In Life's Slump

[Tom57]

Life is just muddling along and I guess it's OK, but I feel like I'm depressed and scared.

Lately I've been in a social slump. With my social life I only had three people going for me but I just talked to them on the phone only; never getting together with them. One is a local friend who is 90 years old and not well, another is an old college friend, and my sister. My college friend and sister live 3000 miles from me. That's all I had and, at times, I felt lonely and friendless when I had them. But recently I let them all go.

I got tired of them criticizing, antagonizing, and playing games with me. And now I have no one. No friends, no family. I'm introverted and I do alright with being alone. But I don't like being totally alone. I've met a couple of people whom I could possibly become friends with lately, but when I got to know them better, then I didn't like them. I guess they felt the same way about me.

Recently I lost a front tooth. It had a crown on it and it just came out when I was eating. It happened without warning. I feel like I have to deal with this all by myself. And the procedure (I made an appointment with an oral surgeon and will have work done on it soon) will be costly. I'm dreading the appointment, but it has to be done.

So that's what's going on with me lately. My 90 year old friend tries to get me back. We've been through it in the past so many times. When we've gotten back together, after a while, he finds a way to blow it for me.

[Tom57]

I recently had the dental implant surgery done last Thursday (2/19). The surgery went well but I have to wait for healing where the implant was put in, and then get a crown. I have been going through depression after the procedure. I already have depression, even when things go well, but now that post-procedure has increased my depression.

It's hard to live with restrictions since the procedure. No bike riding, no heavy exercising (like I do), a liquid diet just on the day of the surgery (I just had chocolate pudding and a banana for dinner). And then afterwards just soft foods and having to chew on one side. No meat and no spaghetti with tomato sauce. I'm not used to this! I feel depressed, tired, and hungry a lot (like feeling malnourished). Hopefully, this will end soon.

[Lillieilla]

Life is just muddling along and I guess it's OK, but I feel like I'm depressed and scared.

Lately I've been in a social slump. With my social life I only had three people going for me but I just talked to them on the phone only; never getting together with them One is a local friend who is 90 years old and not well, another is an old college friend, and my sister. My college friend and sister live 3000 miles from me. That's all I had and, at times, I felt lonely and friendless when I had them. But recently I let them all go.

I got tired of them criticizing slope game 2, antagonizing, and playing games with me. And now I have no one. No friends, no family. I'm introverted and I do alright with being alone. But I don't like being totally alone. I've met a couple of people whom I could possibly become friends with lately, but when I got to know them better, then I didn't like them. I guess they felt the same way about me.

Recently I lost a front tooth. It had a crown on it and it just came out when I was eating. It happened without warning. I feel like I have to deal with this all by myself. And the procedure (I made an appointment with an oral surgeon and will have work done on it soon) will be costly. I'm dreading the appointment, but it has to be done.

So that's what's going on with me lately. My 90 year old friend tries to get me back. We've been through it in the past so many times. When we've gotten back together, after a while, he finds a way to blow it for me.

That sounds like a lot to deal with at once, especially the recovery and isolation. Have you considered small steps like short daily walks or reconnecting with one person just casually to ease back into things?

[clintonhenry]

It sounds really tough to feel lonely and deal with the challenges of your social life, especially after losing a friend and facing health issues. It's completely understandable to feel overwhelmed. Remember, it's okay to seek support from others, whether it's friends, family, or even online communities. You deserve to connect with people who uplift you. I hope you find the strength to navigate through this difficult time and discover new friendships that bring you joy.
stickman hook 3

[Tom57]

To Clintonhenry

Thank you for replying to me. I don't have an "health issue", it's having one of my front teeth out for now. I will be getting a new tooth put in a couple of months. But at first when it happened, it felt like having an health issue.

As far as support with friends and family, I don't have any going for me. I'm an older man and making friends has always been hard for me, but a lot more so now than ever. I do all I can to keep my mind and body busy and there are things going on within me. But there's nothing going on socially, so it's difficult at times.

[dazzle]

I’m just reaching out because life feels incredibly heavy right now and I feel like I'm muddling along, depressed, and scared.

I’m naturally introverted and usually do alright being alone, but lately, the isolation has become total. Up until recently, my social life consisted of just three people, all strictly over the phone: a local 90-year-old friend who isn't well, an old college friend, and my sister (both of whom live 3,000 miles away). Even with them, I often felt lonely. But recently, I finally hit a wall with the constant criticism, antagonizing, and mind games, and I let them all go. Now, I truly have no one—no family, no friends. The 90-year-old friend keeps trying to pull me back into the loop, but we’ve been through this cycle before and he always finds a way to blow it. I've tried meeting a couple of new people lately, but once we got to know each other, the connection just wasn't there.

To make matters worse, I just had a sudden medical scare. A front tooth with a crown completely fell out while I was eating, without any warning. I have an appointment with an oral surgeon soon, but it's going to be incredibly costly and I am absolutely dreading it. Facing this painful, expensive procedure completely by myself, without a single person to talk to or lean on for support, is terrifying.

I don't want to be entirely alone anymore, but building a life from absolute scratch feels impossible right now. Has anyone else ever had to rebuild their entire support system while managing major life stressors completely on their own? How do you get through the fear?