Self-isolate with a good tale or two

We’re living in a pandemic that feels uncertain, bewildering and unsettling, and it may feel like this for a while.

There’s plenty of news and information to absorb, but we should also remember to seek out release and relief.

If you’re going to be spending more time alone and maybe working from home (if you are lucky), then here are some suggested podcast series to keep you company.

We could all use some love from afar at the moment and Modern Love, based on the popular New York Times column, serves up 20-minute kisses of audio love on a platter. Each week, a love essay or story is read by well-known actors or writers, and the stories are beautifully curated.

There are more than four years’ worth of podcast stories for you to binge on. Plus, it’s also now an eight-part TV series, starring Anne Hathaway and Tina Fey, available to watch on

Amazon Prime Video.

From stories of love to stories of kindness. The podcast Finding Fred explores why US TV show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood remains relevant five decades after it debuted in 1968.

Former parenting advice columnist at Slate, Carvell Wallace, presents this 10-part series that examines what Mister Rogers teaches adults today about empathy and compassion and about how to be a better neighbour.

Finally, if you’re short on people to converse with, then listen in and eavesdrop on interviews in The Joe Rogan Experience. It’s ranked as the world’s most downloaded podcast and features a diverse range of interviewees, including Neil deGrasse Tyson, Dr Rhonda Patrick, Elon Musk, and Lance Armstrong.

There’s more than 1400 episodes and each is more than an hour long, so there’s plenty of chat to listen to while you keep your distance from humanity.