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Making Friends as an Adult

Paraducks

This is, perhaps, not the best place to ask this question but maybe if we bang rocks together we can make sparks.

It feels like when you're an adult, your opportunities for socialising in general begin to fall off a cliff-edge. I was having a chat with my parents about it recently, and they expressed a similar sentiment: "Most of my friends are from work. I don't really have the time to look for new ones anymore." It feels like that's where I am at right now, twenty odd years earlier than them in the timeline. 

I was curious if that is the experience many of our older folks on this forum experienced as well? Obviously the struggles of being Autistic doesn't help our case in any way, but I can't help but think this might be a universal issue among people just in general now that so many of our relationships are conducted through the screen. (Heck, i'm even asking for help online right now!)

I'm happy to bring up where I think Autism plays a role in this in replies, but i'm curious on how people try to make friends once they have left higher education. (College/Uni)

Parents

  • I really struggle with making and maintaining relationships. I have pretty much isolated myself because it is just such a huge mental, even physical, effort to meet new people. If I do make a friend I either go all in and usually end up very hurt and betrayed, or struggle to maintain it as I don't seem to understand how to maintain. 

    I actually thought I was happy on my own, but I've recently realised that, bar my immediate family, I have nobody, and that is actually really scary. I would LOVE. to make some new friends....maybe it would be easier here, but it would be great to really get to know people and then maybe catch in IRL.

Reply

  • I really struggle with making and maintaining relationships. I have pretty much isolated myself because it is just such a huge mental, even physical, effort to meet new people. If I do make a friend I either go all in and usually end up very hurt and betrayed, or struggle to maintain it as I don't seem to understand how to maintain. 

    I actually thought I was happy on my own, but I've recently realised that, bar my immediate family, I have nobody, and that is actually really scary. I would LOVE. to make some new friends....maybe it would be easier here, but it would be great to really get to know people and then maybe catch in IRL.

Children
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