Loneliness - let's talk about it?

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sharonboomer

New Member
Hi Everyone,
I am Sharon, nice to meet everyone!
With covid still around and still not the safest (my opinion) to meet to many people in social gatherings, I miss talking to people my age (not kids or grandkids - people who are close to my age and know or relate to what we all are going through). What do you guys and gals do to cope with this ? (or is it just me or misses good old fashioned conversations with a small group)
 

Hi Sharon... you'll find plenty to converse about here if you come and join us...

welcome-animated.gif
 
sharonboomer said:
Hi Everyone,
I am Sharon, nice to meet everyone!
With covid still around and still not the safest (my opinion) to meet to many people in social gatherings, I miss talking to people my age (not kids or grandkids - people who are close to my age and know or relate to what we all are going through). What do you guys and gals do to cope with this ? (or is it just me or misses good old fashioned conversations with a small group)
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Nope, you are not alone in feeling this way at all. Now on the plus side, you have landed at the right place here on SF.
Enjoy yourself.
 

No Sharon, you're not alone. What I do is, I get online and come here, I watch something funny on TV and sometimes I will call my friends who have told me to call and we talk. I don't do all of this everyday but just on my lonely days and it helps. I also take walks and they help also.
 
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Welcome, sharonboomer. You've come to a good place to spend some unoccupied hours. There is almost always someone around.

I won't be much help though because being alone does not bother me. In fact, I thrive on it. Since long before virus concerns, I've been my own best friend and always have something to occupy my time and my mind, even if its just a new book to read. I've been told that its unhealthy to be a hermit but I've been that way for decades and am now too old to change. I don't know if it is a blessing or a curse but it has been convenient because social isolation was already a way of life.

I hope the friendly folks here help to fill some of your empty hours. Jump right in but steer clear of the prickly bits unless prickly is your thing. There are several ongoing dramas and you can catch up - if you like - by reading old posts. Enjoy!
 
My aunt lived in California all her life, when the pandemic hit she spent months alone going out just for groceries. She would tell me she was so lonely, she had been very social all her life. Her son in Texas, her daughter in South Carolina, she bought a house in SC and made plans to move. Sold her house in Seal Beach for a very nice sum (figures it will keep her for the rest of her life). She moved there and could see her family and very promptly got Covid 19. Thankfully she survived it and is so much happier with family nearby. I think loneliness might have killed her .
 
Hi @sharonboomer, and welcome to SF.

My answer to loneliness .... daily walks! .. always my mood enhancer ... Can't help but be in good spirits after getting out in the fresh air everyday, even in hot weather. Plenty of people doing the same around my area - and so never a shortage of people to visit with ....

While inside, I enjoy TV, on the 'light' side mostly, and then of course Internet boards and games.
 
Have you thought about volunteering for something? Food pantries usually need people as do churches. I used to go to a church, once a week and help them assemble the Sunday programs that they’d pass out to folks as they enter on Sundays. If there’s an area Office on Aging for where you live, you might call and ask them for suggestions as well. Between running around my area, with and without friends, I manage to find people to talk with. I just smile and say hello then leave the rest up to fate. I haven’t made any real friendships, so to speak but I’ve had plenty of conversations.
 
sharonboomer said:
Hi Everyone,
I am Sharon, nice to meet everyone!
With covid still around and still not the safest (my opinion) to meet to many people in social gatherings, I miss talking to people my age (not kids or grandkids - people who are close to my age and know or relate to what we all are going through). What do you guys and gals do to cope with this ? (or is it just me or misses good old fashioned conversations with a small group)
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I think many of us are struggling. We are social beings by nature. In the past year though, I've come to rely on other things to escape the chaos and the loneliness. I've been going it alone for almost 2 yrs now aside from a few internet friends. I have no desire for a real time social life or being in the physical company of others. I am managing better than I expected. Doesn't mean I don't have bad days but I'd rather have a good cry and hug a stuffed animal than go to a restaurant to talk to a friend. It's not worth the risk. Several times a week the mortuary comes to pick up a body wrapped in blue paper bedding with blue tape mummifying it for the ride to the morgue. No bag nothing. I would rather stay home and keep myself entertained than end up being the one in that taped up paper sheet. I don't think people take this virus seriously enough. But when it's in the hall staring you in the face while you're just on your way to pee...it's a very sobering reality.
 
This subject has been on my mind a lot lately. Not just for me but for others. I try to reach out even when it feels awkward. People are understanding and usually welcome the attempt. We have rediscovered the bag lunch. A few of us meet in a park or parking lot or sometimes a porch or driveway. Don't expect perfect and it can be pretty good.
 
Hi Sharon..
WELCOME ABOARD!!!! You are not alone.. there are others that feel the same as you. I am married and don't feel alone. I also have a daughter that visits once in a while and friends I chat with once in a while. I also enjoy conversations with people in this forum. Some of the topics can get a bit heated but I don't take it personal. Everyone has a right to their opinion. This is a GREAT group.
 
My wonderful wife passed away last September. It was pretty lonely where I live with all the senior centers and all the libraires shut down. So now I am traveling in British Columbia. I just go up to people and talk to them. Met many interesting Canadians and Americans traveling in this country. Rest areas are great places to start a bit of conversation. People who travel are almost very interesting people, I find. The worse thing to do is sit on your "butt" and watch TV all day.
 

The Purity of Cold Soup​



​

How many cans of soup​

can be eaten alone​

before the soup turns mean?​



How much cream

can be lapped alone,

before the mew becomes a keen?



A house with many rooms

offers only drafts and cold,

when living alone.



Sleep is a form of vanishing-

wrapped in white linen,

imprisoned in the purity of alone?



What happens to the sleeping voyager?

When dreams run dry,

from the lack of know?



How many days

must you live alone,

before you disappear?
 
Packerjohn said:
My wonderful wife passed away last September. It was pretty lonely where I live with all the senior centers and all the libraires shut down. So now I am traveling in British Columbia. I just go up to people and talk to them. Met many interesting Canadians and Americans traveling in this country. Rest areas are great places to start a bit of conversation. People who travel are almost very interesting people, I find. The worse thing to do is sit on your "butt" and watch TV all day.
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I say hello to everyone I meet regardless of the response but I find since covid so many people are more wary, they might look but do not open their mouths, or else they look away. Whatever we have to live our lives the best way we can.
 
and lucky you to be travelling in beautiful British Columbia there is so much to see and do in this province. Enjoy your travels.
 
Hello and welcome from New Jersey. I have never been a very social person and have so many projects to work on I'm never lonely.
The only time I feel sad or a bit lonely is when I think of my family who are no longer here especially around the holidays.
 

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