Marriage and family therapist Britt Young of Xplor counseling joined the COVID-19 Care Conversation to take questions about how to manage stress and anxiety during this challenging time.

“Two things the human psyche loves, is control and predictability, and when we do not have those things, even the person with the lowest anxiety on the scale is going to feel something,” Young explained. “Coronavirus is this perfect stew of lack of predictability and lack of control.”

Young encourages coming up with a schedule and sticking to it when possible, creating loose blocks of time for different activities, i.e. work from home, school work, exercise, meals, etc. For families, she suggests allowing the entire family to create that schedule together.

“That might mean sitting with the family, and going, ‘What should we do this week and how should our day be structured, so that we’re not all on top of each other?’” she said.

Young also spoke about the importance of finding alone time, even in a busy or crowded home, getting outside for fresh air, and taking time for self-care like reading a book, exercising, or taking a hot bath.

Watch here and comment through our Facebook Page. Be sure to join us Monday when Governor David Ige will be our guest.

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Join COVID-19 Care Conversation, sponsored by Hawai’i Executive Collaborative, live every weekday at 10:30 a.m. on the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s Facebook page. Yunji de Nies and Ryan Kalei Tsuji will discuss the latest news, resources and community concerns about the coronavirus outbreak in Hawaii.