle as the majority (80%) of Filipinos prefer hybrid work, which allows for greater work-life balance. However, it also results in lower levels of physical activity due to long hours of sitting.  

This flexible work setup nowadays is convenient for Charlene Miole, a BPO employee. “Mas marami akong oras para sa gawaing bahay at mas maraming bonding time sa family ko. Kaya lang, may mga times na masakit ‘yung balakang at balikat [dahil] sa ‘di tamang posture pag nakaupo kapag nag-ta-trabaho.”

[I have more time to do household chores and bond with my family. However, there are times that I get shoulder and hip pain due to my bad sitting posture when I work.]

Rise of on-demand delivery services

Food delivery rider, Conrado Collado, shared that the pandemic rather unexpectedly provided better opportunities as more consumers order their meals online. However, Collado admitted that he is sometimes overworked, causing recurring body pains. 

“Sumasakit ang katawan ko lalo na kapag buong araw ako bumibiyahe—byahe ng motor, lakad dito, lakad [doon]. Bihira ako umuwi ng bahay noon dahil sa taas ng kaso ng COVID tapos ‘yong asawa ko pa nawalan ng trabaho kaya dapat doble kayod. Hanggang sa ngayon, ito lang inaasahan namin kaya bumabyahe pa rin ako araw-araw,” shared Collado.

[I experience body pain especially when I ride for the whole day—riding the motorcycle and walking around for orders. I rarely went home before due to the high number of COVID cases. My wife also lost her job so I had to work double time. Up until now, this has been our main source of income so I deliver food every day.]

Filipinos realized the value of work

Meanwhile, getting laid off during the pandemic was the biggest worry of Joel Lim, a security guard. This pushed him to work harder to stay on the job to support his family, oftentimes, at the expense of his health. “Matindi ‘yung naging pangamba ko na mawalan ng trabaho noong pandemic, kaya ngayong unti-unti na tayo bumabawi, patuloy pa rin ako kumakayod. Kapag masakit ang katawan ko, bukod sa paglagay ng ointment, sinasabayan ko rin ng pain reliever para tuloy-tuloy talaga sa trabaho.” 

[I was concerned about my job security during the pandemic. Now that we are slowly recovering from it, I still continue to strive hard. So when I experience body pain, aside from using topical ointment, I also take a pain reliever so I could continue working.]

Importance of well-researched health products

During the pandemic, there has been a lot of confusion and misconceptions surrounding our health and the products we put in our body—one of which is people’s worries about getting vaccinated. Through consistent public education, eventually, there became a greater understanding of the extensive research that goes behind healthcare products.

In the same grain, pain medicines like Alaxan have gone through not just various scientific research, but also real-life monitoring of its efficacy and safety.  After decades in the market, Ibuprofen+Paracetamol (Alaxan) has not caused serious side effects to the body organs.  It is a synergistic combination of Ibuprofen+Paracetamol that was found to have the highest success rate among OTC pain medicines tested, according to a 2015 scientific review by Cochrane, a world-renowned independent research institution.  The same study also found that Ibuprofen+Paracetamol has fewer adverse effects than placebo which proves that the combination is not likely to cause serious harmful effects on our body when used at the recommended dose.

While there is no other way but to move forward, the pandemic has certainly pushed us even more to work harder and to value our livelihood without compromising our health along the way. Fortunately, these past years also taught us that well-researched health products are accessible to give us a strong fighting chance against these challenges.

For more information about Alaxan, visit their website. If symptoms persist, consult your doctor.