Open Post: What's happening in your world?

It's really hard to tell what's going on for you. All I can suggest is possibly joining different groups of people with shared interests eg a reading group or a dancing group. The other thing you could do is join your profession's networking group. And if there isn't one, you could always start one!! Good luck.

Hello there. I am sorry to hear you are having a hard time right now.
I find true, balanced and enduring friendships can be challenging to find and maintain, especially as we move through life and its stages.
May I suggest ..? You maybe just haven't met your kind of people?

Take some risks. Hit your local paper 'what's on' section, visit your local library and read community noticeboards to join a few clubs/ groups. Try meetup.com and actually go to things - what things? Do (almost) ANYTHING. Although far better if it is something you enjoy so you stick with it. Is there anythning you have always wanted to try or to learn? Say a language or a sport or exercise? Get some weekly activities outside of work. Do a short course! Ensure they are mixed gender activities and interactive not stuff people tend to do solo.

If you want to approach other people in these situations ask for advice or tips. Say 'I noticed you seem to be good at <insert something="" here="">. How did you learn it so quickly? Can you show me' Or 'I practiced that at home but I couldn't quite master it. How are you finding this?' Make excuses to comment on something simple and ordinary - practically anything will do - even 'Oh, I almost bought the same shoes! Are they from *store name*?' to break the ice, and say after a few moments 'oh, by the way I am *first name*'. But maybe this time around, wait until they suggest swapping numbers or catching up so you don't feel like the initiator.

Do you do anything outside of work? Any interests? Do you volunteer? There is a site called meet up I believe, with groups of people seeking friends. There are literally, hundreds of groups on this site, catering to all sorts of interests. Maybe it's worth a try.

You're not flawed Juliet. I don't know the reasons why people have not reached out to you today. I work as a psychiatric nurse and today I looked after many people who are in hospital (professionals and non-professionals) who didn't receive any wishes this Christmas from family or friends. It made me reflect on how important human contact and connection is to our wellbeing especially during events like Christmas. I tried to help each of my patients by wishing them a merry Christmas, sitting down to listen to them talk about their loneliness at this time of year but also getting them to reflect on what they have to look forward to as well as being grateful and happy for what they do have. This can be a challenge at times but I think it's important for people to feel validated and listened to. Juliet, I'm sorry to hear Christmas is an isolating time for you this year. I hope you can take some time to reflect on the good things you do for others, the things you have to look forward to and the great things you already have. I would also recommend reading Rebecca sSarrow's great post recently published on MM, a really empathetic and sensitive read. I wish you all the best, please be kind to yourself Juliet :)