Crippling loneliness--experiences?

[ripberman]

Hello, and I apologize in advance for this self-pitying post.

Has anyone struggled with pervasive loneliness? I feel almost privileged writing this, as I am a (relatively) young woman and thus have likely had more opportunities to create connections than others.

Unfortunately, my life has been fairly horrific; thus, I am unable to create lasting bonds with most people. My "friends" know nothing about my life or my true feelings. As such, I am left feeling insanely lonely and isolated at all times.

What has helped you cope? Did it help to speak with others who understood what you felt? Is there anything at all that eased your burden? I've tried everything at this point, from anonymous chat websites to specialized hotlines--nothing has helped.

 

[Hardcore_Henry]

It's the biggest reason as to why i'm here. Been the quiet type most of my life but not really by choice. i have a couple of friends i see every now and then but i choose not to burden them with the stuff i go through. Anxiety took over my life a long time ago and it pretty much guides all of my decisions.

it really sucks to see others feel this way, i wouldn't wish it on anyone :/

 

[ripberman]

It's the biggest reason as to why i'm here. Been the quiet type most of my life but not really by choice. i have a couple of friends i see every now and then but i choose not to burden them with the stuff i go through. Anxiety took over my life a long time ago and it pretty much guides all of my decisions.

it really sucks to see others feel this way, i wouldn't wish it on anyone :/

Thank you—I'm sorry that you have suffered, as well, but it is somewhat reassuring to know that I am not alone in this.

 

[Fktw0rld]

Loneliness is very strange. I've been suffering horribly with major depression for over 40 years now. My entire life I've always been surrounded by friends, been in relationships, so on and so forth. There's never been a time where I've been physically alone. With that being said, I've always felt so alone and isolated. It's like an internal loneliness that's impossible to explain. In my mind I'm alone, left out, not cared about, unfulfilled, empty and detached, but seeing me at any given point during a day would seem the exact opposite. So regardless of the physical presence of others you may find your loneliness exists solely within you. I find peace simply by watching movies, flipping through tktk, rddt and utbe (abbreviated to prevent keyword usage). But even then I see all these "influencers" and social media personalities surrounded by hundreds of people, putting on this show behind a mask of happiness, knowing it's all smoke and mirrors. Cause at the end of the day I know the majority of them feel the same.

We're all chasing the wind. Only some of us are wise enough to realize it.

 

[F@#$]

I'm stoned and drunk alot.

 

[IWishToDie]

My "friends" know nothing about my life or my true feelings. As such, I am left feeling insanely lonely and isolated at all times.

This is a big problem. If you're a broken person, associating with broken people who understand you is usually bad because you end up enabling and hurting each other. On the other hand, associating with '''healthy''' people is difficult because you feel like a fraud. Even if you pick yourself up and rebuild, you will never truly be able to trust these people or reveal your tragic past. It's a really tricky situation. The best you can do is find broken people who managed to crawl their way out and become positive and healthy, the kind of people who are truly committed to moving forward in their life and who take every step to ensure success. This is much easier said than done. I wish for a life where my problems are far behind me and I find myself with understanding and supportive people who have been through it and come out stronger. I don't believe it will ever happen though one can dream. Best of luck.