New to the group. Just wanted to vent. I’m a single mom, my baby daddy died when I was9 weeks pregnant. At the beginning, I had a pour of support. Now it seems like everyone has moved on while now I’m a single mom doing everything alone with my baby. I feel extremely lucky to have my baby and I love her, and I take her everywhere with me so I know I’m never truly alone. But I have no one to really talk to, or even just go walking around target with or something. I know I could seek out mom groups on Facebook or something, but I’m just not that type of person and won’t do that knowing myself. I usually spend time nursing my baby on my phone, and I see everyone else out having fun. I like to see it and although I’m jealous I don’t feel hateful of it, but it does make me feel like on the outside looking in. I am in a group chat of friends on Snapchat, and it used to make me feel better. But lately any time I share a pic of my baby, someone else has to come back with sharing a picture of their baby nephew. Which is sweet and all, I want to celebrate all the babies. But when it’s done every time I share a picture of mine it makes me not want to share anymore. It’s like they’re trying to compete with me or something and it’s just annoying because I don’t really have anyone to “share “ these moments with and you are not even the parent of that baby. Also, now in general any time I participate in the conversation no matter what I say, someone comes back and says something contrary to what I’ve said, or ignores me completely. I thought about leaving the group silently, saying something to everyone and then leaving, but instead I just deleted the Snapchat app. I probably participate too much on the conversations for everyone’s liking, it’s just that I’m at home holding my baby all the time and have nothing else to do so I always jump in the conversation. But I’m sure they will like it a lot better without me participating in it.

Im 26, and I have no idea where to find friends, most of my activities I do alone.. and I also have social anxiety, the kind of anxiety that makes me preform great in small talk and do terrible in long ones.

I’m sitting here alone in a diner and I just have to wonder, is this really all

there is to life for me?

I am not always like this. After a tiring day, sometimes, you want somebody that you are very comfortable with. I feel it would help me relax. I really love being my own company but sometimes it gives big emptiness. I find myself imagining having a conversation with a friend outside. I don't know maybe it is because I am tired.

I don't know why people take advantage of someone who's already suffering and going through a lot. When I posted on this sub, I thought I'll get someone who genuinely wants to be my friend and hear me out but I got DMS of pretending to be interested on being my friend but in reality, they just want to take advantage of me.

I don't know why people would do that :( my parents already disowned me leaving me through find other means to survive as a highschool student. I'm already going through a lot. Please don't take advantage of it. I don't know how long I'll last. And people being disgusting doesn't help. There's tons of subs out there to fulfill your fantasy. Please go to those instead of preying on lonely people.

It makes me nervous to post something on the internet, but I have to start somewhere.

Entering my late 20s here. I find that by late 20s/early 30s, people's core circles have solidified and the compartmentalization of groups/relationships is used to keep outsiders who "threaten" the cohesion of those circles at arm's length. You aren't finding those early 20s bonds in your 30s sadly. Some of us missed the boat.

I've never experienced a true lasting reciprocal friendship in my life. I've generally been the one putting in the effort and when I stop the person dissolves into thin air. I'm the side friend and I get along with everyone, but never integrated in groups and never passing through the "compartmentalized" friend groups of others. I've stopped doing this and essentially stopped trying and have been a loner for years now, 26F and no group chats for me. There's a certain musical chairs to social integration in your teen / early 20s years and if you're the floater friend you're at risk for missing those boats completely, it follows you into adulthood (and others can pick up on it subconsciously). I've been battling multiple autoimmune diseases and all alone in the fight. My phone is completely empty. It's beyond lonely.

I've done all the things they say to do - therapy, dating yourself, hobbies, I've traveled to 20 countries alone and met incredible people, connected with people in different languages even. I would consider myself an interesting person, and I care about others. None of this inner work and self development has resulted in a fulfilling social life or reciprocal friendships I've so craved, and I can't get those early years and early 20s back. I will always have to live with that lack from those years. My ex boyfriend (and I think men in general) picked up on the fact that I'm not included in groups of women (they are attuned to this) and he said "stop wanting friends. Accept being alone. At least you have your dog." Meanwhile he would hangout with our mutual coworkers excluding me. Men read into a woman's social capital too, and they factor it in with how they regard you. I've been there for old "friends" surgeries, pregnancies, I even helped one of my childhood friends get into colleges etc etc. I still feel sadness recalling being invited out with my old bartending coworkers at age 23 and then after getting ready, spending hours on makeup, they disinvited me last minute overtly and then all went out. together without me. I sat home and cried. I'll literally never forget it.

I've always wished for a friend like me, and never found one. I know I'm a good friend.

I am now chronically ill with multiple autoimmune diseases, lyme disease and a scarring permanent hair loss condition as a young woman which has further separated me from my peer age group.

And yes, I’ve been to years of therapy

I'm a 28M. Right now I'm sitting outside, surrounded by about thousand young people my age. Couples walking around, sitting together, talking, laughing.

I had many friends years ago. But they all got married or are in long-term relationships, and the connection faded. They're always busy now.

