Although my profile says I am new here, I actually am not. I had to re-register because I couldn't remember my old password. Anyway, back to the subject: Loneliness. I have never been what you call a social butterfly but I had a circle of friends who I did stuff with until I got divorced and my illness became public. Those longtime friends disappeared; guess they thought they were going to catch something. After that the few new friendships I have had I must admit I have tried to keep at a distance, never knowing if they are going to freak out or not if they know the real me. As for personal close relationships they are even harder to come by, let alone trust since my marriage didn't last through the "in sickness and health" portion. I've been out of a serious relationship now for 5 years and feel as though the good years must be behind me. I wonder sometimes if the rest of my life is going to be just me, myself, and I. My work isn't with people per se, just their pets and I have only about two friends(seriously), both of whom are married. I grew up in this city but life got away from me after the divorce. My daughter moved this past year 3,000 miles away with her newborn son, boyfriend and his daughter and though we are close, texting and phone calls aren't enough. I have no other relatives in town. I lost all self confidence when my last relationship ended and I began having social anxiety attacks that I have had to fight off. I tried volunteering but at each place they wanted a set schedule and I can't do that due to my health and my part time work. Besides most of the people I was "helping" were better off than me, haha! Anyway, I've also tried joining community classes but the cost became a problem, even bowling on a league was too expensive. So much for living the good life on disability,eh? Sometimes I think I must have a sign hanging off of me somewhere that says "stay away, flawed human" because I feel I don't seem to fit in anywhere I used to, you know? So what do I do? I make myself go for walks with my dog, go to movies (cheap theaters) alone, go to the local coffee shop (drink inexpensive stuff) and read for an hour or so a couple of days a week just to get out among people. Like someone above said, you keep going on doing your thing and try not to think about going home to an empty house. I can't help but think if I had more money I would be doing more things. I don't know that I would be any less lonely, but I would be a lot busier and maybe not think about it as much. Good luck with life!