Some of you know that I am in a Ph.D. program. For one of my classes this semester, we had an assignment to get explicit consent for any touch (of any kind) for 24 hours. While this could be an interesting experiment, during the times of COVID, it was relatively uneventful. We are “social distancing” and not shaking hands or hugging anyone unless they live at home with us. There was zero opportunity to ask a stranger if it is okay if I shake their hand. I live at home with my husband, and he “played” along with me, but I think the spirit of the experiment was lost because of the current state of the nation.

I am wondering, though, how this is affecting people who live alone. What is it like to have very little or no contact/touch? I think seeing and connecting through video is a good thing that we have, but it isn’t the same, is it? Animals are helping, which I think played a role in shelters adopting out so many dogs and cats during the quarantine. I just want to validate you if, during this time, you feel extra isolated and in need of human contact. Even if you can get a haircut or massage with safety measures in place, that touch is still minimal. I hear you and understand you need more. Hang in there! It doesn’t seem like it, but this pandemic WILL end!