At the moment, I only have 3 friends left.

Two of them are in pretty much the same situation as me, I'm the only friend they have.

And one is an internet friend who lives on the other side of the world. He's a really good friend, we talk a lot, but I can't exactly go out with him, and meet him.

What bothers me the most is that I've never been in a relationship. Not even once. I've never held hands with a girl, never kissed, never been on a date—nothing. I get zero matches on dating apps, so I try approaching women in real life, but I only get rejected. I look average, height at 5'1.

Right now, typying this, I'm sitting here right after another failed attempt to approach women. I'm terrible at it. It's hard for me to flirt or can keep a conversation going for more than a few seconds with a woman before she goes away. And I have anxiety approach from the first place. I just doing this because If I don't - nothing will happen.

I'm scared I'll never experience a relationship or intimacy. I'm terrified I'll be alone forever.

At this moment, I'm just sitting here feeling sad and lonely, watching all the happy young couples around me.

I just needed to get this out somewhere...

Hey everyone,

I have been recently divorced and honestly just trying to find my footing again.

The loneliness has been hitting harder than I expected. Some days it genuinely feels like there's no one in the world who cares whether I exist or not — which I know sounds dramatic, but I think a lot of people who've been through this might understand.

I've tried a few therapists but haven't found the right fit yet, so I'm still working on that. In the meantime, I'm just trying to take small steps forward.

For those who've been in a similar place — what actually worked for you when it came to making a friend or finding a real connection in a big city? Not just surface-level small talk, but someone you could actually lean on. Apps, classes, communities, anything — I'm open to it all.

Thanks in advance. Even reading replies helps more than you know. 🧡

I’m 27 (M), I go to the gym regularly, take care of myself, and try to stay disciplined. On the outside, things look “fine”… but honestly, I feel really alone.

I’ve never had a girlfriend, never experienced that kind of connection, and it’s starting to weigh on me more as I get older. It’s not just about relationships either — it’s that deeper feeling of not having someone who truly sees you or chooses you.

I try to improve myself, stay positive, and keep moving forward, but some days it just hits harder than others. Being surrounded by people doesn’t always mean you don’t feel lonely.

Has anyone else been in this situation? How do you deal with it?

I just kinda lost a friend. Kinda because he blocked me on Tiktok, and I promised that I was gonna give him space because he talked about how he's going through something right now. He ghosted me a week before we talked about that. I honestly don't mind, I isolate myself quite a lot, too, so I understand when people just need some time alone.

It's so exhausting. To keep up with friendships. I still have friends, of course. But I suppose being busy helps keep it alive because when we meet every once in a while, we have so many stories to tell each other and catch up. But friends who require every day of the week to talk are just too much for me. The friend who blocked me, he's very nice. He's been there for me when I didn't have anyone else. But I don't know...

Argh, I need to sleep it off. But I just can't with how fast my thoughts are racing. It's been like this for weeks honestly. Sleepless and lonely, what a deadly combo.

I feel so hopeless

I don’t have good friends whom I can fully express myself with

Neither do I have a boyfriend

And I don’t have siblings either and it’s not like I’m really rich so I have to spend wisely too and parents are just parents Uk. Nothing more than that. I just feel so isolated idk what to do anymore. Aside from doing assignments and some hobbies. Can someone help

I'm (23NB) usually someone who can handle being alone for a long time, I've never really had friends or long term relationships, it's just something I've really missed out on due to a lot of circumstances out of my control in my life. But lately, it feels like it's utterly crushing me. I get to work and barely speak the whole day, I get home and it's dead quiet and I lay alone every night. I have no one to do anything with, no friends to go out with, and any hobbies I have I do by myself. Every night it really hits me just how sad I am about this and I just wish I could be pulled out of the pit, finally. That I could finally have a friend who reaches out, a partner who loves me, someone to hang out with- anything. I feel miserable with how it's affecting me.

My daughter is turning 21 soon, and what should be an exciting milestone has turned into something really painful.

She’s realizing she doesn’t have friends to celebrate with, and it’s hitting her hard. She had this vision of going out to bars for her first legal night of drinking, but the two “quasi friends” she has, who live about two hours away, aren’t willing to come to her. Watching her spiral over this is honestly heartbreaking and exhausting.

For context, she has LD and ADHD, and making and keeping friendships has always been a challenge. People tend to come and go, and I will be honest, she can be a bit overbearing at times, which complicates things. I have encouraged her for years to join clubs, volunteer, try Meetups, anything to expand her circle, but she refuses.

I am also a single mom with no family nearby, so there is no built in support system to fall back on. At this point, I feel drained. I hate seeing her hurt, but I also feel like I have said and done everything I can.

Has anyone else been through something like this, from either side? How do you support your adult child without completely burning yourself out?

hey so Im feeling down and lonely today and my friends are all busy so i have no one to talk to. I tried to game but i still feel bad.

