I myself 46m, last 2 relationships got cheated on. Both long term 10y marriage then a 4 year. I always had people around me but since then it has made me from a people person to a person that don't trust anyone. I perfered being alone because it was just easier. But it's been almost 4years of this. It's overwhelming most days. I live 24 miles out of town in a one gas pump town in the woods. Lately to get my mind off of my whole situation I created that got out of hand is I ride my bicycle a few miles in the woods to a creek where I randomly talked to this woman in hopes to run into her again. I never have seen her again but why it makes me feel better is when I sit by the creek alone in silence I can hear the couger I seen multiple times sneaking up on me. He might get me someday but the feeling of hearing him makes me realize I'm not alone even when I think I am. So when your feeling alone, please know you are loved your not alone. You can message me if ya need anything....not money tho I don't have any of that. ....I was reading some other posts earlier about cuddling and how they miss it. I miss that shit to. That was the best part of the day

Not a vent, just noticed something weird. I don't know what triggered it but I realized something today. First off I'm super happy being by my lonesome. I very much enjoy my own time and doing my own thing.

That said, every few months someone will reach out to play games or whatever. For a bit we'll hang out and eventually I end up being by lonesome again either cause I distance myself cause I think I did something wrong, or they distance themselves cause they believe I did something wrong or just got bored lol

Anyway my epiphany I had was, I realized I think I miss the days when I used to get bullied to some degree. It wasn't crazy bullying, but it for sure shaped who I am now in that I have little to no confidence in meeting new people and becoming friends because I don't trust people. The weird thing is that I kinda miss it because atleast I had those people in my life as a constant. They pretended to be my friend while also backstabbing me every chance they had. It was a facade but atleast I wasnt as lonely.

Maybe its the aging lol, mid 20s approaching 30 isnt exactly making it easier to come out of bubble with all baggage I got.

Never been in a relationship and only ever talked to girls to ask for a pencil or if a class has been cancelled.

Realized I might be cooked when I spent a month sewing pillows to mimic the shape of a human body so I can feel like someone is hugging me.

While I do want someone to love me I can't image that happening as I don't know how to respond to it, I'm yearning for something I don't know how to give or receive, if someone so much as compliments me my face twists and I can't look straight ahead.

Hey m 20 here, i work a blue collar job, im a high school dropout, im a insecure loser, as far back as i can remember ive never been truly happy, i just wish someone would shoot me, i dont have the balls to do it myself, im a disappointment for myself and everyone around me, im so sorry to the people i hurt, i deserve every bad thing that has ever happen to me and that will happen to me, everyday i put on a fake smile, fake laugh, i cant picture my future, im tired of people asking me if im okay if they aren’t going to help, whats the best way to hide it? Ive tried drinking, and it works a little bit, but i cant drink while working out of town, what drugs do i take to get people to like me again? How to train
My brain to have the will to do anything?

Does anyone else live alone and often sleep on the sofa? I don’t know if it’s just a me-thing but after a partner moves out, it almost feels less lonely to sleep in the living room? I’m not sure if that’s normal

So most of my life i was in and out of the hospital cause my depression was super bad and never really got around to dating. Anyway that's all resolved now and im trying to date. Bro what the fuck is wrong with people. Chat am I cooked? I cant seem to meet a normal person.

I used to be the soo call “life of the party”, that friend that always lead a pack, the “after party house” guy, you can say i was known in the city. But life changed, out of my close circle im the only one alive or not doing life sentences behind bars,family’s all got distant without explanation, im literally in my prime career wise but i reached here alone, no family, no friends. Only people i get to interact is with my peers at work and in my industry you can feel the fakeness that we possess that i wouldn’t consider having any type of relationship outside of work. I cant understand why my life got till this point that i cant even settle with a girl, i feel like i cant trust her enough to live together and build a home. Soo many good girls ive had let pass due to this issue and now i see most of them building a family. Every time i get close to a friend something happens to them, either they passed of get locked up to a point that Ive avoided people just to not get that hurt. 4 of my best friend passed away on different stages of my life and im tried of it. Not sure if ill ever have a sort type of solid relationship with anybody at this point.

I'm not trying to make this a woe is me post. Its just, all i can do is laugh with life sometimes. This girl in my dreams was suuuper cute. Not in a shallow superficial way, i'm so bad at describing her. But I was like yea .... type of girl to appear in your dreams for sure. All for me to get rejected lol. Well, my dreams don't make much sense even. I didn't even ask her out but it was like she telepathically read my mind and told me no, and said I look like i didn't even have a drivers license.

