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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

If you have no friends…

281 replies

PegorySpeck · 11/10/2021 22:34

Do you think there is something wrong with you, or you just haven’t met your tribe yet?

OP posts:
Pythonista · 12/10/2021 18:06

@Youarethecurry

Lot of autistic women on this thread.

Are there any groups? I would join one if there was one local to me.

I do think that ASD individuals ARE a tribe and they are the people we will gravitate to and 'get' most readily. I'm not really into social events or the sphere of 'female' interests - honestly bored by it - but would love some autistic female friends to walk and talk with!

I was in an autistic Facebook group but ironically I left cuz people annoyed me
DaisyNGO · 12/10/2021 18:08

@lazylinguist

I'm 50. I have no close friends where I live. I find it hard to find like-minded people tbh. My small number of long-term, closer friends are scattered around the country. I haven't had a 'tribe' since university. I think I took for granted the sheer number of 'people like me' that I knew back then. Not that you have to be the same as your friends, but it helps to have things in common.
Yes I have found that while I don't mind varying views e.g. have voted for both main parties, some people hate it.

A pp mentioned an all female team. I had that once, for about 6 years. It was brilliant! We worked long hours but we got on so well, we'd text each other in the evenings, we had so much fun on nights out. When one sadly suffered a bereavement, she came in daily on her bereavement leave so we could look after her at lunchtime.

It has been a hard lesson for me to learn that friends are transitory but I think I've learned it....it seems like people will reject you if they find out certain things about you, especially political. Again, maybe fed by social media?

Halfpace · 12/10/2021 18:12

[quote HateJudgmentalPeople]@Halfpace it was I that said females are more toxic than non toxic and you are saying that it’s no wonder people don’t want to be friends with people that believe in these things.Confused

That’s been my experience with women, I have met more awful bitchy ones that nice ones and for you to say that this is my fault, is pretty annoying, and you really don’t know what you are talking about, many many women are this way and there are even articles on this subject, sometimes the more attention that a female receives from men, then the more toxic females can be to her, don’t pretend this isn’t true, I have had quite a few women jealous of me over the years and I am a friendly person, sometimes I have been in situations with a group of women and I haven’t even uttered a word and they’ve been awful to me, this isn’t me being a nasty cow or anything, when women are bitchy to you on sight then 9/10 that jealousy, some women can pretend it’s not but it is.[/quote]
@HateJudgmentalPeople, if you reread my post you’ll see I acknowledge that your statement comes from a place of pain and a desire for self-protection. However, I hold to my point. I don’t think most people would want to befriend someone with such unpleasant, prejudicial views, who thinks half the human race are more likely to be ‘toxic’ than not because of their sex. And I don’t think it would matter whether you announced it to new acquaintances or not, as I imagine it would quickly become obvious from your conversation and behaviour.

GrolliffetheDragon · 12/10/2021 18:12

I'm in my 40s, no friends outside of people I work with, but based on previous experience if I changed jobs again they'd drift away.

I was bullied on and off throughout school, left school with no friends. Failed to make any in college. Bullied in my first job until I just quit because I was going to harm myself if I stayed.

Joining clubs or anything like that never worked out because they clashed with working hours or there was no (or really difficult) transport. And these were hobby related things I was keen to do.

I assume it must be something about me.

lazylinguist · 12/10/2021 18:17

DaisyNGO - with me it's not a problem of not seeing eye-to-eye on political matters. It's more that I don't seem to meet women who are interested in talking about anything much beyond their children and their husbands. Obviously there are lots of women out there somewhere who aren't like that. I just don't seem to meet them. That's probably why I hang around on MN so much - better variety and quality of conversation!

FuckingFabulous · 12/10/2021 18:20

I tell my husband it's other people. It is him. But not because he's not likeable. He is. But his adhd gives him a poor appreciation of social conventions/boundaries and his years in the forces has given him a very niche sense of humour and set of socialising skills. People he grew up with and served with love him but live hundreds of miles away.
People he meets are either unnerved by his exuberance or think he fancies them. So he never really gets invited anywhere or accepted into any groups. Older single women tended to befriend him shortly after we moved here because they wanted to shag him. I'm not being jealous or anything, they genuinely did (probably because he's so complimentary, chatty, bit flirty and very good looking) so he's a bit less confident to put himself out there now after a few too many school run Nana's asking him round for pudding.

It's all very sad really. He's ever so friendly and he's a very good friend too.

HateJudgmentalPeople · 12/10/2021 18:22

@Halfpace you have no clue how I come across in a group meeting, again this is an anonymous forum and tbh, when I meet women in groups then I rarely even speak now until I have sussed them out,

You have no clue wtf you are talking about, you just think you do!

HateJudgmentalPeople · 12/10/2021 18:23

@Halfpace oh and it would be obvious from my behaviour?! What behaviour would that be?! The behaviour where I post on forums?! Aye ok dear. You sound quite toxic yourself!

