Mental health advocate Mike King says families should remember what's most imporant during the coronavirus lockdown, and look to get to know each other to ease mental health pressure.
New Zealand will effectively go into lockdown from Thursday with citizens told to self-isolate for four weeks after the Government yesterday raised Covid-19 alert level the level 4 from 11.59pm Wednesday.
Speaking this morning to TVNZ1's Breakfast, Mr King said "it's easy for everyone to get introspective and start anxiously thinking about 'how am I going to pay my bills, how am I going to do this, how am I going to do that'.
"None of it is important - school, not important, work, not important - we're all in the same boat.
"Anxious feelings come from reflecting on things that are past or fearing what's going on in the future - we just have to get back to the here and now."
Mr King said it's an ideal time to sit down with family members and really get to know them.
"Get your kids around you, make them do a sketch, and smile - just smile," he said.
"Put your kids on a leash, take them up the road, run them like dogs!
"This is a fun time - as long as your kids don't come into contact with other kids - yeah, have fun!"
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