I am also very lonely - something a lot of people would find hard to believe, as I am a very social and outgoing person (asthough as I get older I more and more prefer spending time with myself, though I get depressed if I am alone for too long at a time, I need to get out, feel the LIFE, just walk around looking at people and feeling the vibe of the city, to really be restored). I have many friends, I have never been afraid to speak my mind, etc. So I am not reserved. But I am still lonely, it feels like I have a lot of friends, but few best friends. The ones I had are all in very committed relationships (living with their boyfriends) and I don't want to bother them as often as before by suggesting we do stuff. I have different groups of friends, in one everyone in single but in the other one I am the only single one. Especially the last group makes me feel lonely (even though I know they don't mean to) - I imagine for a guy your age this can be a problem, almost everyone you meet are married or in relationships. I feel like I have no one who considers me their best friend, or the most important person in the world except for themselves (a selfish feeling, but we all have that need), no one to talk to most of the time and that most people don't understand me if I do. Sometimes they even get annoyed because they feel I am judging people who live a different lifestyle (like them).

To me, it feels like I am always just "one in the gang" in a big group of friends, and rarely something more. My parents are the only ones who call me frequently. I often feel that if I just stayed in my apartment for two weeks (and kept up activity on social networks, or it would be too conspicious as I am very active there) no one would notice. It pains me that I have never felt love (I have been in a couple of relationships, the longest one about one and a half years) and cared about my partner but I have never felt that earth-shattering love that makes people adorably silly. I am only 23, so there is plenty of time, but I am starting to think more and more I will never find anyone. I don't know why, but I just don't seem to be the type of girl boys are interested in. I suspect it has something to do with the age group I am in, though, judging from own experiences, my own male friends and what I read from guys at my age in the "men's only" forum - yes, I admit, I read it, like men don't read the women's - most guys my age go for/are attracted to a certain kind of girl, or are too preoccupied with getting laid and how women look to notice the girls that are different or the women who are more like them (and afterwards they complain that women are shallow biatches who walk around like they own the place, when they are the ones obsessed with only the prettiest girls - bitter rant over). So I hope this will change as they mature a bit and start looking for something more serious. But I don't know, I struggle with loneliness a lot. I usually cope by going on a forum (like this one, or talking to people), reading or watching a movie, IOW "reality escape", by working etc., and by listening to music - There is a lot of music about loneliness and not finding anyone. It can help listening to it, knowing a lot of people feel this way.

I have also coped a lot with getting drunk, but I guess don't really recommend that. Although it really helped when getting over that only long-term relationship (aka more than year) I mentioned earlier.