Pythonista · 12/10/2021 18:27

@FuckingFabulous

I tell my husband it's other people. It is him. But not because he's not likeable. He is. But his adhd gives him a poor appreciation of social conventions/boundaries and his years in the forces has given him a very niche sense of humour and set of socialising skills. People he grew up with and served with love him but live hundreds of miles away. People he meets are either unnerved by his exuberance or think he fancies them. So he never really gets invited anywhere or accepted into any groups. Older single women tended to befriend him shortly after we moved here because they wanted to shag him. I'm not being jealous or anything, they genuinely did (probably because he's so complimentary, chatty, bit flirty and very good looking) so he's a bit less confident to put himself out there now after a few too many school run Nana's asking him round for pudding.

It's all very sad really. He's ever so friendly and he's a very good friend too.

But as someone who also has ASD, you aren't doing him any favours unfortunately
Pea22ches · 12/10/2021 18:27

@Youarethecurry

Lot of autistic women on this thread.

Are there any groups? I would join one if there was one local to me.

I do think that ASD individuals ARE a tribe and they are the people we will gravitate to and 'get' most readily. I'm not really into social events or the sphere of 'female' interests - honestly bored by it - but would love some autistic female friends to walk and talk with!

Good idea you should start a thread off.
Sarahlou252 · 12/10/2021 18:29

I think I am a nice person and I have a couple of best friends and a handful of people I really like to spend time with. But I get jealous of one of my closest friends who has an enormous circle and is always being invited out.
I really struggle to keep up to date, in touch, and be a good friend to the friends I have, to have loads must be utterly exhausting.

yellowgingham · 12/10/2021 18:29

I'm incapable of moving beyond 'friendly acquaintance' level unless someone is really persistent. If you met me you'd never think I didn't have many friends - I'm quite good at small talk, have several hobbies and am a member of a few groups locally (theatre, choir etc).

The friends I do have I've known for ages and they're the ones who've really made an effort to keep in touch over the years in spite of house moves etc. I'm useless really and left to my own devices I just let relationships drift.

CandleWick4 · 12/10/2021 18:29

I’m late thirties and it’s me. My sister is my best friend and thank god for her. I have one school friend who I am close with in that we are each other’s oldest friends and we make an effort for birthdays and Christmas but I only see her once every few months (and even then it’s with kids), other than that no one. I’m extremely introverted, and quite frankly I’m boring. I don’t think I’m much fun to be around. I’m not one of those girls who’s ‘a laugh’. I don’t have much to say and when I do I’m so conscious about what I’m saying and whether or not the person I’m talking to actually likes me, I can hear myself sounding insincere or false. I’m not funny, I don’t drink or like to be out late, I’m not adventurous or flirty or anything. Literally described once as the human equivalent of vanilla ice cream. Had to make my peace with having no friends a while ago.

GinJeanie · 12/10/2021 18:32

I agree that luck and circumstances play a part too. I have some good friendships locally/through work but have had several incredibly close people move overseas including NZ. They're still friends but there's a big hole on a day-to-day basis and it's blinking hard to replace those comfortable "old" friends when they relocate. I've lived in shared houses/been NDNs etc with these people for extended periods of time. Much harder to recreate these circumstances when you're middle-aged and in the thick of life e.g. kids, work, responsibilities

DaisyNGO · 12/10/2021 18:53

@GinJeanie

I agree that luck and circumstances play a part too. I have some good friendships locally/through work but have had several incredibly close people move overseas including NZ. They're still friends but there's a big hole on a day-to-day basis and it's blinking hard to replace those comfortable "old" friends when they relocate. I've lived in shared houses/been NDNs etc with these people for extended periods of time. Much harder to recreate these circumstances when you're middle-aged and in the thick of life e.g. kids, work, responsibilities
Exactly this! Friends of 20 years relocating....I have others, but the bonds and daily laughs of those long term friends going is really hard.
Halfpace · 12/10/2021 19:14

[quote HateJudgmentalPeople]@Halfpace you have no clue how I come across in a group meeting, again this is an anonymous forum and tbh, when I meet women in groups then I rarely even speak now until I have sussed them out,

You have no clue wtf you are talking about, you just think you do![/quote]
Well, I’m a woman, I’ve been around other women as friends, acquaintances, relatives, colleagues (in female-dominated and more mixed environments) all my life, so I would say I have as much data on women as anyone. I’ve certainly had unpleasant female colleagues, and had contacts with groups of women who behaved badly towards me, but I don’t agree that women are on balance more likely to behave badly than men.

And of course your entrenched prejudices are likely to become apparent in your behaviour. You’ve said so yourself — you alter your behaviour in female groups.

