To not like being around other people the older I get...

I could have written the OP myself. However I am not menopausal and am in my early 80s. Ive had several careers and travelled widely to places it is difficult to visit nowadays. I do run an online business (which Ive been gradually scaling back) but I dont have to communicate face to face so I mostly use stock messages. Most of the work I do on autopilot.

My life has now become very small by my own wish. The fact is that I really cant be bothered with other people, particularly randoms and neighbours. They are not contributing anything to my life so I use facilities like cctv and ring doorrbels to filter my interactions with them. Unless you have an appointment or are holding a package to deliver I will mostly ignore you when you knock on my door.

43 here and feel the exact same way. It’s been quite sudden in some respects but I don’t crave company, I crave peace. I have a busy life with family / kids / work / sports so it’s not like I’m a recluse but I really hate socialising all of a sudden. A lot of people talk so much shit and I’m just not interested. So many fake people too.

Not sure about previous comments as my cats can be irritating bastards too.

Mmm. Yup, Im here😂

Posters like that make me want to retreat even more. If that’s how the nice and jolly people communicate, I don’t want anything to do with them 😬

I think though on MN, if you point out inconsistencies and hypocritical viewpoints, your comment will be ignored.

I feel like I'm just much more choosy about how I spend my time and who I engage with. I definitely don't hate everyone. I avoid situations that I know wind me up (shopping, especially supermarkets, being the obvious example) but I really enjoy interacting with people who are nice. Yesterday I was eating alone in a restaurant and really enjoyed seeing the waitress serving 4 young boys on the table next to me and I had a nice chat with her while paying my bill. So I think it's fair enough to be irritated by certain people/places but it's important to look out for social situations that bring joy and hang on to those.

To the PP who described the negative vibes in Sainsbury's these days - I hear you!! It's so depressing in our local store these days and that kind of environment doesn't put anyone in a good mood.

Interestingly, there's another thread going on at the moment bemoaning the observation that men become less social as they age. Which is not acceptable, according to most of the posters on that one.

Ignore OP. Honestly some people on here just love being on the attack and arguing. Sometimes I feel people will try to gauge any angle on any post on here to twist and be oppositional.

Yes, it's the 'everyone wants a piece of me' thing. One day I just stood up and was like, "Hey, I'm a person too!'

I think it started building because I care for three people and they all have services involved and the services were all telling me what the person I care for needs me to do for them. Three different services, all thinking I have no-one else to care for but the one person and, the biggest thing, with no regard to me being an individual person with needs, who gets tired sometimes and isn't just there to run around after everyone else 24/7. It's like I was invisible to them.

Then when you tell one you can't do x because of other demands they ask if you can do it every week on your one day you get a tiny bit of rest (though you don't really, because demands are still there). It was the first time I said, "No, I cannot do that every Sunday!" quite firmly.

I’m on a very dreary train journey. It’s passing the time. And I know a hell of a lot of more about you than you know about the people you’ve written off as irritating and annoying wastes of space in the supermarket so I’ll call that even.

Hard stages work demanding elderly etc. Im wrecked 52. I make big effort with friends but def finding people flaky now re meeting

well you don’t have to deal with it as long as you don’t park your trolly across the aisle if you don’t even know about it. You realise no-one’s actually yelling at people to get out of the effing way right? Thought crimes only.

Then the huffing and puffing and all that palaver is entirely wasted and the only one using up their energy is the huffer and puffer. I just can’t be dealing with it.

As I and others have said in this thread, there seems to be a celebration of misandry on mn. These people claim to hate the rudeness and bad Attitude of “people nowadays” whilst lacking any self awareness that the “I hate the world. Fuck off world” attitude is part of the problem.

I’ve been through, I’m going though, the menopause. I have to deal with my fair share of arseholes. I refuse to stoop to their level.

I don’t think the sort of person who parks their trolly right across the aisle, blocking it, as they gaze at the shelves is sufficiently in tune with their surroundings to pick up on any huffing.

If you think people can’t see and / or feel your irritation and impatience you are stunningly lacking self awareness. They can. It’s palpable.

Do you genuinely think someone tutting and huffing around a supermarket, clearly irritated by everyone around them is any more pleasant to be around than the other types of irritating and selfish people there? Spoiler: they’re not.

💯 agree with this.
not seen friends for ages. They haven’t bothered with me either to be fair.

mum 46. I feel knackered every weekend. Then work starts again on Monday and I feel more knackered.
i feel that every one wants a piece of me and all I want to do is hide away!