Sojourner
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2012
- Messages
- 2,617
Recently I've found myself feeling like I should have thought through the "social isolation" aspects of RE a bit more carefully before pulling the trigger. As a pretty young (mid/late 40s), unmarried guy with no kids, I don't have any sort of "built in" group of people to socialize with at home, and now that I no longer go into an office, that ready-made social outlet is also gone. This is especially a problem for someone like myself who is naturally pretty introverted and doesn't seek people out to spend time with. The friends I do have are all very busy with their own lives, typically very work-centered (and family-centered), so I can't rely on them much at all during the week for any sort of socializing. And even as an introvert, I am finding myself craving more human contact with each passing week.
Having read through some other threads where this was part of the discussion, I know that a number of us here have struggled with this to some degree over the years. I also know there are things I could do to help myself deal with this, such as join some meetup groups or get involved with volunteer work or sports/recreation clubs, etc. I have been giving a lot of thought to these types of activities, and more. But I just wonder if there is something I'm missing, something that maybe others in a similar situation have stumbled upon that really was like an epiphany, that would give me some inspiration to go out and tackle this problem head on and with confidence. Any personal anecdotes or recommendations along those lines would be really nice to hear.
Having read through some other threads where this was part of the discussion, I know that a number of us here have struggled with this to some degree over the years. I also know there are things I could do to help myself deal with this, such as join some meetup groups or get involved with volunteer work or sports/recreation clubs, etc. I have been giving a lot of thought to these types of activities, and more. But I just wonder if there is something I'm missing, something that maybe others in a similar situation have stumbled upon that really was like an epiphany, that would give me some inspiration to go out and tackle this problem head on and with confidence. Any personal anecdotes or recommendations along those lines would be really nice to hear.