Many of us have found ourselves alone at home, with nothing but the news, social media and virtual dinner dates. We’re worried about our health and the health of our friends and family, we’re navigating new working environments, dealing with financial stress, and feeling the general weight of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But it doesn’t need to be all doom and gloom, so we reached out to two friends to check-in and find out how they’re holding up, and what their coping mechanisms are. Our friend Niall shares his experience of being the first of his friends to take the threat of Corona seriously, and how speaking to older members of his community helped him manage his own anxiety. Hallie Frost, the Online Editor at Arts of the Working Class, reminds us that this might be an opportunity to slow down, if possible, and provides us with helpful tips and advice on how to adjust eating, exercise and work habits to alleviate some of these stresses.

This episode is brought to you by Bear Radio. Big thanks to RØDE for the sponsored equipment and to our friends and family for their enthusiasm to share their stories.

Please share your own stories, both fun and not, to [email protected] and while you’re at it, a donation of any sort would be much appreciated, the email linked to our PayPal account is [email protected] - all donors will receive a loving shoutout in the next episode.