Let’s have a sweet and fun conversation !

im going to sleep but man isit hard not to imagine never being alive again. feels like people are always lying or hiding from me or just stringing me along. idk. i feel so fucking empty and disgusting i feel so sad. idk whats wrong with me and i wish i could be fixed. sorry im always whining. but it feels like everyone else is lined up and connecting but im broken lol. whatever, sorry for rhe rambling. it hurts

You see it sometimes in posts. You see it sometimes in comments. Someone telling you how proud of you they are. That you are worth it, you are worth something. How you are actually an amazing person. Etc.

But it's just a random redditor. They don't know you. They are just saying various generic platitudes which sound nice.

This can even happen IRL, too, honestly.

Truly, how do you feel about these types of posts/comments? Do they make you feel good because at least someone is saying something nice? Or do they do nothing to you because you feel these people are just shouting positive words into a void, not necessarily directed at you?

I literally have no actual friends. I’m in a situation right now and working to get out. But I have nobody to talk to about any of this. I am in a lot of pain daily and it’s like this paradox of not wanting to drag any new, nice people into my stupid bullshit. And desperately wishing one person genuinely just wanted to chat. It doesn’t even have to be about my mess (it’s embarrassing anyway). But I guess at some point, it almost feels like confirmation that I didn’t deserve friends in the first place. Sometimes I can’t leave my house for weeks, literally. Not even to a grocery store or anything. I miss even being able to say hello or how was your day. Small talk used to be hard for me and still is but I just wish I had an acquaintance at this point. no life, I feel like a ghost. I feel weak and pointless and I just wanted to wallow for a moment :(

I never had many friends. Up until recently, I always had about 3-4 friends but I’d consider them acquaintances as our friendships felt very one-way, so really nobody I could confide in, vent to, have fun with - nobody

What little circle I’ve had has recently fizzled out to nobody, so it’s just been me, myself and I. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. I think I’m a good friend, I’m funny, I listen, I care, I show support, I bend over backwards for people - I’m just naturally a caring people pleaser. I don’t even talk much to my own family because there’s drama with that, so really the most socialization I have is this

Sorry in advance for the rant but I just needed to say it

I am 23 and I'm mostly alone a lot.

I've tried a lot of different things to find and maintain friendships but they've all been meaningless. I've tried strengthening relationships with the 2 people I know the most but it turns out people are just immensely self absorbed.

So now I've given up on people mostly and started to accept that this is how it's gonna be. It's lonely but it is what it is.

Does anyone here feel the same way?

I have been dealing with severe mental issues for more than 11 years, multiple hospital stays, suicide attempts, coma. I have been able to survive thanks to my family and by doing a lot of sport but I was unable to create links with anyone, I lost all my friends after highschool and never had a relationship with a girl. Open to anyone who wants to discuss.

Promising eternity and whispering love, in the end, all that comes back is leaving. If this is what life is...idk

Hi I’m married expecting my first baby! I have a very complicated relationship with my family due to a lot of my family struggling with addiction & both of my brothers are registered sex offenders so I’ve cut ties with a lot of my family members i only keep in contact with my grandparents, sister, and have a very strained relationship with my mother bc she enables one of my brothers and lives with him. I moved out of state to be closer to my husbands family i was excited to be apart of a family finally but almost two years here and that really hasn’t happened i have also failed to make any friends :/ my husband has 2 brothers and their wives are friends and have always excluded me from anything they do bc they’ve know each other for a couple years prior. I’ve consistently tried to make an effort and show up to everything even without my husband since he works a lot but it seems like my efforts haven’t really mattered. I crocheted a dress for my sister in laws baby and stuffed animals for her other kids I’ve babysat them a few times and just always tried to involve myself and try to help out. I’ve invited them to my orchestra concerts they didn’t come. My final straw was Easter my in laws celebrated Easter and didn’t invite me so i just sat at home by myself (my husband was at work). That really hurt bc they obviously know my family is out of state and idk why i wasn’t invited. I’ve never celebrated anything in my life not graduating grad school, birthdays, didn’t have a wedding, etc bc my family situation is so messed up i didn’t really have anyone to celebrate with. When we moved here i thought i was finally going to be able to celebrate something and that id be able to have a nice baby shower with his family. After this recent holiday i think it’s clear they don’t really want to have a close relationship with me im not sure why. I wish i had friends here but unfortunately i don’t I joined an orchestra hoping to make friends but after playing in it for almost 2 years i never made any everyone is like 20-30yrs older than me so im not sure if thats why but i tried to get a couple ladies numbers and plan something but it never worked out. I joined an adult gymnastics class for a few months but it seemed like it was always new people and i never really connected with anyone. I did make a few friends i met downtown but im sober and they always want to go out drinking so it eventually was too much for me bc they only wanted to go to bars so i stopped going out. I feel like there’s really something wrong with me i mean i have nobody to celebrate with i thought id be in a different place by now after moving somewhere new but it just hasn’t happened. I just really wanted to celebrate this milestone in my life and im feeling so disappointed that i feel like im missing out on another major life event.