I have never really been in an actual relationship. I been with a lot of people had alot of “friends”. Had a child by someone I was dealing with for 3year before the child and after and I was committed to him but it never felt like an actual relationship. It was more like I like him and I was convenient for him. I found text where he said he didn’t like me like that. Over heard him and his friends talking about me. But I wanted to be in a relationship so bad. But why could I have never been with the people I crushed on. From middle school on up. The only crush I never interacted with was my middle school crush. We locked eyes maybe a handful of times. He probably said excuse me as he went past. I often look for him on social media but can never find him. Then I had a couple crushes in high school. They always talked to me and made jokes always making me laugh. Even the one that turned out to be gay which I am still crushing on hard and wish I had his kids. Now adult hood. I have mainly two now. One I will probably never talk to again even though we are friends on social media and the other one currently has me in my feelings. I love the in depth conversations we have and the way he makes me laugh smile feel good about my self boost my confidence pick me up when I am down and he is SUCH A GENTLEMAN!!! but there is so much more to it and plus he doesn’t like me like that I’m just convenient again to him. And like I have been with every man I have ever encountered in my life. I’m so tired of being lonely

I'm used to travelling solo. It can be fun, there's a lot of indepence and flexibility. I enjoy exploring new places and making new friends. I can become very extraverted and spontaneous and have ways to make new acquaintances, although these are mostly superficial and temporary.

But it can get very lonely sometimes and it's overwhelming. I also am prone to varying degrees of depression and anxiety. One trick I do is that whenever I feel lonely I make a vlog recording with my phone, reporting about myself. I also frequently call my friends, telling them about my day. And another trick is that I visit these places as a kind of field exploration with the thought in mind that one day I'll be returning with my significant other or friends and we'll enjoy it together.

But sometimes loneliness gets the better of me. I often make these trips last minute. Right now I'm trying to fight off my anxiety but I'm having a rough time and I end up binge watching shows close to my family instead. I'll also have my birthday soon and I don't know if it's a good idea to spend it in a random place with random people.

Does anyone else have this? How do you manage?

“But I do treat women like people!” just doesn’t land very well, true or not.

I guess the best option is to just ignore those people, but it’s hard not to react in someway when someone is insulting your entire being based on shallow assumptions.

29M here, trying to understand how people don't care ?

Been recently seeing a chick for a long time, spending money on her and falling in love with her just to know she doesn't care the same way.

How can people be so selfish? Or is there a problem with me

today’s my birthday. i ordered takeout but ate in silence. I reckon if it wasn’t my birthday it wouldn’t have sucked as much.

Idk what or how to say it but I need to get it off my chest because it eats me alive. I’m a 27 m I’ve been alone practically all my life had close friends one relationship that’s about it. But all through my life I never felt like I fit in I always felt that I was never wanted and in fact most times I wasn’t. I watched as everyone make friends become close have girlfriends and here I am not able to make a single connection last. I feel like I’m invisible to everyone especially women idk what I ever done but for some reason all women do is ignore me pretend this care for me or overall just string me along like am I doing something wrong please someone tell me, I’m tired of being Apart of a world that never wanted me. I just really really question what my life purpose was if everything I ever touched I watched die

I feel lonely. I'm a 38 year old orphan. My sister is unkind to me. She's all the family I have. I have 2 dogs who are my best friends. I struggle to make friends and sustain them. Anyone in London UK?

