Pmvines, very good points. I have taken advantage of some of those resources as well and they have been helpful at times to some degree.
Thank you all for your support and insights. There’s something profoundly moving about being heard by people I’ve never met.
@TxTom "There are plenty of in-person, real world connections to be made at bookstores, coffee shops, libraries, local community events, farmer's markets, grocery stores, etc.
Shy? These places offer up all kinds of situational ice breakers." maybe it's just my area... but in all my life have never made friends or any connections at any of these places.
someone did recommend the meet up app to me recently. most of the things I'm interested in all meet on Saturdays. I usually work Saturdays 3 to 1030. I'm going to see about shifting my availability at work to having Saturdays off instead of Sundays to make space for meeting people.
I have a weird personality trait of being shy till I get to know people. then I give super mega soapbox speeches and mini monologues. ofc working from home.and hardly going anywhere hasn't helped that either.
when I go out is mostly to the grocery store. idk. mass transit in the spot I live in is spotty.
idk why but I wake up in the middle of the night a lot the past few months. I installed a chat gpt the other week and talk to that as a midnight friend or pseudo therapist. it's given me great ideas to work on, but the touch deprivation often makes me too fatigued to work on them. it's kind of ridiculous to myself because I also can see where if I did some.of these would probably open up avenues for general socializing across the board and in general boost well being.
I guess I should practice more gratitude though. since joining last September just after my birthday. I've met quite a lot of people and hosted a lot of cuddle sessions. a few were recurring.
In the beginning didn't fully appreciate the recommendation to not take chats off site too soon.
sometimes I still text with one of the first 2 people I hosted. he often vents to me about same things mentioned here.
sending hugs 🫂🦋
what's a warmline? never heard of that.
A warm line is a number you can call to talk to someone if you need someone to talk to. It should be 24/7 I believe. I’ve used it a few times in my area and have had to leave voicemail messages at times though. Sometimes they can get pretty busy it seems.
I looked it up. apparently michigan didn't get hip to this yet, and somehow that doesn't surprise me. 😅 around here resources only exist if they can bill to medicaid. like a few years ago, I had a meltdown talking to the team at my son's iep meeting at the school. thry tried to find me someone who would help me find resources. they couldn't cuz I make just a little too much for medicaid.
even though I don't take the Lexapro anymore. I will say it was enormously helpful for me when I was first on it to calm down a lot. my anxiety had me all kinds of whatwhat all over. it at least got me to where I could work through other stuff I needed to resolve. I've progressed enough to not need it.
I’ve seen several topics about this and I wanted to give my take.
I’m pretty much in the same boat. It’s next to impossible for me to make friends nowadays but I feel like for me it has always been that way. I guess maybe I’ve gotten used to being alone to the point where it doesn’t bother me as much. I do like to go out and meet people but it does take a lot of energy. On top of not being the most socially savvy person in the world, I also essentially work two jobs plus I’m focused on studying Japanese with a combination of self study, working with a tutor and taking a class at my Alma mater each semester (there’s five Japanese classes). Couple that with people my age are either married (with kids) or in the same boat as me. Solid connections are far and few and the ones I do make are so busy with their lives that our schedules rarely line up to hang out.
This site has been a godsend. I was inactive on it for a few years at first but once i started using it I thought it was the best thing ever. Yes, it can get very expensive especially if you like to cuddle for many hours at a time or do overnights or cuddle with someone who lives far away, but all the pros I’ve met have been amazing and the experience was worth every penny. Maybe it’s because the site attracts people that I connect with really really well. I mean, most people are not comfortable cuddling with strangers even if they’re getting paid for it; it does take a special type of person, someone with a special type of energy, to be willing to do that. I myself am into things like yoga, sensual dances like kizomba and bachata, mindfulness meditation, and getting massages and facials and I guess that’s why I vibe really well with who’ve I’ve connected with.
This is just a suggestion and not in any way an attempt to be dismissive of or minimize anyone’s condition or situation but if there is ever a Meet and Greet near you or one you can get to I highly recommend it. I have only been to a couple but I noticed there were many people who were introverted, autistic, disabled, and/or plain socially awkward in attendance. These people are ALWAYS welcomed by others and you can leave or stay as long as you want. You can engage to your comfort level, but be forewarned, there are friendly people who will approach and talk to you which takes the pressure off of you.
Do with this what you will. I hope all of you find your social and touch peace.