Here we are, the world as we know it doesn't exist anymore - no more travel, no more restaurants, and no more school!
Hopefully this is all temporary of course, but as we have no real end date, and are still heavily encouraged to stay home and not socialise, our everyday life is heavily impacted.
Our children are missing their friends, our elderly parents are missing us.
People who live on their own and rely on their friends for company suddenly are alone.
Families and couples who live together and don't get along are unable to escape the tension.
It's pretty crap really.
So, apart from the obvious impact on our lifestyle, what else is going on?
Well, unfortunately there is a much more worrying impact on our collective and individual mental health.
Humans are herd animals - we are meant to live in groups or families, with regular social contact.
Social contact that has nothing to do with the social of social media, and everything to do with physical and emotional presence.
We need to "rub" against each other, for comfort.
A few serious mental health issues like depression and addiction can actually be dramatically improved through human connection - the presence of others that makes us feel that we matter.
So what can we do?
The answer is simple: reach out: call, text, zoom.
Smile to the stranger on the street.
Ask your checkout person at the supermarket how they are doing.
Get in touch, repeatedly if necessary, to those people you know who have gone silent - odds are they are struggling (suicide is up).
Give the people in your life an opportunity to talk. Remind them that things will get better and until they do, you're there to listen to them.
Speak up or call the police if you hear signs of domestic violence (yep, that's up too).
And if you struggle yourself, please reach out to others, give them an opportunity to be there for you.
Be the person who cares actively, not the one who just worries actively.
Bonus: it might actually make you feel better.
It's not about saving the world.
It's about making a difference, one person at a time.
Charlotte is a psychotherapist in Sydney working with clients on four continents thanks to the miracle of modern technology. Don't hesitate to get in touch with her via charlotte1010@gmail.com