We’re counting the hours to that first drink of the day; going for an extra scoop rice or bowl of ice cream (maybe both); binge-watching, whatever; staring at our phones or email instead of working out or calling a friend. We’ve got less money, more stress and aren’t really sure how we feel.
Some mental health experts in Hawai‘i compare the pandemic to a magnifying glass: It’s amplifying existing problems and sharpening the focus on fractures in relationships at home, at work and across our community.
“If there was something there, then it scratched away the surface,” says mental health advocate Kathleen Rhoads Merriam, who has worked in the mental health field for 36 years.
The panel in our May 6, 2021 Life Interrupted webinar (clockwise from upper left): HONOLULU Magazine’s Robbie Dingeman, Kathleen Rhoads Merriam, Allana Coffee, Mestisa Gass, Dan Chun, Dr. Josephine Horita.
Dr. Josephine Horita, psychiatrist at the Kāhala Clinic for Children & Family, reminds her patients that we’ve learned a lot about living through upheaval and most of us now have a tool kit for surviving what’s ahead. “To help reduce anxiety is to reflect as a family, as a community to say what works, and let’s have that as a manual.”
First Presbyterian Church of Honolulu Pastor Dan Chun says he’s seeing a wide range of reactions from introverts who coped well in the beginning to folks losing hope. His message: “Never give up. And I would just put a footnote to that, reach out to at least one person to communicate how you’re doing.”
Hear from Community Experts in This Week’s Launch of “Life Interrupted: Navigating What’s Next”
Get tips and ask questions in this HONOLULU Magazine free mental health webinar from 1-2 p.m. Thursday, May 6
May 4, 2021
The pandemic changed our community and our world dramatically in 2020. Now, our lives are shifting again as we figure out our best next steps. This opening session tackles the big picture: Thursday, May 6: “Changes for Home, Work, Community.”
We saw our world shift in so many ways: work from home, school at home; losing jobs or letting them take over our lives; missing many milestones while connecting in different and sometime more meaningful ways; seeing so much of some family members while missing others. Experts say the world and our part of it will continue to adapt in the coming months. How do we move forward safely and cautiously as we strive to recover some of what we lost and find a better path forward.