Shopee Levels Up the In-App Experience with the Launch of New Game, Shopee Pets

Online shopping helps a lot of Filipinos de-stress and unwind. Aside from the retail therapy shoppers can enjoy, Shopee is set to make users’ in-app experience even more entertaining and engaging with the launch of Shopee Pets. Inspired by a popular mobile game during the 90s, Shopee Pets allows players to redeem exciting rewards by nurturing their virtual pets. Aside from big discounts and exclusive brand offers, Shopee Pets is one of the many exciting things to look forward to during this 3.15 Consumer Day Sale.

Shopee Pets is a life simulation game where players can help their pets evolve through daily activities. Players can level up their pet’s XP (experience points) and unlock diamond points throughout the game by feeding, cleaning, and playing with them. Accumulated points can be used to redeem rewards at the Points Redemption Store. Players can take care of their pets all day, and once their pet reaches level 50, they can choose another pet and repeat the life cycle. To level up your pet and gain diamond points, players can do the following:

● Social Interactions: Sharing is caring! With social interactions between players, they can receive shared items that can increase their pet’s happiness bar.

● Schooling: You can let your pet attend school once it reaches level 4, so they can join class games, and engage in other activities like quizzes and races to achieve diamond points.

● Grooming: Keep pets squeaky clean by dragging the soap bar on top of the pet. All cleaning supplies help increase XP and its happiness and cleanliness levels.

● Feeding: Make sure your pet is well-fed to maintain its happiness levels. There are three types of pet food and paid food gives your pet higher XP growth and fullness points.

● Playing: Keep your pets happy by playing with them on a regular basis. There are three ways to play with your pet:

- Dance to the Music: Follow the beat to increase your pet’s happiness bar. Each song consists of three rounds and will speed up at the end of each round.

- Jump on a Trampoline: Drag the trampoline left and right to make sure your pet stays on it and earns more points.

- Score a Goal in Soccer: Score a goal and increase your pet’s happiness and XP level. Each goal has a corresponding amount of XP.

Remember that you can choose your pet at the start of each cycle and also look forward to dressing them up in adorable clothes—from head to toe! You can also start doing improvements on your pet’s home by level 25, unlocking new themes, and gaining access to upgrades.

During the launch of Shopee Pets on March 3, players can look forward to amazing prizes which include Shopee coins, coins cashback vouchers, and other products such as a Xiaomi Air Purifier, an O'Healthy Electric Juicer Blender, an Acer Aspire 3 laptop, and many more. One lucky player also stands a chance to win ₱100,000 via ShopeePay from March 12 to 16.

Shopee Pets joins a list of other fun in-app games such as Pera Panalo, Shopee Candy, Shopee Farm, Shopee Bubble, and Shopee Claw that have become the favorites of shoppers on the platform. To further enhance the overall online shopping experience, ShopeePay, Shopee's mobile wallet, offers exclusive perks and savings such as daily free shipping and cashback vouchers. Users can enjoy 20% cashback when they scan to pay at ShopeePay’s partner merchants such as Potato Corner, Puregold, National Bookstore, The Generics Pharmacy, and more until the end of March. Users can also checkout ShopeePay ₱1 Deals and redeem discounts in stores.

On 3.15 Consumer Day, users can take advantage of 50% off on load across all networks and up to 100% cashback on bills payment. With ShopeePay’s Free transfers feature, users won't have to worry about transfer fees when they send money to any bank or to any Shopee user. They can get a chance to win ₱100,000, and new users can get free ₱100 on their first-ever transfer (promo from Mar 8-17).

Download the Shopee app for free via the App Store or Google Play.

Pandemic Mentally Hurts Many Healthcare Workers, but Help is Available

Although COVID-19 cases are dropping in the country and advances in technology are making regular patient consultations possible, many local healthcare professionals still find working under pandemic conditions overwhelming.

Teleconsultations that last until late evening and being away from loved ones for extended periods are just some of the issues that continue to drain them to this point.

The webinar "Kumusta Dok — The Afterlife: Emerging After COVID" has provided healthcare professionals a way to identify and manage symptoms of burnout and achieve that balance of taking care of their patients and their well-being.

"Going through stressful life experiences can be unhealthy because this could lead to mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression, which we have commonly seen since the pandemic started," webinar speaker Dr. Robert Buenaventura said.

"If you show symptoms of burnout, it's a good idea to see a mental health professional. You have to realize that help is available."

Dr. Buenaventura is the head of the Department of Neurosciences at Manila Theological College and associate professor in human life span and psychiatry at La Consolacion University Philippines.

Kumusta Dok is an initiative that aims to empower patients to reconnect with their doctors during the new normal. The Kumusta Dok initiative also gives tips and updates on the channels available for patients to strengthen partnerships with doctors throughout the health-seeking journey. It shares efforts being made by healthcare facilities to ensure the safety of patients and healthcare staff while delivering appropriate care. It likewise partners with medical societies to create educational and wellness platforms for healthcare professionals as we live through this pandemic.

Based on a study, conducted during the height of the pandemic, out of 516 healthcare workers in the Philippines, 70.7% have anxiety symptoms. The study revealed that the pandemic had a psychological impact on the majority of healthcare workers.

According to Dr. Buenaventura, red flags to watch out for indicating too much stress or a mental health condition include a change in moods, memory, and behavior, as well as lower productivity and frequent absenteeism. Those who suffer mental burnout also have a tendency to withdraw from social connections and ignore personal self-care and hygiene.

To manage these symptoms and get a proper diagnosis or treatment plan, Dr. Buenaventura suggests seeking the help of a mental health professional who can be reached via teleconsultation or in-person visits. Another way to contact a mental health professional or a trained counselor is via anonymous, 24/7 hotlines.

"Consultations don't necessarily have to be about a mental disorder,” Dr. Buenaventura added. "It can just be about the stress that can be managed by other means. But you need to identify and accept that the problem exists because that is the first step to doing something about it."

Those who are not receptive to meeting a mental health professional can instead engage in doing stress management techniques to cope with burnout symptoms. Their options include exercise, adopting a healthy diet, or getting enough sleep.

They can also try other therapeutic maneuvers such as meditation or mindfulness, correcting negative thoughts, or progressive muscle relaxation.

"Self-care is very crucial because it's an integral part of professional fulfillment," Dr. Buenaventura said.

If you’re a healthcare worker and showing symptoms of anxiety and burnout, take the necessary steps to get help. Consider taking a break or talking to a trusted friend or a professional.

Reference: Marzo, Roy Rillera et al. Risk perception, mental health impacts and coping strategies during COVID-19 pandemic among Filipino healthcare workers. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34911287/