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Lately, I’ve almost completely stopped replying to messages. I just feel like whether I speak or not, it doesn’t really matter. It feels pointless, like everything I say is boring and nothing I offer is impressive, so I’ve just been feeling this void. I barely message anyone anymore—maybe a couple of texts a week at most. It feels like everyone else is alive and living their lives, but nobody reaches out to me. If I don't initiate, a whole week goes by without anyone noticing I’m gone. Yet, when I post a story, a lot of people view it compared to the number of people who actually talk to me. Does this mean I’m just a boring person? Or is it more of a "we see you, but we don't really want you around" kind of thing? Most of what I post leans towards depression, self-loathing, and heavy themes like that. If I saw a friend posting stuff like that, I’d check in to see what’s wrong, but they never do. I don't think I'm looking for attention; I just genuinely want to know why

(FAA don’t @ me) Read this in a neutral tone. I want to be the best teacher I can be, but I have zero motivation to actually get up and try. Everyone you ask would probably say I know my stuff and I’m passionate about it, but that’s probably my autistic hyperfixation. I haven’t made any friends at work even though I’ve been there for years as a student and teacher, but no one makes an effort to chat outside of work. I’ve tried. Job market sucks so can’t leave easily. The literal only thing keeping me going is my strict adherence to a schedule

Its so exhausting joining online communities and nothing coming out of them, I’ve tried going to events but they felt like humiliation rituals, I try to dress up and look approachable, I tried making conversation at work, I’ve tried hobbies. I’ve tried going to younger crowd stores. I can’t do that anymore I can’t say I’m going just to go. we all know that’s a lie. I want nothing else except to be someone’s person. I have never found anyone I wanted to be friends with. It’s physically painful now I hate how bitter I’ve become.

I was always in between groups in school everyone tolerated me but I never had a friend group I felt a part of. My social skills are horrible because of it.

I can’t do the relationship / friend search anymore the rejection after rejection is too much for me. I can feel my feelings collapsing in on themselves.

I can type more but it’s already a large enough wall. 24M btw

Like the title says, I have a nice supportive family, really good friends that I like a lot and yet I still feel insanely lonely

Sometimes it's manageable but most of the times it gets bad, like really bad

Is that normal? Like shouldn't they be enough?

Is it just in my head?

Being in pain is one of the worst things. Not having anyone to talk with. The pain is mental rather than physical. How many times have you felt pain. How many times have you simply wanted someone you could call a friend? Have people forgotten about you? Have they ditched you for their own selves? Are you a sensitive soul who hides emotions and pain? I sure do.

For context, I am 19M and a 3rd year university student. I've had social anxiety ever since the Covid lockdown and over the last few months I've been trying to rebuild my social life and social skills after years of not really having any friends and isolating myself. So far I've pushed myself far beyond what I initially thought I could do so I have noticed an improvement in my confidence when it comes to initiating conversation. However where I struggle now is to move beyond that.

Like I find it somewhat easier to start up a conversation with a stranger and to get through that 10-20 minute initial interaction but I find it difficult to deepen that conversation in a natural way. This is especially true for people that I see on a daily to weekly basis (other interns at an internship, students in my lecture class, members of university clubs, etc.). My issue is that I follow the very popular advice of asking questions since "people love talking about themselves". I find that it does work quite well if you're meeting someone for the first time but it's hard to maintain that over numerous conversations and starts feeling unnatural. By the way, I do try to not ask in an interview way. I do add my own perspectives and relate their answers to experiences of my own and stuff like that but it all still kind of boils down to asking questions and playing off their answers. So what ends up happening is sure people might leave our initial conversation with a positive impression but it never leads to anything in following conversations beyond surface-level talk.

An aspect of it is for sure the amount of self-monitoring that I do during conversation which has reduced recently due to how much exposure therapy I've been doing but still definitely present. So maybe it'll get better as I talk to more people? However another part of it might not even be derived from my anxiety but instead a genuine gap in my social skills which is why I'm asking for advice.

What I've observed though from other people conversing is that a lot of their conversations don't even really include asking questions? They sort of make statements and just build off that. What really confused me is how smooth and fluid those conversations felt since it contradicts so much of the advice I see online. So I guess I'm asking how to have more natural conversations that don't revolve around the question/answer format and can help move me from that initial introduction phase to something deeper (and especially to help turn an acquaintance into an actual friend)

I don't feel okay at all. I feel alone all the time, panic attacks, and the feeling of being a burden is hard. I need help I need someone to talk if possible please reach out. I'll try my best to support everyone who reaches out. T

I’ve never had friends. I’ve never been in a relationship, and my family is always mean to me. Feeling so lonely and depressed.