Crayfishforyou · 12/10/2021 19:34

@XenoBitch

Depends how old you are. A teenager.. probably not met your tribe. In your 40s... it is you.
Oh dear Sad It’s me
HateJudgmentalPeople · 12/10/2021 19:34

I alter my behaviour by not speaking to new women until I sus then out better, because then if I don’t speak then they can’t really dislike me and if they do, then I know why. Not speaking until I know someone properly isn’t altering my behaviour, altering my behaviour would be acting like a totally different person, I like to hear how they are and what they speak of before I speak because I’ve been shat on too many times.

Men aren’t bitchy and toxic in the same way women are and that’s a fact, men are easier to get along with and it could also be the fact I’m one girl in amongst 5 brothers and I’ve always gotten along with boys better, obviously there is nothing like a good gossip with a female and you can’t get the same sort of chat with a man that you can have with a woman, but men are less judgmental imo.

I also don’t really care with what you agree with, like I’ve already said then toxic women are my experience of women and that’s how i came to this conclusion.

Just because you don’t think men aren’t less bitchy than women, then it doesn’t make it so, just like it doesn’t make it so that all women are necessarily toxic but it’s what I have experienced and it’s always in a work place and with so called pals.

My first experience of toxic women was when I was only 17 and I worked in the office of a large company that fixed trucks and buses, I was the youngest there and the next lady up from me was 23 and then the rest were 30 years and older. They were all lovely to me the first day, and I did get some unwarranted attention from the mechanics, which were mostly male, and it was quite creepy attention really, a 45 year old man asked me out when I was 17, Angryanyway after my first day then I was bullied from all the women except the 23 year old, they wouldn’t speak to me, they wouldn’t look at me and they would whisper about me when I was in the kitchen on break, as were they, and they just made my life a misery, when I eventually left (it was that bad that I didn’t even leave for another job, I just left and signed on, I lived with my mum anyway) then the 23 year old who worked there told me the reason the other women didn’t like me; because the male mechanics spoke to me and not them! I couldn’t believe it and that was my first taste of jealous, toxic women and I’ve had it again a few times, so damn right I am a lot cooler when I meet new women, especially in groups.

I don’t know what part of what I’m saying is annoying you so much, have I hit a nerve? If you had have said “I’m sorry that is your experience of women but it’s not mine” then that wouldn’t be bad, but you were quite nasty by making out I’m the issue and that it’s no wonder women don’t want to be pals with me with that attitude, and I’m saying that that’s BS because they don’t know I have that attitude, and if I’m quiet when I meet new women then I 100% certain that they can’t look into my head and think, “god she is so quite because she thinks we are all toxic”, if you don’t speak lots then women can’t judge you, or at least they shouldn’t.

The small number of female acquaintances I do have feel exactly the same about women, and they too prefer guy pals, but other women judge women like that too, as if you are nasty because you prefer to be mates with men, when it’s actually preferring to be pals with men because the bitchy toxic women are the issue, even when I worked at that place when I was 17, then I used to get a lift to work in the morning from one of the nice male mechanics and I used to speak to him about the horrible women, and he said himself that they were just jealous and at the time I would think “jealous of what”, but now I can see exactly what he meant and he was right.

TopCatsTopHat · 12/10/2021 19:36

@Cadburyschoco

I think it must be me but I’m not sure why…! My OH has a massive circle of friends whereas I just don’t. I get on with all of his friends and make small talk with people in the gym etc but just can’t convert it into meaningful friendships.

I often find myself pushed out the circle in a group conversation / sitting on a long table I’ll be out blocked out of the conversations by the people I’m next too. Even my OH does it - we were out with another couple and three of them walked ahead and I was left trailing behind, totally blocked out the conversation Sad

This is what my sister would say. I sympathise with her view as she really feels this way and is unhappy about it. However, from the other side I see my sister in group situations sit back quietly when others lean forwards making it appear that she is taking a listening role (which one way some people participate in groups, we can't all be talkers), she doesn't chip in even if you make eye contact. To involve her you have to literally address her directly and say something like 'what do you think' which completely jars the flow of the conversation. Basically in the fun of the group she stays in 1st gear while everyone else goes up to 4th and she's out of step. It is hard to rope her in! But she hates this backseat position she inhabits even though she puts herself there. But from her pov others aren't giving her enough space, not inviting her contribution frequently enough so she's 'shut out'. Whereas most people would take the fact that they have a seat at the table in the group is invitation enough to get stuck in... And do! I try very hard to involve her in the way she perceives is necessary for her participation because I know she genuinely feels aggrieved and doesn't see what her role in her own upset is... But it's hard work and puts grit in the social wheels making the conversation so much more stilted.

Maybe your dynamic is not the same, but I thought I'd mention it because I would love my sister to see that she could free herself and her companions from this odd requirement to drag someone into the conversation cos that's where they want to be but need to be led in and have the way paved. Obviously there are occasions when people are excluded in a mean way, which is horrid, but if this is a pattern for you maybe it's worth a bit of self reflection in case the power to change it rests at least partly in your hands. Wishing you a positive difference.

