https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DBiqtAuuqxo

I was in a military family, we moved a lot and keeping friends was a myth for me. But with college, I saw it as a good time to try and make some.

Aw thanks for being proud of me :) These freaks down here are always here to be nice...in a strange gamer/toxic kind of way. I’m not on here all the time, but if you ever wanna vent/talk just dm me bro（＾∇＾） You got this bro, stay strong 💪

I hope everything gets better. Maybe try having an old friend come over or vice versa for a couple days

You could try showing this to your mom. A lot of parents get the idea that the net is full of predators, but this place is pretty safe, especially compared to other sites. If you let her know that it's moderated and not like Reddit or other places that are full of trolls it might help. You'll get through this. I moved a lot and went to nine different schools. Might as well have had a t-shirt with New Kid on it. I was shy and had a hard time making friends, but one day I was 18 and the world was out there and I was free to do whatever I wanted.

[b] [/b]

[i]I hope things get better for you.[/i] [i]Much like yourself, it can take me a while to make friends. When I turned 15, my parents shipped me halfway around the world to go to boarding school, and I found myself in a situation where I had no make new friends. Most of the friends I made were fellow boarders, and then the boarding school closed down a year later ( the boarding bit, the school itself is still there ), and I had to begin that process again. And by the time I’d made friends again, we were all ready to graduate. All my friends went overseas, and I never saw, or heard from them again ( this was in the 1990’s, back before social media, and before cell phones were common ), and I was forced to repeat the process again. Needless to say, I spent a huge portion of my late teens to early twenties getting used to being alone, and learning not to rely on others in order to entertain myself.[/i]

I totally understand how you feel. I moved about 4 years ago and went through a similar situation of leaving my old church and trying to make new friends. I’m awkward around new people so it was frustrating trying to get to know people and I kept worrying about whether people accepted me and liked me. It did take about a year until the “new guy” feeling wore off tho. It helps to make just one or two good friends who you can become comfortable with and eventually you’ll get to know some more people through them and it won’t be long until you feel like you belong.

I’m going to tell you something few people will actually say. Or maybe everyone says it and I’m missing a crucial social norm, but nonetheless, I think it’ll help. Friends don’t measure success of you as a person. If you don’t want friends, you don’t need them. It’s your choice on who you want to be. I’m not saying you should be an antisocial asshole who treats everyone like shit, I’m saying if that isn’t your thing, don’t stress about it. You’ll make the friends you want naturally, and when you actually want to. The best relationships aren’t forced. If you see someone your age at wherever, don’t think you have to “make friends” with them. You could have nothing in common, so forcing a relationship would be tedious on both of you. So really don’t worry about it, pal. As for making friends that you want, and having natural friendships develop, I have a little trick I’ve seen used, and have used when I’m feeling social (pre-Covid). Go to a location that interests [u]you.[/u] I like playing basketball, so I would go down to the gym, or the nearby parks and play a few games with people there. Sometimes I’d find someone with similar interests, like lifting and we’d do that together, or maybe we played nicely off one another and would just hang out. That may be a far off thing for you, if you’re not the athletic type, maybe you’re a little nerdy, and like more fictional things rather than going out and throwing balls at things. Good locations to meet people with similar interests (at a high school age) are: • Libraries (they host books and comics for every interest out there, and is generally a more calm environment if you’re into that. When I was in middle and early high school I’d hang out at a nearby library. Some also have events around certain interests like comics, writing and book generes.) • Comic Book/Card Stores (you can make friends easily there if you play a card game, or DnD. I know DnD is an easy way to make friends. So if you’re interested in meeting people after Covid, and games like that, then try it out. Stores like that usually hold events.) That’s if you want to meet people. If not, don’t worry about it. Lastly, I feel compelled to comment on the last part. I’m glad you’re learning that you can be a proud man without having to change yourself into the stoic, strong, man dude. Part of the reason I’m not completely healthy mentally, is because I was pressured into that mindset by family. It eventually lead to me suppressing and ignoring all emotions, which eventually f•cked my head, health, and me as a person. I’ve made some mistakes because of it. Honestly I don’t think you should make those type of mistakes. No one should. It’s not healthy, and I’m glad you’re figuring out that you should be you, and not someone that others want you to be.

I've never had to experience that but I hope it gets better and you find a close knit group like I did

It ain't easy. I know that really well. However, we got your back homie

*[i]Gives virtual hug.[/i]*