Hi all! Im Mandi from a small town northwestern Pennsylvania. USA. I'm a 44 y/o single mother of an 18 year old son. I work full time assembling wiring harnesses and components from military and commercial equipment. I deal with depression and anxiety, diagnosed BPD by my legal drug dealer aka psychiatrist.
I have a hard time socializing and feel anxious most of the time when Im out of my house. I have only ever been in 1 serious relationship my entire life and no it wasnt with my sons father. Meeting people has never been easy for me and after isolating myself for 19 years, I dont know how to go about meeting people in a healthy way. Ive tried dating sites. They are a joke. Im struggling with faith so church isnt realy the answer. All we have here are churches and bars.
All that said, I am hoping to find some likeminded people and make friends who understand and can share pointers or support with me and I will do the same if possible.
Is this thing on?
Moderators: Sunlily92, windsong, BlueGobi, Moderators, Astrid
Re: Is this thing on?
Hi Mandi,
I can relate to your struggles with meeting people. Being from a small town in the bible belt, there's not much here but churches and bars, and I'm not comfortable with them either.
Take care,
D
I can relate to your struggles with meeting people. Being from a small town in the bible belt, there's not much here but churches and bars, and I'm not comfortable with them either.
Take care,
D
Re: Is this thing on?
It's gotten more difficult to meet people, I think. We have more reasons to be suspicious of one another when we're just out and about.
One thing I have come to enjoy is just making small talk with people, like when I'm in line at a store, or in the waiting room at the doc's office. It often surprises people in the loveliest way, and it's gratifying to be the reason someone smiled or laughed. It took me a while to become comfortable doing it, but once I got brave enough, the reactions were so nice it made me want to do it more. It makes some of the most mundane tasks a little special.
One way I've approached it is by having my own rule: If I notice someone has particularly pretty hair, or a great outfit, or cool shoes, or whatever, I tell them. It's another one of those things that surprises people in a nice way. Sometimes, it ends with a "Thank you," and other times, it starts a little conversation.
That might be a low-risk, low-effort way for you to start to develop some comfort with meeting people.
One thing I have come to enjoy is just making small talk with people, like when I'm in line at a store, or in the waiting room at the doc's office. It often surprises people in the loveliest way, and it's gratifying to be the reason someone smiled or laughed. It took me a while to become comfortable doing it, but once I got brave enough, the reactions were so nice it made me want to do it more. It makes some of the most mundane tasks a little special.
One way I've approached it is by having my own rule: If I notice someone has particularly pretty hair, or a great outfit, or cool shoes, or whatever, I tell them. It's another one of those things that surprises people in a nice way. Sometimes, it ends with a "Thank you," and other times, it starts a little conversation.
That might be a low-risk, low-effort way for you to start to develop some comfort with meeting people.
-
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Thu Feb 22, 2024 12:01 am
Re: Is this thing on?
Since you work full-time, you may have opportunities to connect with coworkers or attend work-related events. Building relationships with colleagues, even if they're strictly professional at first, can sometimes lead to friendships outside of work. retro bowl
Return to “New Member Introductions”
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 117 guests