Feel alone/like I dont belong

[Jae132l]

Had my birthday meal tonight and after leaving all the family me and DD come home. Everybody seemed to be having a really good time, and on the surface I was too. But deep down felt so alone. I have a huge family, but just felt so alone. I feel different, like the odd one out. My family are lovely. My sister can be very over the top, and rest of family can be loud and outgoing. I've felt like this since I was young. Defintley to do with me, and not my family. I dont know why I feel like this. When i spend time alone or just with my DD i feel so content and happy, but feel so alone in a big group. I've come home on my birthday and just felt so so low. This is not a sympathy post, I'm just wondering if anybody else feels like this at times? Or why this could be so.

Happy birthday! :)
Also - you are absolutely normal. At least I hope so because I feel like this often too and I think I am just an introvert. Nothing wrong with that.

It's a shame you feel like this on your birthday, which should (theoretically!) allow you to be yourself and enjoy it. However birthdays nearly always involve a fair bit of socialising and often quite large groups. If you're an introvert then it's no surprise you don't find these fulfilling or relaxing.

As an introvert myself my approach is to suck it up for the sake of everyone else BUT I would have gone home happy knowing I find safety and comfort in other things, i.e. my nice quiet peaceful home, activities I do on my own or with my children, and revelling in the fact that I don't need to surround myself with vivacious personalities just to feel alive.

So to sum up I would say it's OK to feel low about it from time to time as long as you can find joy and satisfaction in your life elsewhere. If not, time to look a little more deeply at who you are and what makes you happy.

I always feel like that in groups. Totally understand you.
There's nothing better than leaving for home.

Hope you had a lovely birthday

Happy birthday! And I can relate. I never feel like I fit in and in summary I feel like no-one 'gets me'. And in their not 'getting me' it feels like they don't care enough to try.

Plod your own path and let others plod theirs - no-one is right or wrong. Every so often some will walk at the same pace as you. XX

I'm an extrovert but my boyfriend and some close friends are introverts. They need quiet time to recharge. I don't. Nothing wrong with any of us, just the way we're made up.

For your birthday next time think of something that you would enjoy? A quiet meal out? Theatre, cinema etc?

Thank you, I think it defintley is due to being an introvert. I have my home which is my happy place, where I can take all my masks off. Theres so much going on at the minute so theres probably a snowball of emotions, but helps to hear that lots of you are the same.