People who live alone- are you losing your minds?

[ToddBonzalez]

I live alone. I have a girlfriend, but we're in a long distance relationship. On average these days I have zero, actual face-to-face contact with people (been WFH since late March with no end in sight). Alot of my work communication has been handled over Microsoft Teams chat with the occasional call, and I text or call my gf everyday, but I sort of feel like I'm losing my mind. my amount of daily communication has been reduced by like 90% and the isolation is really beginning to set in. Been feeling super restless, anxious, and depressed lately.

Anyone else in a similar boat? Any ideas for coping strategies?

 

[Alice]

I live alone and work from home at the moment. As long as I find something non repetitive to keep myself occupied with, I'm doing fine, but I feel emotionally I've started to lean too much on my ladyfriend who I'm kind-of-sort of an item with.

It's putting a bit of a strain on the relationship I feel. Slowly starting to keep going nuts a bit in check by shouldering a couple of art projects that'll hopefully last me for the end of the year. Depressions are rough in this situation.

 

[Volimar]

The only strategy for coping I can recommend is trying to communicate however you can. I've seen some pretty deep conversations in twitch chats of all things these last few weeks. A lot of discords even have voice channels where you can just chat with folks about whatever.

 

[cnorwood]

I have a gf who I live with but she still works. I had an anxiety attack today

 

[VeggieBurger]

oh i've got plenty of experience with isolation, big time expert over hear. I like to watch a bunch of twitch streams or podcasts and stuff. get those parasocial realationships going. when i need the real relationship stuff i'll call my family or facetime my friend. yea other than that just throw yourself into weird internet communities and do pretend socializing while you wait to be near people again.

 

[alexlf]

It's a bit weird, my command of the English language is getting screwy from lack of use. As an example, I couldn't remember the word for "frying pan" earlier and could only summon up the words "cooking plate" mentally. I also sometimes get a bit worried that stuff I'm posting online is incoherent, it's rather strange. It feels increasingly disconnected from verbal communication, like I'm losing the foundation that the words I'm typing are based on.

...Ok, that might sound crazy but all together I'm not actually doing terribly. It's definitely strange not communicating face to face for so long, but it's not really getting me down too much.

 

[Nilou]

Sadly living alone has taken a massive hit to my mental health. I'm a shy extrovert by nature so I don't due well being isolated but with the stay at home order for months making me unable to see the few friends I have or go out other then groceries and not in a relationship so I don't have many avenues to not feel so alone/awful. Got laid off too due to covid so I don't even have my retail job/coworkers, both which I like to help. Have been able to text my friends and have some special friends online who I'm very grateful for. Barely hanging on most days though as it's tough, plus got some bad news about family over the weekend so that hasn't helped either.

Just trying my best to take each day, day by day, been trying to reach out/participate in more online communities and stuff though as it does really help a lot though.

 

[Phonzo]

I live alone and im good
Hate to sound like a meme but ive trained my whole life for this

 

[thetrin]

It's not awesome, but I do get a lot of time in the evenings talking on voice chat and playing video games with my friends.

Sometimes, though, I'm alone stewing in bad thoughts, and that fucking sucks.

 

[Massicot]

This might sound incredibly, impossibly corny, but I also struggled when I first started living alone. Getting a rescue dog to take care of really helped, kinda forced me in a way to take care of myself in order to take care of it.

And yea, I found a small discord of friends that I hang out in to play pc games or just chat in the evenings, throw a few text messages back each day.

 

[Inquisitive_Ghost]

Quite the opposite. I love solitude. My family is keeping touch via video chat once a week and I've been posting around here, and that's enough interaction to keep me going like this for some time.

I've also been working from home, so it's not just been a month of keeping myself busy (though I would absolutely be able to do that).

 

[GamerJM]

I don't live alone but lowkey I wish I did, my parents are kinda starting to be irritating lol. I'm getting into a very "I'd be fine just living away from society forever" mood lately.

 

[Midas]

No, all is good. I can communicate with people at any given time, if I really want to.

 

[PaulloDEC]

No more than usual.

 

[fracas]

It's not too bad. I'm an introvert anyway so the lack of in-person contact isn't too bad. I break quarantine each weekend to see my GF and I've driven home to chat with my folks through their screen door a few times.

Since I work from home, I basically have zero in-person conversations during the week, unless I get takeout or something. It's weird but not as bad as I thought it would be.

