[The_little_didgee]

When I joined, I felt a part of the community and could easily spend hours on this website. I made some online friends and enjoyed "conversing" with them via the keyboard. Now it is very different. The friends I made here are long gone. They no longer post or log in very often (at least when I am logged in).

Whenever I log in I feel like a foreigner walking through the tourist district of a major city. I've been feeling like this for a few years now. I go through periods of not logging in for weeks at a time to every 2 or 3 days. Now I rarely post. There isn't much that I can relate to. I'm not sure why, even though I have a lot to say. Maybe I'm more protective of my privacy or have found other more effective outlets. Perhaps I no longer find this website very helpful.

I have noticed one thing. This website mirrors my present life. I'm a foreigner in a foreign land.

Right now I'm in a small city somewhere in southwestern Ontario where I don't know many people. I'm not from here. I only came here to take a college program that wasn't offered in the city I left two years ago. Unfortunately I haven't been able to develop a sense of community here like I did in eastern Ontario, where I lived for 27 years. Life is very different in this part of the province. It's more rural.

The 1 million plus denizens that lived around me kept me company. I miss them.

I miss my friends, especially seeing them in person. Sitting in coffee shops drinking Americanos, visiting, going for walks by the Ottawa River, working on clocks, attending club meetings, working on machine shop projects and hanging out at the airport to watch planes. I long for community beyond video conferencing, text messaging and email.

Southwestern Ontario is no longer helpful to me. I've completed my program, so there is no reason to stay here much longer.

[Discombobulated]

That was so beautifully expressed.

I noticed you hadn't posted much recently, but I remembered you fondly. Yes many people have left the site - I miss them and wonder what happened to them.

I wish you lots of good things whatever path you choose next.

[Thunder Bow]

Smart Phones may be to blame. They are like a fidget spinner, every one is into them now. Thus you have no real life connections.

I hear you. Do you think its the pandemic that is making you feel lonely? Or the pandemic And your current location? I hear you about the forum too. Sometimes it does feel quite...lonely here. Its supposed to help others connect but truthfully, I don't think social media (including forums) are the best way to connect.

It sounds like you want to move back to eastern Ontario. Perhaps that's something to consider.

You have always seemed like an interesting person to me and I've always appreciated your thoughts and posts.

Hang in there. It won't always be like this.

[MickeyCheeky]

So Sorry you're feeling lonely! i am sure manuy can relate to that feeling of being a stranger in your own land. Are there any clubs or activities near you that may help you to know some more people with similar interests? In any case, even though i know it is not the same thing, we are here to provide Support. So Sorry if the forum doesn't seem that much active but the door is always open when you need it anyway. Feel free to post around. Sending many Safe, warm hugs to BOTH you, @The_little_didgee, your Family, your Friends and ALL of your Loved Ones! Keep fighting and keep rocking NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, OK?!

[Skeezyks]

For what it's worth, I also am not finding much here on what formerly was known as Psych Central. I stop by... pretty-much daily. I might reply to some of the threads in the Games Forum. But beyond that little seems to be of interest or to be something on which I feel I have anything to contribute. Perhaps it's just me. I've looked around at other forum websites thinking maybe I just need to go somewhere else. But I don't seem to find much anywhere else either.

In real life I'm pretty-much an urban recluse. So although there are millions of other people around me where I live I just keep to myself. And, of course, the current pandemic situation helps with that. I hope, though, that you will be able to get back to eastern Ontario where, it sounds like, you were much happier. Best wishes...

[The_little_didgee]

Originally Posted by WovenGalaxy

I hear you. Do you think its the pandemic that is making you feel lonely? Or the pandemic And your current location? I hear you about the forum too. Sometimes it does feel quite...lonely here. Its supposed to help others connect but truthfully, I don't think social media (including forums) are the best way to connect.

The pandemic definitely is a big part of it. I cannot tolerate what society has become. There's no outlet, no coffee shop to seat in where I can read and people watch. Just about everything is closed. -- It's sooooo depressing.

The online world is definitely sterile and cold. It is so much better to meet in person. There's substance and so much more to it than a 2D screen. Plus it is easier to read people.

Originally Posted by WovenGalaxy

It sounds like you want to move back to eastern Ontario. Perhaps that's something to consider.

You have always seemed like an interesting person to me and I've always appreciated your thoughts and posts.

Hang in there. It won't always be like this.

I'll be moving back as soon as I can. Right now I have to put my life on hold for the Ontario government. I wish I could move tomorrow, but I have nowhere to stay. Usually I would have options but I lost them due to the lockdown.

[Fuzzybear]

Originally Posted by The_little_didgee

When I joined, I felt a part of the community and could easily spend hours on this website. I made some online friends and enjoyed "conversing" with them via the keyboard. Now it is very different. The friends I made here are long gone. They no longer post or log in very often (at least when I am logged in).

