One of the worst parts of this pandemic is the loneliness, even when isolating with family, but away from an SO or friends or extended relatives with whom one has a special relationship. Sure, you can text and FaceTime, but none of that makes up for loss of touch and closeness.

Especially for those of us who love to be out and are used to frequent changes of surroundings, trying new things, etc., this is getting harder as it drags on. I don't really feel like baking more bread or doing more art, or reorganizing my closet for the 8th time.

I feel far apart from people who mean so much to me, and that starts to wear on you. I don't have any inclination to go dancing or to an art museum or even movies. I just want to be able to go for a walk with someone I haven't seen for 4 months, or get dinner with them.

While some people initially relished extra time at home/ ability to catch up on chores/sleep/etc, and many of us were actively trying to fill free time, now everyone is stressing about maybe losing their job or not making rent or a delayed wedding, and many are on edge.

But instead of being able to go to happy hour with friends and maybe talk through the fears and brainstorm ideas, people are starting to pull back into their heads, not wanting to add to each other's stress, not sharing as much. It makes me worry.

I don't have any solutions, but I hope we can try our hardest to remain kind to one another even as we face some truly scary stresses in our own lives. Don't just tell a friend you're fine if they ask, tell them how you are and ask them to be candid too. Lean on each other.