I wanted to present a little exploration of the feelings of loneliness, tenderness and intimacy in isolation. This wasn’t the original intention for this story but as it developed, I realised that was what it meant to me on a personal level. I for one felt so lucky not to feel lonely at this time, on top of the concoction of grief and anxiety that so many of us have been through this year.

Intimacy and loneliness are conversely linked but one does little to prevent the other without a balanced support network in life. While many elderly people are all too familiar with the difficulties of being alone, suddenly younger generations are currently facing indefinite periods of time without the opportunities to see their families & friends or form the intimate connections which are such a fundamentally important part of our youth.

By 2019 a gradual awakening to the broad spectrum of mental health issues faced even by the most privileged had already begun to shine a spotlight onto the crisis that we had seemingly been living through for decades, arguably aggravated by social media and constant internet connectivity. Now we are in an entirely new world where no-one is yet even capable of measuring the full scope of the psychological damage which current distancing regulations may be causing, and at least on a global scale (let alone more isolated communities) we are in a much worse position to deal with it.

Look after yourself and those around you. Remember: half the time, whoever they may be, they are having a harder time than you are. TRY to talk to each other, even if those conversations seem harder than ever before.