Captain’s Log: It’s the seventh or eighth day of social distancing I think. Honestly, I have no idea what day it is anymore.

You don’t realize how much you need to see other humans in person until there’s a pandemic and you’re forced to spend your days with a toddler who is smart as hell but still only communicates in monosyllables or grunts. Although he did just master “down,” “out,” and “eh, eh, eh,” the sound I use to say “no” without saying no. My husband is also here but he talks less than my kid so I spend a lot of time talking loudly to myself or trying to cram in phone conversations with friends. My point is that this is a lonely time in my life and I’m guessing many of you are struggling in a similar way.

I’m reading this really great book called Friendship: The Evolution, Biology, and Extraordinary Power of Life’s Fundamental Bond about the many ways I’m going to rot from the inside out during this stint of isolation. Just kidding, sorta. It’s about the importance of friendship for most animals on earth but especially humans. We’re wired for it and the truth is that without socializing our mental and physical health deteriorates faster than you’d think. I’m only one week into this social distancing thing and I’ve cried twice, I’m way more irritable than usual, and I’m having a hard time sleeping. It’s not great. On a positive note, I think going through all of this will help us get really creative at staying digitally connected (houseparty app anyone?) and maybe we’ll also stop taking our relationships for granted. Probably not, but maybe.

Anyway, all of this has me thinking about my mental health a lot and how to take care of myself and my son in a time of crisis and uncertainty. And that’s why I’m doing a mini-podcast series on mental health during the pandemic. I’m interviewing mental health professionals on how we can all take care of ourselves, manage our anxieties, show up for our kids and help them feel safe, in what essentially feels like the end of the world (I mean, we’ve had multiple earthquakes this week in Salt Lake. It’s bullshit!). The podcast will be available this weekend on Spotify. Until then, do your best, friends. I know this is hard, and I know we’ve got a long way to go, but we can handle it together. Feel free to reach out to me if you need support. I’m not a professional but I can drink wine and chat like a mother fucker.