 

[Shodan14]

I'd think people living together would be losing their minds way faster.

 

[sirap]

No, but I've lived alone for 5 years now so I'm kinda used to the isolation.

VR has helped a ton though. If I'm feeling antsy I just pop the Quest on and hang out in VRChat or Rec Room.

 

[mozbar]

I just got used to it quickly. In my 12sqm Tokyo apartment.

 

[Mike D]

I live with my partner and we've been fighting at least once a week over the stupidest shit. First few weeks we were fine. Frankly... I wish I was living by myself again. I sincerely miss the solitude.

 

[Deleted member 28474]

I was struggling big time, early on.

Some restrictions have been eased here, so having a friend over once or twice a week and being about to visit family has helped. But I am still isolated to a very unhealthy degree.

 

[Skade]

On the contrary, i feel like being away from other humans beings for 2 months has restored my sanity.

Humans suck.

 

[SerAardvark]

I use video chat/texts/phone calls and so on to keep in touch with people, especially when I'm feeling lonely.

That said, I do miss the socializing I could do at the office when I would go in and obviously miss the ability to just hang out with friends - I'm not super social but I am definitely looking forward to more in-person socializing as things become more normal.

 

[Davilmar]

Its a blessing and curse. Not having a permanent job and depression has made the isolation from a blessing to a miserable experience.

 

[Vibed]

I'm living in a house full of people right now, but in the past I've gone months with minimal in person social contact and just a small circle of online friends. I've always been a person who's perfectly okay with being alone. Although, I was also pretty depressed at the time, but for unrelated reasons. There are times where being alone for so long feels strange and even lonely, but I've always been good at being my own best friend and making small talk with myself.

 

[shenden]

The more my girlfriend spend time at my place, the more I prefer to live alone I have realized. Don't get me wrong, she's great, but I think I'm more of a loner than I thought and I enjoy that and really need my own time.

In other words, no. I'm absolutely not losing my mind alone, but love it. I can occupy my mind on plenty of things so I don't notice anything at all. It's hard to feel lonely when we are so easily connected to everything and everyone 24/7 these days.

 

[Dinjooh]

I live alone. I have a girlfriend, but we're in a long distance relationship. On average these days I have zero, actual face-to-face contact with people (been WFH since late March with no end in sight). Alot of my work communication has been handled over Microsoft Teams chat with the occasional call, and I text or call my gf everyday, but I sort of feel like I'm losing my mind. my amount of daily communication has been reduced by like 90% and the isolation is really beginning to set in. Been feeling super restless, anxious, and depressed lately.

Anyone else in a similar boat? Any ideas for coping strategies?

Click to shrink...

What helped me a lot was getting 'better' and tracking it. That includes everything. I track my run times to make sure I get in better shape. I track my calories currently to gain weight. I have redone my kitchen, and I am currently redoing my bathroom.

All so that I can look back at my day, my week, my months and say 'I didn't waste it'. That helps me a ton in keeping sane.

 

[Reeks]

I go back and forth. Work fills me with anxiety since I can't really social cues via email.

Happy I have a doggo that gives me all the love.

This year I was hoping to start a family. Was on my way to moving up in my company and then get preggers. That's not happening anymore. About to be 34 and think my window might be closing soon. Just trying to cope with that. I find it hard at times.

 

[Mendrox]

No, not at all. I've seen a handful of friends those past three months, but talk daily to someone and even work videochat is required. Being at home alone is no problemo for me. Doing lots of things everyday and currently plowing through FFXIV storys so like with reading a book I am also living outside a bit or in a different world. That helps a lot too.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

I think I would be going out of my mind if I didn't live alone.

 

[Ananasas]

During lockdown I lost one of my best friend to alt-right conspiracies so I am more alone then even, barely have anyone close to even write now, but I am holding strong.

 

[Deleted member 45414]

Whenever I see my family I have to deal with all their problems and sit and listen to them joke about how I'm fat or ugly... living alone is a blessing to me, but honestly it's not enough, I wish I was more isolated.

 

[Xita]

I still work at the office so nah.

 

[ExtremePopcorn]

Living alone has been fine, each day just kind of roles into the next.

It's the not having anyone to talk to about things like work or what life is going to be like post-lock down which is the hard part. Just being able to hangout, go out after work, have a few drinks at the weekend.