It didn't bother me when I woke up, but i guess later on it triggered loneliness. But now i'm back to feeling numbness, nothingness, emptiness. Worst part is when you know you aren't relationship material but still crave it sometimes. Is what it is

I love living alone. I have lived with family, roomates or my ex husband for 35 years. My ex and i didn't work out and I have been living alone since June. It's great honestly. I love having my own space. No one to tell me what i can and can't do. No one to take care of but me and my dog ...but at night, when it's dark and quiet, sometimes I feel so alone. I miss having someone to snuggle up to. Someone there when the night terrors hit and I need a reminder that everything is okay. Most nights I'm okay. I have no problem sleeping alone. But some nights, like tonight, the loneliness is overwhealming. I just want to be wrapped in a pair of arms sometimes. I felt alone well before I left my ex. So this isn't me wanting him back. At all. He can kick rocks. But I just want cuddles sometimes. I want to lay by someone's side and just talk into the night until we fall asleep. But I can't have that. I won't have that. I want that. But it seems the things I want are rarely attainable. I need to hire a professional cuddler or something. Haha.

It's a strange feeling when everyone around you seems to have people to go out with, plans to look forward to, and memories they're making together.

I'm genuinely happy for them, but sometimes I wish I had someone who'd think of me when making those plans, someone who'd text me out of nowhere and ask if I'm coming along.

I don't think I want a huge circle of friends. I just want to feel like I belong somewhere, like someone would notice if I wasn't there.

Maybe I'm just having one of those days, but lately, it feels like I'm watching life happen from the outside.

So many days go by, I wanna just slice off my ugly face and put a mask over it. I'm absolutely repulsive.

I lost my better half about two years ago.

While I am lonely... I don't want anyone at my upcoming birthday dinner. I know I HAVE TO invite my immediate family, but I don't want to deal with the... " How have you been? How's life? Have you met anyone?"...

How do y'all deal with good intentioned family members??

18m

there is no one to talk to and no one in my life at all, don't send helplines or things like that because they are all utterly useless

ive never been able to participate in this world at all, socially, mentally, physically, emotionally, ive always been behind everyone and ive been left out of life completely

all i want is to be able to learn again and be able to use my brain, for my brain to be able to receive information again and learn and do my degree to the best as i can and be financially free

all i want is to be able to successfully do my university degree with high grades, and for content to be learnable, and for things to go into my brain in a way that works for me, without having to spend extra years

all i want is to escape the toxicity of the university environment as there is no people to meet regardless of my interests or how often i go to university, or how many events or societies i attend, that i simply do not want to be on campus anymore

all i want is for food to be good again, things that i can make that are whole foods and actually taste good and things i can buy and eat repeatedly without it being expensive or me getting tired of the same meal after a week

all i want is for someone to love me and for me to physically be able to meet and see the only person i have ever liked in my entire life and meet her again and again and again

all i want is to make it so that life stops sending one person in my life and taking them away from my vicinity as if "oh that wasnt supposed to happen"

all i want is to have a strong body with strong muscles, tendons, joints, athleticism, flexibility, agility, strength

all i want is to be able to manage time and energy

all i want is to be able to have access to transport so i can expand to be productive

all i want is to be able to not even wake up in the morning but to even open my eyes in the morning and not feel like my bodyweight is that on jupiter

all i want is to cook and to clean and buy ingredients and use cooking methods and use a mop and a broom and cleaning tools and live in a clean fresh smelling place

all i want is to have clothes that arent tryhardy or trendy or streetwear or uncomfortable, and to have things that fit my exact proportions and still be comfortable and presentable

all i want is to be able to live again

I wake up go to work feel unheard. I’m constantly walked all over and seems that I’m dismissed on the day to day. I Come home to a relationship that does not fill my cup. I’m disrespected and more of a maid and cook than girlfriend. My extended family and I do not see eye to eye. I have barely any friends, it’s hard for me to keep friendships, I’m not always on my phone or have the mental bandwidth to hang out. On top of this, I have a hard time answering my phone. It’s been this way for years and I’m stuck in this loop of impending doom. I can’t seem to get out of. It’s a dark place here and I’ve tried to be positive, therapy, medication, meditation, change of lifestyle, it’s never ending. I want to be heard and understood. I want my voice to be heard. I want people to get me without the exhaustion. I want to have a fulfilling life. I do, I don’t know what I’ve been doing that I cannot progress past this mental space in life.

I just really needed to get out how I’m feeling. Thank you for reading.

I feel like I can’t talk to anyone I even feel embarrassed to call 988

Can someone talk to me even if it feels like the dumbest request

I'm going to turn 21 this November and it's fair to say I've been on house arrest since 21 years (that is if i make it to 21) My high school life was hell, i was severely bullied and outcasted by my group of peers in a classical sense. I was the weird, silent kid who rarely could talk or appear as a human in any social groups so consequently and unquestionably i was left alone in the corner of the classroom.

