Xmas, new year, valentine’s… Seems like the festivities are there just to remind me how much I failed as an adult man incapable of getting company. It’s been over a decade since I’ve felt this way and nothing changes.

Alcohol and porn has lost its charm over the years.

  • Sergio@slrpnk.net
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    7 days ago

    Hey fam! I’m not doing anything on christmas day, and @friendless@lemmy.blahaj.zone had a post today where they said they didn’t have anything that day either.

    How about on christmas day all of us get together on a post somewhere and talk! You know, we can just chat like we’re at a party or something?! We can post images and song links and… I dunno… type out song lyrics and complete each other’s sentences and stuff?

    Maybe we can make it a megathread on a community like… hm…

    what do ya say?!?

  • ProteanG6777@lemmynsfw.com
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    6 days ago

    Options to consider: I. Professional company keepers if you can afford it.

    II. Keep busy with Work - I use such holidays as free Overtime shift gathering glitch. Workflow seem to be mid anyway, would rather get paid than hanging out at home alone if i can’t avoid it.

    Pay your self with some type of travel or self-care after this ,holiday vacationers pressure must have subsided by that time anyway.

    III.An alternative will be to volunteer at hospitals to keep senior citizens company or foodbanks/ pantry or local community based need. This can be planned ahead in case necessary screening is needed.

    IV. You can start a Lemmy4Lemmy holiday company discord or something adjacent to r4r SFW and or NSFW. Beware of sellers and bots though.

    • daddy32@lemmy.world
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      6 days ago

      I like III. I found that shifting the focus from how miserable one feels because of the circumstances to trying to find out ways to help other people (anyone!) helps to really shift the inner monologue and feelings.

  • theherk@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    I’m not lonely but I have really enjoyed mastering fudge. Maybe try that. Remember, don’t go past 114 and resist the urge to stir.

  • TheRealKuni@lemmy.world
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    6 days ago

    Have you tried therapy? Judging by the comments in here, you sound depressed. And not without reason! Therapy can really help.

  • JubilantJaguar@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    It really is a conundrum. Group festivities seem almost designed to make the people on the margins of society feel worse about themselves. And yet try to imagine a society without such events. It would be even worse (and of course no such society has never existed). This whole problem is exacerbated so much by the fractured nature of modern urban life. In the past it was not even possible to be alone at Christmas, because nobody much was ever alone.

    Anyway, as something of a marginal type myself, I agree with suggestions others have made. If you try hard enough, you really can see through the myth of social “success” and “failure”. At that point, festive dates will begin to seem like what they are: just dates. As for “getting company”, this one’s pretty easy. Join some social group with regular events, and make it a fixture in your diary. You’ll meet new people and eventually things will move on from there. But be patient! All human relations are about the hours invested. So if you haven’t taken this first step already, there’s no time to lose. Make it your new year’s resolution.

    • Platypus@lemmings.worldOP
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      7 days ago

      The social club stuff doesn’t work when 1. You’re tired and 2. You’re broke and can’t drive. There’s nothing that interests me around, and I don’t have the energy

      • apocalypticat@lemmy.world
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        7 days ago

        Looks like you have the energy to make posts and comment on Lemmy. Use that energy to go on a walk or something for a change. For me, once I start being active, it leads to more energy, and more activities. Social media is exhausting in a whole other way. Trust me, you’ll gain the energy after you start walking.

          • apocalypticat@lemmy.world
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            7 days ago

            Okay, I’ll try a different approach rather than giving advice. Your situation sounds awful, and it must be really hard for you. Reach out if you need, we’re there for you in spirit.

          • can@sh.itjust.works
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            7 days ago

            I wish I could articulate anything more than to say things can (and will) change and the future will be different.

  • mechoman444@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    My girlfriend and my mom hate each other for no reason. I’m going to spend the holidays with my girlfriend because… Well y’all get it. Right?

    I’m just saying I’m not lonely… But at what cost! AT WHAT COST!

  • Rentlar@lemmy.ca
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    7 days ago

    Find a passion that isn’t porn, or alcohol, irrespective of the season. Since (I assume) you have time off, use it to find something else to try and get good at. Such as improving your strength and endurance at the gym, learning a new language, starting a new project, taking up a new instrument, read a history book or any book, etc., going to a new place, learning to cook a new kind of meal, etc. etc.

  • 2ugly2live@lemmy.world
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    6 days ago

    There’s a difference between being alone versus “lonely.” I know this sounds flippant, but you have to find things you like. Things you wake up and look forward to, or plan for yourself. Maybe plan something for yourself next holiday? Take yourself out to dinner, spa day if that’s your bag, maybe look into a hobby you’ve always been interested in, go to a out-of-the way store, whatever is special to you and for you.

    Good luck.

  • z3rOR0ne@lemmy.ml
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    7 days ago

    I’ve been depressed…hell I still am, though I cope better than I used to.

    I’m guessing its not just the holidays that gets you down. There’s two ways out, and I suggest doing both.

    1. Conform to some of the social norms that basically means take some of the classic advice you’ve already seen on here. Get out of the house and participate in activities that you might not initially enjoy, but hold some promise of you at least getting a bit of enjoyment out of, or at least stick around for the socializing. Think of it like taking your vitamins, you don’t have to like it, but its probably good for you and therefore you should consider doing it.

    2. Find things you enjoy doing in your solitude that are nondestructive/neutral or even healthy (depends on the context if its avoidance/addiction or not). Listen to podcasts, read books, learn a new skill, listen to music, meditate, exercise, etc. Just something. We can give you ideas all day, but just choose something and stick with it for at least a couple weeks before trying something else.

    The harsh truth is that without some kind of existential raison d’etre, life is just a series of activities we use to distract ourselves from our own loneliness or avoiding ruminating on other topics like death.

    The world right now has made it hard for people of all walks of life to connect authentically, and so don’t blame yourself entirely for the situation you’re in. That said, when you’re down in the shit, there’s only two choices, you either wallow in it or you clean yourself up and do what you can to make your way up and out of it.

    And I hold no judgments on what you or anyone decides to do here, life is hard and yeah, it can suck. But I personally look at it that I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t. But I already know what it’s like being damned if I don’t… might as well find out what it’s like being damned if I do.

    Take it or leave it, that’s all I’ve got for you or anybody. Good luck out there.

  • ZeroOne@lemmy.world
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    6 days ago

    Walk around & enjoy the view & play video-games & talk to people like you (not meant as an insult)

  • daggermoon@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    Same way I do every other day, play horror games, fuck around on my computer and cry. With you on the alcohol and porn too. I should switch to Playboy.

    Edit: Also learning Esperanto, it’s good to keep your mind active. Learning a language can help. I also have an irrational or maybe rational fear of developing dementia. Gotta workout your brain.