The closure of nonessential businesses in most states across the country has left millions of people out of work, with either reduced wages or no clear income stream. Countless small businesses that need a loan to stay afloat have struggled to get it from the Paycheck Protection Program, while many laid-off workers who need unemployment benefits encounter broken enrollment systems.

But underneath all of this is also the emotional toll of being told that what you do is not “essential” during this time, that your skills or work aren’t needed by society at this particular moment. While other times of crisis have had calls to duty or valuable contributions big and small that people can make for their country or community, from giving blood to joining the armed services, for the vast majority of people who do not have medical training or who do not work in an “essential” industry, we are not asked to do something but rather to not do anything.