 

[Aprikurt]

It's not awesome, but I do get a lot of time in the evenings talking on voice chat and playing video games with my friends.

Sometimes, though, I'm alone stewing in bad thoughts, and that fucking sucks.

Click to shrink...

I know exactly what you mean. You have the kind of stupid thoughts that if you had a friend/family member to bounce off, they'd reassure you and you'd forget it straight away. But when you are your only sounding board, you can get really messed up with it.

 

[Zonic]

Eeeh, yes & no? I've been living alone in my apartment for over 3 years now after years of dealing with living at home which was so noisy for a few years due to my dad's wife's 3 kids, so part of me is super glad that I'm not stuck with them during all this, especially as an introvert. But considering I finally got a girlfriend in Feb. & she lives an hour away, it hasn't been fun not being able to see her as frequently, though I can still chat via text or video. Also been able to chat with my best friend as well & he's considered me non-contagious due to how often we see each other & the fact I still donate plasma, which has stricter health guidelines at the moment, so I do have methods to contact the people I care about.

If anything, the major downside is that I spent last year working hard on losing weight & working on being more social, and I fear being stuck at home all day is going to undo that.

 

[AlexBasch]

Same situation as you, OP. Only get to leave the house I'm renting to buy groceries and then shut myself back in. It's tough and I have dealt with it calling my parents and girlfriend, but I haven't got contact with any other human being since late March.

I have gotten through moments of anxiety, depression, insomnia and other fun stuff, given that I was let go from my former job after being sent home with reduced pay. My savings will run out around August, so I'm hoping the quarantine will be lifted before that, at least so I can walk in the park again when it opens.

It's like I'm in house arrest, it sucks.

 

[Normanski 2.0]

Not at all, I'm really busy WFH at the minute so that helps fill up my days. I definitely count myself to be very fortunate to have a stable well-paying job at this time.

The other thing is that I normally spend a good chunk of time alone so in a lot of ways I was mentally prepared for this. Most of the time I'm quite happy to be in my own company, probably too much tbh.

 

[Ehoavash]

Find a Discord group to talk to all day

 

[NottJim]

I live alone and have done for a long time.

I've always been very comfortable in my own space, so it doesn't bother me, but I have total sympathy for those it does.

Zoom has been a real game changer for me, I keep up socially with friends/family/colleagues at least a couple of times every day.

 

[PuppetMinion]

Was really hard for a while. Have started to use the phone more. Texting with people is not enough. Talking on the phone really helps.

 

[sugar bear]

Been WFH since March and I sure miss seeing people at the office, but getting to hang with my kitties all day helps out quite a bit.

 

[AgentLampshade]

I feel absolutely fine, though I've been going to work all through this, so my social quota is being met.

 

[Freakzilla]

I live with my wife and two small kids and I'm going insane even though I go to work 2 or 3 days a week. My alcohol consumption is way up.

 

[Untzillatx]

No. I was already alone most of my time outside of work when there wasn't any quarentine going on, so my life hasn't changed that significantly, for better or for worse.

 

[Noodle]

Flatmates moved out so now I live alone and I love it. So peaceful. Only issue is I need to keep a lid on murmuring nonsense to myself when they return.

 

[Soundscream]

Nope.

I'm a introvert, so I'm doing just fine.

 

[Kain-Nosgoth]

I'm fine, after spending years alone, a few month is nothing really...

And i still speak to people online, normal chat and voice chat

 

[Ciao]

Those two month have been super hard on me. I took on a ton of weight, spiraled into a weird semi depressed state, abused alcool to cope, lost all artistic productivity and it became a vicious circle. Now that I can go out and had some time with friends last week, with freedom to see different places, I managed to do some introspection, see what was wrong and take the necessary steps to rebuild my tired ass. It will be a vague bad memory in 3 or 4 weeks I hope.
Y'all put your hands up and give me some Ki please!

 

[ascii42]

I'm still working, so it's not really that different for me, day to day. Since most of my socializing is at work anyway. It's just eliminated whatever weekend hangouts I might have done.
I've done group video chats with friends who live in different cities and it mostly makes me why we haven't done that before.

 

[Imperfected]

I'm good, but I'm essential and thus out half the time working. I'd like to see some friends I play (tabletop) games with sometime in the near future, but otherwise I'm not much hurting for the lack of routine conveniences.

I guess I get as much social activity as I need from just working, on balance.