Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong

There can be no doubt that the coronavirus outbreak is disrupting daily life for everyone in Hong Kong. Apart from entire families worrying about becoming infected, adults are extremely concerned about income instability and the shortage of cleaning products; while at the same time, children stuck at home complain about being bored. The entire situation is a recipe for extreme stress and a significant trigger for family tension. How can we cope with such overwhelming waves of negative emotions?

Fortunately, there are many tactics that can be employed. Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong has developed some tips for handling negative emotions and stress in the hopes of helping Hong Kong people persevere through these difficult times.

For working parents, it is important to balance your emotions and maintain your own well being before taking care of others. Given the disruption caused by the outbreak, most people have been forced to radically change their habits and plans.

Similarly, young children may become fearful of becoming infected or seriously ill when they see their parents cleaning the home vigorously, and experience schools being suspended for such a long time. For older children, uncertainty regarding the progress of public exams and extracurricular activities may lead to them feeling helpless and unsupported by their schools. As for adults, in addition to the stress of searching for protective gear, daily necessities and food; many have “layoff anxiety” or have experienced wage cuts or unpaid leave. On top of that, working parents have to take care of their children who are not in school while simultaneously trying to work. These enormous pressures can easily trigger emotional issues.

Rachel Yu, a clinical psychologist at our Counselling Unit has several observations. “No matter what their age, in the face of the confusion caused by the epidemic, everyone needs time to adapt. Children often feel irritated if they have nowhere to play and release their energy. To address this problem, parents can share verified information about the virus and how it spreads with their children, or read health-related picture books with them to enhance their understanding of the health measures that need to be taken. This will allow them to understand the importance of staying home.

If your children become worried about their health or the health of the family, give them a hug and provide physical affection to comfort them, and spend some time with them doing arts and crafts or chatting – all these little actions will help give them a sense of security. At the same time, parents should arrange a daily schedule for their children, which includes not only school-related activities but little games or other parent-child activities, all of these will also help reduce their anxiety. Parents are recommended to encourage their children to communicate with friends by phone instead of using text messaging, as this increases interpersonal communication.”

Rachel continues, “For teenagers who are facing exams, the suspension of school takes away the chance for students to practice mock examinations, and may create feelings of helplessness. It is important for parents to listen patiently to their children's thoughts and fears and not to judge them. Parents should also help their children plan for the future, or work with them to develop a detailed study timetable. The goal is to ensure that their children believe their parents are ‘on their side’ and are supporting them. As for the parents themselves, it is recommended that they share their feelings and worries with their friends to ease the burden of their stress.”

To conclude, Rachel says that, “parents who need to work from home may feel bad for not being able to spend quality time with their children or being unable to fully focus at work. We should remember that people are often restricted by their environments, and that there is no perfect way to complete all your tasks on schedule in this environment. As long as you have tried your best, you should be satisfied, as it is not possible to always meet everyone’s expectations. If you are worried, or feel feelings of fear or anger, or if you can’t stop checking the news for the latest developments; then you need to calm down and take a break. You need to refresh your mind before continuing to work further.”

Our Counselling Unit has produced a four emotional support videos which offer constructive tips for parents with anxious children, showing them how to deal with their uncertain and fluctuating emotions. At the same time, these videos also provide tips and tricks to help adults ease their levels of stress.

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Mission Until Dawn (MUD), our University & College YMCA alumni volunteer organisation, prides itself on paying close attention to the physical and mental development of children in Hong Kong. Over the past three years, it has led nearly 100 high school and college students on trips to the Philippines, Cambodia and Mongolia to build playgrounds for local children. So far, more than 10,000 children have benefitted from their selfless actions.

Since 2018, MUD has also been using recycled materials such as ties, paper, cardboard and other materials to promote “handmade playgrounds” in Hong Kong – saving resources and reminding remind parents of the importance of playing games on the development of their children.

Earlier this year, MUD received the “8th Hong Kong Outstanding Volunteer Award”, given by the Hong Kong Volunteer Awards, in recognition of their selfless dedication and spirit over the years. We know that the volunteers of MUD will continue to spread love throughout Hong Kong and the region to help even more children through their unique and playful ideas.