Editorial: We know, it's tough after what happened in Tairua

The idyllic Coromandel holiday town of Tairua has been plunged into mourning as residents reel from the alleged roadside murder of popular 20-year-old Bayden Williams.

It's easy to find someone doing things tougher than you in this Covid-19 climate, but surely there's nothing more difficult than losing a loved one.

Auckland's move into level 3 and the rest of the nation into level 2 is a decision that left us once again having to practise the skill of adaptability and resilience.

Community gatherings, funerals and events were again impacted by the announcement, including those of huge significance to our young people.

In Tairua, the loss of 20-year-old Bayden Williams whose death is being tried as a murder case, has been deeply shocking to the tight knit community.

The funeral had to be limited in numbers, but under level 2, at least it went ahead.

His young friends livestreamed the funeral service on Facebook so those who couldn't be there were able to watch the emotional farewell of this loving young dad. The space of the Tairua rugby field ensured social distancing could be practised and people still had the chance to gather.

Reflecting on our young people, the 11th hour cancellation of the East Waikato Expo, so-called Can Do, was a blow to organisers of course, but a reminder of what our youngsters are facing with so much disruption in their career choices, goal setting and future planning.

The same goes for their once-in-a-lifetime social highlight, the school ball season - although perhaps there's hope that some of these might still go ahead in our area - and the old saying "one day at a time" seems helpful here.

I searched for advice for young people, and found a great resource online by Dr Lucy Hone and Dr Denise Quinlan, published on the New Zealand Institute of Wellbeing and Resilience website.

Working in emergency management and resilience training, they say during the worst of times it is more important than ever for our psychological health to tune into what's still good in your world.

And another great message: Focus on what matters, and what you can control. Concentrate all your attention and resources - psychological, social, physical, emotional, knowledge - on the things that matter and that you can actually influence. Easy to write, hard to do we know, but worrying about things you cannot change will only upset you and frustrate you further.

Keep sharing the community's "good" with us: alison.smith@nzme.co.nz