By Marisa Lagos

Apr 7

Gov. Gavin Newsom opened his daily briefing Tuesday on the status of the coronavirus pandemic in California a bit differently than normal: With a mantra he says his mother used to repeat.

"She said, 'Stand guard at the door of your mind,'" Newsom said.

"Honestly, it took me a decade-plus to figure out what she was ultimately saying. But she was focused on, more than anything else, our capacity to be resilient and to meet challenges head-on, our capacity as human beings to refocus our energies, a sense of purpose, and a sense of optimism and faith that will get through times of challenges — times like today."

But Newsom said he knows that Californians can’t do it alone. So he asked California's Surgeon General, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, to create a series of guides to help people manage stress during this time of crisis.

Burke Harris said millions of Californians who aren't sick with COVID-19 are still managing a ton of stress — and that stress can manifest in real, physical pain.

"The health impacts of coronavirus go beyond infection and COVID disease," she said. "It’s important to know that these changes aren't just in your head, and to begin to identify how stress shows up for you — physically, emotionally and behaviorally."

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