Loneliness is an emotion that, depending on how it's measured, affects somewhere between 25% and 50% of people in the United States. And it isn't just an unpleasant feeling. Loneliness is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, dementia, and depression.

Nine years ago today, a 49-year-old woman took her last breath. She was my friend. I had known her for almost twenty years. Through medical school, residency, attendinghood, motherhood. She was quiet. Unassuming. A sharp contrast to the loud, obnoxious person I was almost thirty years ago when we met. She asked a lot of questions—to the point of seeming nosy. It was only after some time and maturity that I realized she was genuinely interested in learning about other people.

Your nervous system is the command center. Mission control. The situation room. And what happens when the main office has an inbox that has exploded?