To feel sad about spending the weekend completely alone?

[teakettlewhistle]

I don’t know if anyone else is in the same boat. I was reading a thread about people’s plans for Saturday and felt sad

just have someone to hang out with. Someone you don't have to make an effort for or with. Just someone in your life to you company, cuddle up on the sofa with, share that bottle of wine and argue over which takeaway to have. It is quite understandable that you want these things, but in order to get to that point you do have to first make an effort to go out and meet people/join clubs/try online dating - whatever. Unless you are meeting loads of new people at work you have to put yourself out there. You are not going to change anything by sitting at home - you won't meet anyone that way unless of course you organise some stuff at your home and invite people over. This is not meant unkindly - I'm someone who is happy to stay at home with my family and glad not to have to go out all the time. I was not like that before I got married and my mum, now a widow of 81, is not like that any more. You can either stay in on your own and refuse all socialising suggestions so nothing changes or you can get out an seek company (as my mum says, at least if the company or activity turns out to be rubbish you are glad to be home alone again!)

Did you start a very similar thread wondering what to do over the school summer holidays? You sound exactly the same.

@JellyBears are you always so insensitive?

I totally get what you are saying, and I am in a similar position although I am 20 years older than you. I am an introvert so I do struggle to do activities and mingle with people I don't already know. I have had to make myself do things to fill my weekends, and also to make new friends as I moved to a new area about 4 years ago. Things that work for me include: Meetups (even if I choose not to go it is good to have a list of options - things like guided walks, social evenings, cinema trips and art shows; running - I do this alone but I am going to start going to parkruns and I also enter lots of 5k and 10k races; agreeing to go to things with friends that are not activities I would normally do - seeing a musical, going to a festival, seeing a band I am not crazy about; timetabling my weekends, so that I know that I will go to the gym at 10am, then go for a wander around the shops, eat lunch out, do a bit more shopping and then go home; getting Netflix (and reading all the threads on Mumsnet about the different shows). I still get lonely sometimes but I have found that taking myself outside my comfort zone has really helped me.