Feeling sad & lonely!! Ahhhh!!

[Chickadee]

I have never been someone who has loads of friends, just two or three close friends.

Keeping a very long story short I have lost all contact with the two good friends I had.

It was my fault, I was ill for a very long time and seriously neglected them.

I have tried to contact them but they are no longer around (moved away - don't know where).

I have been quite happy until recently when I suddenly realised that I am lonely.

I am married and love my hubby dearly but I miss the closeness of friends.

Does anyone have any suggestions of how to meet people? I don't work at the mo and don't have much money.

[China Doll]

http://www.meetup.com/cities/gb/

Pick an area and have a browse. I'm sure there will be something in there to interest you and you'll get to meet new people too.

Good luck.

[Sachs]

Hiya chick x
look in to voluntary work, plenty of online contacts x

[Chasingcars]

Hi Chickadee

Sorry you are feeling lonely, its not a nice feeling is it?
Have you thought about trying to trace your old friends through Friends Re-United or similar? Or trying to create a school re-union to kick start finding a lot of people at the same time?
Could you try and get more distant family members for a get together every few months?
How about going to your local lesiure centre and starting an exercise class? These are usually only a couple of pounds per class and would be a fun way of meeting people.
You do not say if you have children or not, but often clubs for kids get mums talking :)
Do you have close neighbours? I saw a great idea for a 'come dine with me' at home where each person brings either a starter/ main or desert and one of you hosts the meal.
Could you advertise to start a coffee morning club in your area for people in similar position to you?
Are you in a position to get a part time job at all? Something with the public (waitressing etc) would get you having contact with people regularly and would be a way of building up another network of friends.
I hope this helps :)

[zzxxee]

how are you health wise now?
if your ok how about doing some voluntary work a great way to meet people and build up your self esteem ask at your local libary xx

[Chickadee]

Thank you for your replies.

China doll - that site looks very interesting, I shall browse through.

Chasingcars - no kids, family contact good, have tried facebook etc with no luck.

zzxxee - health is improving slowly but surely. I may look into volunteering, i definitely need to improve my self esteem (it is at an all time low).

I have never been a very confident person and because I have been ill I have put on loads of weight as well.

I am definitely going to try to do something about this.

[naomi24]

Volunteering is an excellent way to get out and meet people. You'll be welcomed with open arms. Maybe a few hours a week in a charity shop to begin with?

[petal54]

good luck,hope you find an interest that brightens up your life soon.