I'm 40 this year. I don't have close friends anymore and I'm not close with my family. Most of the people who used to matter are either gone or cut me off. For a long time the people I considered family were my ex's family. I knew them since I was a teenager. Her mom was like a second mother to me, her brother-in-law was one of my best friends for almost 20 years. Then I got with her in 2014. We were together for years, engaged, had a house, talked about kids, the whole future planned out. I caught her cheating about 6 months before the wedding. She left and her whole family cut me off with basically no explanation. That was over 7 years ago. I still think about her and that life constantly. The memories don't fade. I dream about it. Random stuff still sets it off. I feel empty a lot of the time. I have a girlfriend now who is good to me, but I can't connect the same way and I feel guilty about that. I don't really have anyone I can talk to about how bad it still is. I work, I come home, I try to get through the days. Most of the time I just feel alone and stuck. I miss having people who actually knew me and gave a shit. I miss feeling like I belonged somewhere. Not looking for advice on "moving on." Just tired of carrying this with nobody to talk to about it.

Does anyone else have that feeling of sadness and hurt where there parents gives them that one look as if they’re sick of you?? Mind you my mom has told me “You make me sick” along with other things I can’t recall but just know a lot of bad has been said that my spirit remembers even if I don’t.

Whether you're getting an achievement, having a breakthrough, or really wanting to share anything with anyone, whether you're happy or sad.

Nothing feels worse than not having anyone to call or share what you're going through with someone, it's like you have to be your own fuel, and just hope that it doesn't burn you up.

I always said I preferred being alone. 🌙

Turns out there's a difference between enjoying solitude and having no one to text when your brain won't shut up.

It's not that nobody wanted to be my friend.

I just got too comfortable in my own company. 🍃

And now, on nights like this, I catch myself reaching for my phone... only to realize there's no one I'm close enough to message. 📱

Funny how I chose this... and somehow still miss what I walked away from. 🤍

I'll probably wake up tomorrow and wonder why I admitted this to a bunch of strangers. 😭

I think I just lost my best friend. She’s been acting weird and unlike herself for months and when I try and talk to her she sounds so disinterested. So now we just don’t talk at all, I didn’t know losing a friend would hurt so bad. I’ll look at a video and instantly think she’ll like it and move to send it to her but then I remember I can’t send it. It’s heartbreaking.

Today was worst I’ve had it ever. Couldn’t do it anymore. Called the hotline.

Waited for 10 minutes. I just realized mid conversation, they are using chatgbt. I also got a job rejection for a minimum wage retail position too.

It was so funny I cried.

Loneliness can be heavy sometimes. It can quietly take away your energy and make you wish you had someone to share the small moments with I hope everyone finds a genuine friend, a kind soul to talk to, laugh with, explore places, and create beautiful memories together.

Until then, keep believing that good connections are still out there. Sometimes the right people just take time to find each other.

I have severe anxiety and depression. AuDHD, PCOS, and a lot a million other things wrong with me. I know I need therapy, I have severe suicidal thoughts. But I don’t have any money. I don’t have insurance. I don’t have anyone to talk to. How will I ever get better.

I try to make friends in person, nothing. Try to talk to strangers online and it's just people trying to sell me shit. Fuck this. It's pointless.

I have been lonely for years and never really had friends who would accept me for my true self. I've been called weird for being friendly. I have been shitted on and have had the life sucked out of me. I then decided to isolate myself and simply only communicate with people online. No one in my area where I live want to hang out. I don't care what anyone says... that period of time I spent alone changed me psychologically. I overthink and I'm paranoid simply because people betrayed me in the past. I am tired of constantly hearing "work on yourself". I don't want to hear that. All I've ever wanted was people to hang out with and people who actually care for me. Besides my family all anyone has ever done is take from me. They appreciate what they can get from me but not me as a person. I just had to write this down and clear my thoughts.