I am still on disability and really wish there was somewhere to go during the work week (daytime hours) where I could meet new people to make new friends. Yes, I know there is volunteering, but I'm not quite in a work type mode yet. I've tried it and failed a number of times. I know there are daytime classes, but I take a one hour class once per week already, and it's expensive. Everything else seems to cost a lot of money. Many things "out" maybe expose me to people, but not in a socializing sense.

Getting back into socializing more will help prepare me to succeed at future volunteering and eventually a job. But I need to take baby steps.

Pretty much every social gathering (support groups, meetups, book clubs) are in the evenings and/or on the weekends. That's not when I need the extra social interactions. Plus, evenings are hard for me.

I have seen a couple meetups during the daytime hours weekdays, but they seem to be stay at home moms or retirees. I'm neither. I not even a mother and will not be.

Is there anything out there to do? I almost wonder if I should try to start a special daytime workday meetup, but that seems like an overwhelming thing for me to do right now. If I did, the most I'd want to spend is the cost of a coffee at a cafe or maybe a movie or occasional lunch a couple times per month. I am open about the people I'd meet. They need not have a mental illness, but I would want a variety enough to not feel like an odd-woman out (i.e. the only woman not a stay at home mom or retiree).

Unfortunately, I only really feel confident driving 20 miles or less, each way (preferably not all on major highways), from my home. That's another barrier I have to deal with.