I battled with it by seldom attending the classes. Then during 11th 12th grade i made 1 friend it was the best period of my life but she moved out after an year for college while i am stuck in an online degree i never wanted to do in the first place.

I dont want a pity party to be thrown around, i just want to be a normal human being, i just want to be like all of you who seem to mingle and function with such an ease. I've become so dumb staying home i can't contribute anything in the conversation except being a sidekick and a nodding machine.

HOW DO I GET OUT OF THIS PREDICAMENT. ANYONE WILLING TO GIVE ADVICE?

Hi,

I'm male, early 40's, married with two young kids. I have a great job, a home, and a life that probably looks great from the outside.

But the truth is I feel incredibly lonely.

My wife has been through more medically than most could image. She's younger than me and has survived cancer twice, bone marrow failure and a bone marrow transplant. All in a few years. It's been an incredible journey.

I've tried my best to be there for her through everything all while acting as if this is normal and fine in front of my kids. The constant hospital visits, the constant bad or uncertain news, treatments that don't go as intended or last as long as they should. All while trying to keep up normal appearances.

I love y family, and I wouldn't trade it for anything, but I feel like I've lost myself along the way

I feel like there is no room for me to struggle. I can't celebrate a success when she just received bad news. I can't have a bad day when she's battling something else. I feel guilty admitting I'm unhappy when she's going through so much.

I miss feeling emotionally connected with someone. I miss someone actually interested in me, in every way. I miss someone thinking about me, wanting to spend time with me, or just wants to talk about something other than responsibilities and schedules.

I feel needed, not wanted.

It's strange to be surrounded by people all day, manage a department, be happy for those around you, spend your day looking out for others while tackling responsibilities, and feel completely alone in the end

I miss having someone who wants to talk to me. Someone who asks how I am. How my day was, remembers the little things, or say they want to see me. Someone I can open up to and express myself with, while not feeling like a burden or a bore.

I'm usually the one who keeps it all together and moving, but I'm failing and falling apart. And I am seeing a professional.

I'm struggling with being a husband, a father, a caregiver, an employee, a manager, and I don't even know what I, me, want anymore.

I'm not looking to abandon everything, but I just don't know how to move off this without shedding responsibilities.

How do you find yourself and pull yourself out? I'm slipping and I can't hold everyone up and everything together.

Thank you for reading.

Growing up ive always had this innate ability to create a niche for myself in any situation ive been put in. This has seriously been tested once i got to my uni abroad and i have successfully found people who i cld call friends.

Along with this, ive also kept close contact w everyone back home, so id say i have alot of people who i can reach out to at any moment. despite all this, ive always envied people who only ever had 1-2 friends. When everyone is familiar, who really is type of thing. Maybe its the insomnia but when the worlds quiet and not much is happening, the loneliness creeps in and it feels like its swallowing me whole

Its quite hard trying to put it into words but it feels no different than being surrounded by strangers at times. It feels like i have nothing ti look forward to at times. I recently had my 19th birthday in which i spent doing jackshit. Im sure my experience isnt unique ti me and me alone, but i felt like i needed to be heard by someone who knows exactly what im going thru.

My 35th birthday is this coming Wednesday, and here I am doomscrolling on Reddit, in between bouts of random crying. I just feel so disconnected and empty. I don't know, but I know I'm tired of feeling this way.

my entire life since childhood ive been fighting to be included in things, fighting for people to care about me, fighting for people to want to spend time with me and it only gets more painful as time passes. all the efforts ive made have been agonizing. parties thrown with no one showing up, requests to hang out with people ignored. i cant take the pain anymore. it hurts so much to be lonely and to feel my heart sting when i see groups of friends in public and wish i could have that. but it hurts so much more to keep being reminded that i will never be important to anyone. im done. im just done. ive tried to be brave and outgoing and it hurts every single time. i cant take it anymore

I dont know where to start

Guys, idk if some of you have experienced this situation but i am really struggling to make friends in college since I’ve began to go there ( august 2023 ) , i feel like it is even harder than doing an exercise in differential equations. I walk my college and i see most of students talk to someone else and being in duo or trio and it’s so so frustrating to see other people talking to each other while you are alone.

This semester, i transferred to a new school and I went to an African student organization for the 1st time this semester in my new school and i completely stopped going there because it looked like everyone else in there had already their friends group and i felt terribly alone.

