I just feel so lonely. I only have two or three genuine friends. I was at a mental hospital before, and I met such good people there. One of which I cannot get in contact with. He went to a residential program, and they stay there for awhile. All I have left of him is his Roblox username. I’m hoping that once he is in a better place mentally and physically he can contact me on there, but otherwise I have no hope of contacting him. I can’t really make friends because it’s so hard finding people like me. Since I have had depression and suicidal thoughts from a young age, I’m very mature for my age. (Or, at least that’s what people say.) It’s hard to find people who are around my age who are as mature as me, and like similar things. Online friends aren’t much of a choice either, because my parents don’t really let me have most social media apps. It’s just so hard to find genuine friends that I can be myself around.
Help Yourself
- It sounds like this feeling of loneliness is something you’ve been dealing with for quite awhile. Thank you for reaching out for help- hopefully we can help provide you with some ideas for dealing with your feelings.
- First, if you ever feel that these feelings are becoming too overwhelming and start to have any thoughts of harming yourself, please reach out to someone who can help. If you feel like you can’t talk to anyone in your life, please call 1-800-273-8255 or go to https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/. You can also use the crisis textline by sending HELLO to 741741 or go to http://www.crisistextline.org/. Please don’t let loneliness overwhelm you. There is always someone ready to listen!
- Think about the people that are in your life every day. Can you think of anyone that is trusted and could be a potential connection? It could be a parent/guardian, family member, therapist, counselor- church, school or someone in the community. We’ve all been online a ton more than normal over the past year, so some face-to-face contact may help open doors to new connections you didn’t have before.
Consider Trying This
- Telling someone how to make friends often seems easy, but putting yourself out there to add a new person to your life is scary- especially if you have any issues with trusting others. One thing you may want to try is getting yourself involved in some activities/ hobbies that are focused on things you enjoy doing, and then find some places or events in your community that focus on that. There are also support groups for people that deal with mental illness that you could also find by googling “find mental health support in my area”. Finding someone you may get along with often starts with doing what you enjoy or what you are passionate about – odds are they’re doing the same thing and more than likely already have something in common with you!
- On our website, we have some tools that may help you as well. In our “LEARN” section, we have many informational topics, such as Depression and Wellness, that may be of interest to you. Our “TOOLS” section is full of topics and activities that you may enjoy- from dealing with depression, to various yoga poses for relaxation, to assistance with social skills. Any or all of these may help you decide how you want to move forward.
- Do you know how to start a conversation with someone new? You mentioned that you have a few friends already. You could practice with them, or members of your family, with beginning conversations. Try a few out and see what feels comfortable for you. That’s often the hardest part- figuring out how to approach someone and say hi.
