Hi All,
So I guess to start off with I have a fair amount of social anxiety which probably doesn’t help.
Anyway, as a child / teen I didn’t have that many friends. I was also bullied by a group of friends in the first couple years of secondary school. As we got older and got to drinking age the friends that I did have just wanted to go out drinking. But that wasn’t my thing. I don’t drink and don’t find it overly fun being around drunk people. My preference is reading or watching films.
Anyway, fast forward to now. I moved to Basingstoke (only 30 mins from where I grew up so not far) to be with my now husband and we’ve built a life here. We have a daughter and I met a mum friend when I was taking her to baby sensory five years ago.
That mum friend is wonderful and pretty much my only friend and she is now moving away (over 3hrs away).
My SIL and I are no longer really friends due to infidelity on her side to her husband which I didn’t / don't agree with so I’ve lost her too.
My husband says half the problem of me not having friends is because I don’t do the “social” thing like going out for drinks. I’m not one for large crowds of people or shouting over everyone just to try and have conversation. He’s not saying it to be mean but this is how he knows to socialise. He also said that I need to find people with common interests but reading is very much a one-person hobby.
I got made redundant from my job back in December and with it lost my team. We worked well together and also went out for dinner once a month to socialise outside of work.
I guess I’m just feeling a little lonely as I have no friends to chat with and no “girls” to have a laugh with etc.
As a little more context I guess I could also be described as alternative and dress in band T-shirts, converse/DMs and I don’t talk to any of the mums at school drop off/pick up as they seem to already have their “cliques.”
I think, what I’m trying to say is, is there anyone in Basingstoke with similar hobbies / interests that would be willing to make a new friend?