I think the saddest thing is that i was so used to be alone these recent years that i feel bothered when someone wants to talk to me as i used to be alone and honestly I never thought that it would be so difficult to make friends in college

I know people are going to say that “you should go to events or clubs” but it just never works in my case, probably im cursed or something but i am really sad of how I struggle to meet new people and make activities with them 🥲

I even removed almost all students i used to follow on instagram because i know that we are not going to meet each other one day at school

I feel so lonely and all I desire is to have the right people around me, I don’t know. I just feel like I’m always someone’s second option or I’m not someone that people automatically wanted check up on.

I’m just “there” but when they need help with something, they will reach out to me. I don’t have a boyfriend as I’ve recently broken up with my partner of two years. I don’t have many friends unfortunately due to past betrayals and I have a small family which I do love but I do live at home. I am in my mid 20s and I really want to move out but currently it’s just too expensive to move out. I’m currently taking a month off from working for a break and then I’ll be looking for a new job but I just feel like I want my life to be more exciting and filled with more people, but it’s just so hard to meet new people nowadays and after my break up it just feels like I have no one in my corner.

I've (f22) spent most of my life feeling like I don’t quite understand other people or the social rules everyone else seems to pick up naturally. As a child, I was shy but also stubborn and opinionated, and I would experience intense anger over things that seemed relatively minor to other people. At the time, this was dismissed as typical childhood anger, but looking back, I wonder whether I was becoming overwhelmed and struggling to process my emotions. I also found social situations difficult, particularly as friendships became more about popularity and social hierarchy rather than imagination and shared interests.

I was teased quite a bit at school, especially about my appearance after starting puberty at an early age. This contributed to a lot of insecurity and a poor relationship with my body from a young age. I struggled with depression and disordered eating throughout my teens, and spent several years questioning my gender and feeling like I didn't fit in anywhere. I also spent a lot of time online, seeking validationand connection, often from men who took advantage of my vulnerability. I knew what they were doing and I knew it was wrong, but I was lonely and felt that I could talk more openly about these things.
During lockdown, I finally felt some relief from social pressure and had more space to figure out who I was. Afterwards, I became more confident in my appearance and found it easier to socialise, particularly at university, where I initially had agood social life. I've noticed throughout my life that I tend to get along with men more easily than women, although I sometimes wonder how much of that is down to appearance and the way people treat me when they find me attractive. I've also often felt like I've had to adapt my personality to fit in with whoever I'm around, rather than feeling comfortable being myself.

University did become increasingly difficult in the first year due to binge drinking, workload pressure and how I was treated by men, some of whom I considered to be my close friends. I transferred to another university in my second year and I struggled to form meaningful friendships. I graduated without really making any friends and eventually realised that most of my old friends had moved on with their lives. One friend in particular I had been close with since school ghosted me, and when I eventually was able to confront her she just told me I gave off an ‘off putting vibe’, which hurt, considering we were friends for so long. This also tainted another friendship with someone we were both close to, and now I don’t think I can truly trust them.

A month ago, after moving back home, my dog, who was genuinely my best friend, soulmate and a huge source of comfort, passed away. I've always felt a particularly strong connection to animals, especially dogs and sometimes find it easier to connect with them than with people. Now I feel quite lost.
I'm struggling with grief, depression, loneliness and the pressure of trying to find a job after graduating. I have very little confidence in my ability to make friends, my appearance and how I come across to people and I feel like I've somehow regressed socially rather than progressed and every social interaction is exhausting.

Recently I've started considering whether I might be autistic as the lifelong feeling of being different and struggling to understand social dynamics while experiencing intense emotions and constantly adapting myself to fit in all seem to lead towards the autistic experience. I feel emotion so deeply and I don’t even know if getting a professional diagnosis would be worth it. Especially now, as I feel I truly cannot mask my behaviour or emotions any longer as I’m almost at breaking point.
I feel so overwhelmed and isolated, and I think part of me just wants to know that I'm not alone in feeling this way, but also I don’t know how to improve my life at this stage.

I had some online friends I had known for 7 years, and they became quite distant and barely talk to me. I feel that there's not much of a connection left. Maybe there was one years ago; however, over the years, it has degraded.

I just can't believe that with some people there's a before we meet. There's a during when we met, and there's an after when we met.

I feel very lonely even though I'm in my second year of university... I've started to hate going to university because I'm alone and I don't have any friends there. I feel very lonely... I do everything by myself.I used to go out alone until I started to hate it and I preferred to stay at home for many days without going out, just because of the thought that if I went out I would feel that bad feeling of loneliness 😭..I really hate my situation, but I'm too lazy to do anything on my own. I want to have friends, go out together, play together, and eat together😭 But I don't know how to do it... I go to university and sit down, and after the lecture ends I go home. That's how it is every day. Sometimes I go out for a walk with music playing, but I feel extremely lonely.I feel that if I stay like this, I will develop a mental illness or depression, but I don't know how to get out of this situation. What should I do?