Coronavirus precautions create uncertainty for young people in SWFL

Reporter: Sydney Persing
Published: Updated:
Hayden Rieves (WINK News)

From landing on the moon, to 9/11, to the Columbine High School massacre: all are big events that have left their mark on history.

We are witnessing history again, this time with the coronavirus (COVID-19.)

For many young people in Southwest Florida, it’s creating anxiety and uncertainty.

“This morning I woke up and I thought it was a nightmare,” said one person we talked to.

So what can you do to get through these tough times?

Hayden Rieves watched proudly when her big sister turned the tassel at FGCU and dreamed about the day she’d do it herself.

“Some people might think, ‘Why should we care that your graduation is canceled?’ And I completely understand,” she said, crying. “I’ve just been waiting for that moment to walk across the stage and it’s just really upsetting.”

Hayden Rieves and her sister at FGCU. (Provided to WINK News)

You see, it’s not just about her graduation, it’s everything for everyone.

Maybe it’s your job? It may be your mortgage or that you’re alone right now. Like so many of us, in one moment, Rieves realized she “had no clue what was next and what’s gonna be taken next from whoever else at this point.”

No certainty, no security; like Rieves, lots of us feel a little “anxious, and distraught, and just, confused.”

Uncertainty. It’s adversity and uncharted territory for some. What can they do? What can we all do? We asked Dr. Laura Streyffeler.

“I think we have to focus on what we can control. We can’t control how long the virus is gonna be out there. The control that we have is how we react to it,” she said, “to do, but not to overdo, to remember the things to feel grateful for.”

So that’s what Rieves will do. No graduation, but a lifetime of memories to hold onto. No idea if her job will start on time, but there’s a job to look forward to, and there’s a promise to “be hopeful,” she says. “I’m hopeful there will be something in the end.”

Streyffeler says if you’re feeling anxious these days, get away from social media. She suggests trying something new that will, at worst, distract you for a while.

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