HateJudgmentalPeople · 12/10/2021 19:39

My last post was directed at @Halfpace.

Oh and Mumsnet is another example of how bitchy women can be, I’m not saying all the threads are full of bitchiness but by god, there is a few of them and I strongly suspect that the bitchiest of women online, are meek little mice in real life and this is why they are keyboard warriors, they don’t have the guts to confront or judge to your face, so they do it online, and @Halfpace, I suspect you are one of those keyboard warriors.

Halfpace · 12/10/2021 19:42

@HateJudgmentalPeople

I alter my behaviour by not speaking to new women until I sus then out better, because then if I don’t speak then they can’t really dislike me and if they do, then I know why. Not speaking until I know someone properly isn’t altering my behaviour, altering my behaviour would be acting like a totally different person, I like to hear how they are and what they speak of before I speak because I’ve been shat on too many times.

Men aren’t bitchy and toxic in the same way women are and that’s a fact, men are easier to get along with and it could also be the fact I’m one girl in amongst 5 brothers and I’ve always gotten along with boys better, obviously there is nothing like a good gossip with a female and you can’t get the same sort of chat with a man that you can have with a woman, but men are less judgmental imo.

I also don’t really care with what you agree with, like I’ve already said then toxic women are my experience of women and that’s how i came to this conclusion.

Just because you don’t think men aren’t less bitchy than women, then it doesn’t make it so, just like it doesn’t make it so that all women are necessarily toxic but it’s what I have experienced and it’s always in a work place and with so called pals.

My first experience of toxic women was when I was only 17 and I worked in the office of a large company that fixed trucks and buses, I was the youngest there and the next lady up from me was 23 and then the rest were 30 years and older. They were all lovely to me the first day, and I did get some unwarranted attention from the mechanics, which were mostly male, and it was quite creepy attention really, a 45 year old man asked me out when I was 17, Angryanyway after my first day then I was bullied from all the women except the 23 year old, they wouldn’t speak to me, they wouldn’t look at me and they would whisper about me when I was in the kitchen on break, as were they, and they just made my life a misery, when I eventually left (it was that bad that I didn’t even leave for another job, I just left and signed on, I lived with my mum anyway) then the 23 year old who worked there told me the reason the other women didn’t like me; because the male mechanics spoke to me and not them! I couldn’t believe it and that was my first taste of jealous, toxic women and I’ve had it again a few times, so damn right I am a lot cooler when I meet new women, especially in groups.

I don’t know what part of what I’m saying is annoying you so much, have I hit a nerve? If you had have said “I’m sorry that is your experience of women but it’s not mine” then that wouldn’t be bad, but you were quite nasty by making out I’m the issue and that it’s no wonder women don’t want to be pals with me with that attitude, and I’m saying that that’s BS because they don’t know I have that attitude, and if I’m quiet when I meet new women then I 100% certain that they can’t look into my head and think, “god she is so quite because she thinks we are all toxic”, if you don’t speak lots then women can’t judge you, or at least they shouldn’t.

The small number of female acquaintances I do have feel exactly the same about women, and they too prefer guy pals, but other women judge women like that too, as if you are nasty because you prefer to be mates with men, when it’s actually preferring to be pals with men because the bitchy toxic women are the issue, even when I worked at that place when I was 17, then I used to get a lift to work in the morning from one of the nice male mechanics and I used to speak to him about the horrible women, and he said himself that they were just jealous and at the time I would think “jealous of what”, but now I can see exactly what he meant and he was right.

I think I’ve been perfectly reasonable throughout this exchange, but it seems as I’ve hit a nerve, if it’s elicited this lengthy stream of bile about women. And I definitely wouldn’t want to be around someone who felt like his about her own sex, so no, it’s not surprising you struggle with friendships with half the human race.
WorldAtlasOfTea · 12/10/2021 19:51

I'm hoping it's partly circumstance.

I have an hour every day when I'm not working, commuting or parenting and I use that hour to have a shower and do any housework that I don't get done while parenting. I've so far found it impossible to maintain friendships when the only time I'm available is the weekend and my kids need to come along too.

I'm hoping that as the kids get older (and now they are both in school), DH will be up for doing a regular weekend parenting stint. And I'm hoping that someone local will want to be my friend Confused.

HateJudgmentalPeople · 12/10/2021 19:52

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HateJudgmentalPeople · 12/10/2021 19:53

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DeepaBeesKit · 12/10/2021 19:56

I don't have loads. I have a large & very close family, which means there isn't space in my life for loads of friends. My closest couple of friends are similar, we aren't looking for intense all confiding bezzies, just an occasional glass of wine & some light hearted chat.

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