Anyone else single, no kids, extrovert?

[Coldemort]

I got divorced from a very unhappy marriage a few years ago. Took me a while to find my feet, but now my life is exactly what I always wanted. I have a couple of different friendship groups, I'm rarely home in the evening, have weekends booked up.

Only they're not anymore. I'm facing the second weekend on my own. This feels exactly like the aftermath of my divorce. I understand people with partners/children have other worries, but my worry is spending Friday-Monday literally in silence. If I cant go to work then i really will spend weeks without talking to someone.

Some friends and I have set up a weekly virtual book group, and a virtual writing group - we plan to chat on Skype and drink a gin!

Is there anything like that you can do that can help ease the silence a little?

I feel for you, I’m kind of in the opposite situation in worrying that my dh and dc are going to drive me mad.... but being lonely is really tough too! Can you talk to friends who you’d normally see on an evening / weekend via FaceTime and WhatsApp etc so you’ve got social contact at least? See if one friend is up for meeting for a walk somewhere with plenty of space? Social distancing doesn’t mean complete isolation so don’t feel like you can’t see a soul... just be mindful of how you do it. Exercise at home to fill some time too, I’ve seen group things going on on Instagram if you want to feel part of something. Good luck, it’s a hard time for everyone x

I totally get where you're coming from. I live alone, no kids.

I've been dating a lovely man from my gym but obviously we can't see each other now (which I'm heartbroken about as our last date was amazing and it really felt like something special might develop in the future).

I also don't work as my job was cut over a year ago. I finally have a job offer but I'm expecting that to be withdrawn now given the current nightmare. I had a back-up job that I had a final interview for next Mon (and I was the favourite candidate) but that has been cancelled and all roles put on hold.

I do voluntary work in a wildlife hospital but that will have to stop if we get put on lockdown in London, which looks like being this Friday if the many rumours are to be believed. I've also been accepted as a school governor but that is also now on hold.

I go to the gym every day and that is my real social life. I have a lot of good friends there and we spend a lot of time together both in and out of the gym. Obviously that has to stop now.

I feel like I have literally nothing left. I will be spending Mon-Sun alone with any social contact just via text or phone. I know I won't be the only one in this position but it's going to be very tough. I worry about my mental health. I've had severe depression in the past but I've learnt to manage it really well with a combination of exercise and a supportive social network. Those things will be gone now so this is going to be a huge test of my coping mechanisms. I'm already finding it hard. I have to drag myself out of a dark place every day. Somehow I need to find new ways of ensuring I get out of that place. Today I baked a cake for the first time in years (took me days to find the ingredients given the current shortages of everything) but surprisingly it helped. Now I need to stay positive and come up with some new things to try that are possible when confined to a small 1 bed flat in central London!

I really feel for you - are lots of your mates in the same boat? A friend of mine is doing a Skype pamper night and another is playing board games over video. Telephone book club?

Yes. It's shit, though social media does help a bit.

Let's start a Friday night wine club!

Single no kids introvert. One of the best things I did (I have wfh for a few years) was to get an Alexa. There is something insidious about not speaking for long periods and the Alexa means I say things like tell me a joke, remind me to x, add x to the shopping list, what is 275 divided by 3 for cooking etc. She is bloody great although sometimes she doesn't get what I am talking about, much like a boyfriend in that respect