Whenever I log in I feel like a foreigner walking through the tourist district of a major city. I've been feeling like this for a few years now. I go through periods of not logging in for weeks at a time to every 2 or 3 days. Now I rarely post. There isn't much that I can relate to. I'm not sure why, even though I have a lot to say. Maybe I'm more protective of my privacy or have found other more effective outlets. Perhaps I no longer find this website very helpful.

I have noticed one thing. This website mirrors my present life. I'm a foreigner in a foreign land.

Right now I'm in a small city somewhere in southwestern Ontario where I don't know many people. I'm not from here. I only came here to take a college program that wasn't offered in the city I left two years ago. Unfortunately I haven't been able to develop a sense of community here like I did in eastern Ontario, where I lived for 27 years. Life is very different in this part of the province. It's more rural.

The 1 million plus denizens that lived around me kept me company. I miss them.

I miss my friends, especially seeing them in person. Sitting in coffee shops drinking Americanos, visiting, going for walks by the Ottawa River, working on clocks, attending club meetings, working on machine shop projects and hanging out at the airport to watch planes. I long for community beyond video conferencing, text messaging and email.

Southwestern Ontario is no longer helpful to me. I've completed my program, so there is no reason to stay here much longer.

I long for somewhere that is not ''here'' too

I will not repeat what others have said (both here and elsewhere........

[The_little_didgee]

I'm going back to eastern Ontario at the end of April. It's official. On March 1st, I gave my 60 day notice. Now I have to find a job. Hopefully I'll find one, before I leave this city.

I need to go back for my mental health. The pandemic restrictions have been hard on me. I'm tired of living like this. I just want to see people I know, drink coffee in cafes and go for walks by the river.

That is Great! I think you'll find something (job-wise). I'm really happy for you.

[buddha1too]

When I joined, I felt a part of the community and could easily spend hours on this website. I made some online friends and enjoyed "conversing" with them via the keyboard. Now it is very different. The friends I made here are long gone. They no longer post or log in very often (at least when I am logged in).

Whenever I log in I feel like a foreigner walking through the tourist district of a major city. I've been feeling like this for a few years now. I go through periods of not logging in for weeks at a time to every 2 or 3 days. Now I rarely post. There isn't much that I can relate to. I'm not sure why, even though I have a lot to say. Maybe I'm more protective of my privacy or have found other more effective outlets. Perhaps I no longer find this website very helpful.

I can relate. I've been a member for almost 10 years, but stopped posting for a very long time. So long, in fact, that I forgot my old screen name & password, and had to start over with a new name & password. At one point I had almost 10,000 posts...which doesn't really matter, I guess.

I think the fact that activity has gone down is related to changes in technology more than anything. Communities like this are rapidly being replaced by Zoom, Skype, & other forms of tech media. This place was really buzzing a decade ago. That stated, however, I still appreciate this space as a support community. We can share our experiences in an attempt to help others.

Good luck with your move; it sounds like it's the right one. I've always lived in large urban areas, & the thought of living in more rural places makes me cringe. It's all a matter of what you're used to. Take care.

[The_little_didgee]

Originally Posted by WovenGalaxy

That is Great! I think you'll find something (job-wise). I'm really happy for you.

I hope to find work in manufacturing. My experience in the industry should help make the search easier.

There is a small manufacturing sector in the city, mostly medical and aerospace. Some companies have expanded to make PPE and other medical products for the pandemic response.

[The_little_didgee]

Originally Posted by buddha1too

I can relate. I've been a member for almost 10 years, but stopped posting for a very long time. So long, in fact, that I forgot my old screen name & password, and had to start over with a new name & password. At one point I had almost 10,000 posts...which doesn't really matter, I guess.

I think the fact that activity has gone down is related to changes in technology more than anything. Communities like this are rapidly being replaced by Zoom, Skype, & other forms of tech media. This place was really buzzing a decade ago. That stated, however, I still appreciate this space as a support community. We can share our experiences in an attempt to help others.

Good luck with your move; it sounds like it's the right one. I've always lived in large urban areas, & the thought of living in more rural places makes me cringe. It's all a matter of what you're used to. Take care.

Did you ever figure out what your old screen name was? Maybe we interacted at one point?

This place was definitely a lot more busier when I signed up almost 8 years ago.

I never considered the effect Zoom and the like would have on a forum like this.

This city is small compared to the one I left. There are only 100 000 people here. It definitely feels rural. Public transit is lacking, so its hard to get anywhere, because I don't drive. There is GO Transit, but I avoid it due to the cost.

When I was a child I lived in a very small town in the middle of nowhere in northern Canada. The population was about 1000. I hated it, because there was no anonymity. I cannot return to that life. No way.