So I've been struggling with feeling really isolated and alone lately. I come from a very small, conservative town where there's not really LGBT groups or anything like that. I only have 2 true friends and I'm only out to one and she pretends like I never came out to her. I feel like I can't talk about things I need to and can't really be myself at all. I know there's the internet but sometimes I just would really like to have real human interaction and be able to be comfortable and completely open with someone. I don't know how to make these feelings of being alone not so suffocating and overwhelming. It's getting to the point where I just can't deal with it anymore. Any advice on how to deal with this would be very much appreciated.
I deal with isolation through my hobbies: Magic: The Gathering, music, vidya games, dungeons and dragons, and constantly reminding myself that I am worth something as both a man and a woman. If you have a job, focus on it while at work. Be as professional as possible, work in such a way that it gets everyone else motivated. People like coworkers who get shit done. If we share any hobbies, I would be more than happy to talk about them with you in either a thread or pms.
If you live close to any bigger cities or towns that have more going on, maybe you could try joining a group or something there, even if it's not an LGBTQ+ group. Maybe just a hobby like yoga or dance classes or art so you can meet some different people and change it up a bit. Do you live with your parents? Would you consider possibly moving somewhere else in the future?
Like bubbles123 said, you can try joining a group. Even though it's not a queer group, it's very unlikely that you're the only queer person in your town. I live in a small conservative Southern town, & we're close enough to a biggish city that there's a community here, with an annual pride parade & a couple bars. You're bound to run into some others like you eventually! While I don't feel isolated because I'm closeted, I do struggle with loneliness frequently. I know you're looking for human interaction, but I find keeping a journal really helps when there's no-one I can express my feelings to. It's a great start until you can meet someone you feel comfortable with. I actually have one regular diary & one specifically for ~queer stuff~. However, you might also want a place to securely store the journal where no-one can find it, if you're concerned about that.
The going to events thing is a good idea. Such as a magic tourney or some other thing you're interested in. It's great because the other people there are already interested in the same things you are. They may not be LGBT like you are, but at least it is conversation with potential friends, and that will cure lonliness. Once you are ready to move, I would suggest going to a bigger city, since more LGBT people are there. In the meantime, find a hobby or passion to develop before moving, that way you'll be extra interesting. Of course, you can chat here at EC and make friends that way. That would take care of the LGBT side of things and human interaction like mentioned above will combine to help chip away at the lonliness.
I do work but it's kind of a bad environment and a downer too at the moment. I do really enjoy music though and would love to talk about that. ---------- Post added 26th May 2015 at 08:54 AM ---------- I think moving somewhere else is definitely a possibility, I'm just worried it's going to take me years to get to the point where I can do that. Also, even though my family's views on things suck they are really important to me and I don't know how I feel about moving away from them.
