Finding friends in Glasgow area

We want to hear from you: please tell us about your experience of the online community.

weeyin

Hi

Due to the lockdown I have been feeling lonelier recently.  I am not a fan of social media and I am no longer on Facebook.

I have 2 best friends since childhood.  They are both healthy and have their own families. I have never felt comfortable talking about my health and how it impacts my day to day life with them. I have always had a good friendship with them and before corona virus would meet at least once per month for lunch, dinner or a couple of drinks.  

I would really like to find friendship with someone I could confide in and relate to.  That I could have a more open and honest friendship about pain, how it affects relationships with partners or that we can relate to each others struggles.

I have a partner.  He is lovely but again I can’t open up about my health fully.  Although we would never cheat on each other due to the way the system works marriage wouldn’t be an option.  We generally see each other twice per week.  We don’t live together but have been with each other over 1.5 years.  I also check in on my elderly parents often.  My dad has Alzheimer’s and I feel inadequate alot of the time as my mobility is poor and I am in pain daily.

I live just outside Glasgow.  I like to watch tv dramas on Netflix, read, study modules through the Open Uni.  I enjoy a couple of drinks now and again and listening to music.

Really looking for female friendship for a chat now and again.  

Linsey

Cher_Alumni

Hi @weeyin and thanks for posting.

I can really appreciate you feeling lonely.  These are such challenging times and I think more of us are feeling the brunt of lockdown this time round.  It sounds like you are doing well considering your impairment, so please try not to feel inadequate - you are doing your very best.  I'm sure your parents realise that.

From personal experience, I've made friends in my 30's in various ways.  Mostly from going back to learning at college, university and summer schools - which I know isn't easy with the ongoing pandemic and most things being online!  But also, from virtual communities such as this one - be it running support groups or even Facebook groups dedicated to the brand of leggings I like  I see that you aren't a fan of social media though, so this might not be your cup of tea.

In 'normal' times, you could explore meeting like-minded people via websites such as Meetup.  I'd really urge you to keep safe if you did this though, telling people where you were going and when you were due back.

Just thinking out loud, but does your Open University course have any online hangouts where you can talk to other people doing the same modules?  That could be a starting place.  Or, you always have us!  We are a friendly bunch and many of us adore Netflix too 

Let me know what you think and I hope you are having a nice afternoon.