To feel lonely despite having a (mostly) lovely husband?

[TamaraDeLempicka]

I feel lonely and I don’t know what to do about it.

I’m married with 2 lovely young kids. Have plenty of friends. I’m close to my parents. I have a job that I love. I’m married to a decent guy who says he loves me.

So as not to drip feed, we have had our ups and downs. Problematic sex life that counselling didn’t fully resolve. I also became close to a male friend with whom I think I had a mutual attraction. Not an emotional affair but teetering on the edge of it. We have broken off contact. I think he fulfilled an emotional void for me but now he’s gone.

So I don’t know what to do.

I know I’m very lucky and shouldn’t be feeling this way. I’m wondering if I should try to find a new friend for another close friendship that fulfils me emotionally? AIBU?

Sorry you feel like this OP. It sounds like you have a lot of good people in your life though, so maybe focus on enjoying what you have instead of wishing for more?

Have you spoken to your husband about how you are feeling?
I would suggest starting there as it sounds like the emotional connection you're missing is in your marriage, not a friendship, look to find that with him before you look outside of your relationship to fulfil it.

Jamhandprints I think that’s what I was doing until I met my friend. I’m very private and never normally share intimate conversations with people but my friend just made me want to open up in ways that I’ve never been able to before. I ended up telling him all of my worries and the friendship was hugely emotionally fulfilling. To an extent. So I think that now that I have had a taste of it I would love to have that again.

BobTheFishermansWife I have spoken to my husband about it and we had some more counselling but I think I just had to make a decision and I decided to stay. But that emotional void remains and it only really occurred to me tonight that I’ve become lonely since my friend and I stopped contact.