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Coping with Florida's reopen

Posted at 5:20 PM, May 18, 2020
and last updated 2020-05-18 22:52:45-04

CAPE CORAL, FLA — When it comes to reopening the state, and even the country, FGCU mental health expert Abbe Finn says she gets it, probably more than most.

"I'm old enough to remember polio," said Finn the Director of the schools Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program,"And until we had a vaccine there was social distancing, swimming pools were closed, movie theaters were closed."

Finn says the polio epidemic taught her that better days will come, but it also taught her to take health precautions seriously while transitioning to a new normal.

"So if you need to wear a mask, wear gloves. Hand washing, cover a cough, if you feel sick, stay home," said Finn.

As Florida fully enters into phase one of reopening after the COVID-19 pandemic, Finn says there is bound to be anxiety, those concerned about going out and those who can't wait to get back to their lives.

While both are normal, she says the best thing you can do to prepare yourself in either scenario, is to ask yourself this question, that she often asks her clients when they are experiencing stress:

"What do you do to nurture your soul? What do you do to nurture your soul? What is it that you do that helps you come back?"

Whatever that thing is, Finn says as along as its safe, it's one of the best ways to cope during this time.