I don’t have any friends and I’m depressed (What to do?)

In this article, we try to find out what one can do if they don’t have any friends and are depressed. We will also try to find a few reasons why you may not have friends in the first place. Lastly, the blog ends with can having no friends lead to depression. 

What to do if you don’t have any friends and are depressed? 

Here are a few things to do if you  don’t have any friends and are depressed: 

• Reach out to a therapist 
• Try to go out 
• Make new friends 
• Do more than just going to classes 
• Enroll in some activities outside work or college 
• Use online apps to talk to people 

Not having friends in today’s world can be really difficult. It can make us feel lonely and isolated. Those who do not have friends and are alone are usually judged by others. Having too many friends has now become an important part of our life especially in adolescence. 

This feeling of loneliness and sadness can sometimes lead to depression. Depression can be caused by various reasons. There is no specific reason for it. A loss of a job or loss of friends can cause depression. The feeling of being lonely, unable to make or maintain friendships can make us think that we are not worthy of it. It can leave us with a sense of helplessness and hopelessness. These are all the emotional signs of depression. Social support is not only important to deal with depression, it is also important to avoid depression. 

Here are a few things you can do if you don’t have any friends and are depressed. 

Reach out to a therapist 

If you realize that you have no one to talk to about your feelings and emotion, this may make you feel depressed. In this case, instead of losing hope, try to find one. The best person to talk about your mental health condition is a mental health therapist. Irrespective of the fact that you may have a serious case of depression or not, you can go to a therapist to talk about your daily problems. You can tell your therapist how you have no friends and that is making you depressed. Your therapist may help you line out a few reasons why you don’t have friends. In addition to finding out the reason, they will help you overcome and help you make friends. Professional assistance be it even minimal is always something to look forward to. 

Try to go out 

It may feel like you do not want to go out. Just sit and home and watch some television. This is normal to feel when you don’t have friends and are depressed. However, in order to fight the same problem, you should go out. Get up, get dressed, and go out. Take your dog to the walk-in park. You may find another dog owner to chit-chat with. You may want to go for a run to a nearby park. This will not only help you fight depression but also help you find some new friends. In any case, you receive an invitation to the party do not decline it. Get out there and be confident. 

Make new friends 

I know it is not easy to make new friends, but if it is something that we crave, then we should look for it. Instead of sitting alone in your class, you may want to sot with people. Engage with them during break hours. People will not come to you until you call out for them. It is you who has to make the initial effort of making a new friend. However, remember to not commit similar mistakes that made you lose friends in the first place. Make an extra effort of texting first, or planning a night out. Do not always wait for the other person to plan.

Do more than just going to classes 

If you happen to be in a college or school, let me remind you life is not only about attending classes. There are various clubs and organizations on the campus for you to join and meet new people. The more you interact with people, the more chances you have for finding the right friend. Do not limit yourself to a small crowd. You may not like any of your classmates, this is quite common. But when you attend different committees and clubs you expand your horizon and meet like-minded people. 

Enroll in some activities outside work or college 

If you happen to miss the opportunist of making friends at work or college, it is okay. Get yourself enrolled in a different class. A class that is of your interest or passion. If I had to choose a class I would certainly choose pottery. Go to pottery workshops, panning workshops, dance classes, and anything of your interest. You will undoubtedly meet people like you in these places who might be worthy enough to become your friend. Even if you do not find anyone, look at the bright side you learned a new skill.

Use online apps to talk to people

You can connect with new people on social media. We use social media to scroll random memes. Instead, we can use the same platforms to connect with people. You can get in touch with your old friends or you can make new friends. In fact, now you can download apps specifically to make friends like you do to find a relationship partner. Here are some apps that you can use: 

• Nextdoor.
• Hey! Vina.
• Bumble BFF.
• Peanut.
• Meetup. 
• BarkHappy.
• Friender. 

Making friends are difficult but it is certainly not impossible. You can go to different lengths to get your friendship back or try to find a new one. We all need friends in our life so that we can share our problems with them, as well as enjoy ourselves with them. It is believed that the more the people come to your funeral, the richer the life you have led. 

Reasons why you have no friends and are depressed 

Not having friends is certainly depressing. However, what is important is to find out the reasons for not having friends. Once you do know the reason for not having friends, you can alter them or rectify them. 

If you are wondering why you have no friends and are depressed, we are here to help you. Below are a few reasons why you may not have friends and are depressed. 

Introversion 

One very important factor for not having many or no friends at all is if you are an introvert. Introverts usually choose solitude over socialization. Nevertheless, this does not mean that they may not feel lonely. The world constitutes of 30-50 % of introverts. If you are introvert you world rather have one on one meaningful conversation with people instead of seamlessly socializing. In this case, you can actually go to places like Reading or writing-meetups, Crafts and maker-parks, Certain types of volunteering, Many workshops and classes where you can find people of a similar temperament. 

Mental health disorders 

A very important reason you may have lost all your friends or may not have friends in because of your inability to make some. There are various mental health disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, that make you hate socialization. You become aloof and prefer your company over others. Building trust can be the most difficult for you. In addition to this, mental health disorders like Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Anxiety, etc, make you push people away. These disorders take a toll on your mental health that you start to feel like a burden on others. You feel like avoiding people because interacting with people is actually a tiresome task. 

Lack of social interest 

Having no social interest, hobbies or passions can confine you to a limited set of people. You may not go to different classes or workshops to fulfill your desire to learn something new. This may make you less likely to make friends. Meeting people through your interests is an effective way to make friends: you’ll automatically meet like-minded people while doing what you like. If you currently don’t have any social interests, you’re missing out on one of the easiest ways to meet new people that can turn into friends. Not everyone has a passion or hobby that they live for. The good news is that you can use any type of activity that you enjoy doing to meet new people.

Moving to a new city away from hometown 

It is likely that if you are moving from your hometown to a different place for whatever reasons, you will have to leave a strong social network that you have created. This can make you feel all alone in a new city with no friends. Living in a new city by yourself is overwhelming. This can lead to depression. In the same way, you can change a job pr lose a job which can make you lose all your friends and you are left all alone and depressed. 

Having negative thoughts 

If you happen to believe that friendships are not for you, you cannot maintain friendships or if you are scared of rejection, then you may not even make the attempt to make new friends. In order to build new friendships, it is important that you go out with an open mind. If you start judging and resenting everyone for every small reason, it is impossible for you to even like anyone in the first place. Remember no one is perfect, neither are you. Therefore, it is important you go out there without overthinking that someone might not like you or you might not like them. It is always better to try rather than just sit quietly. 

Can having no friends lead to depression? 

Humans are social animals. We crave social relationships. Social support of any kind is seen to have made us feel better every now and then. Social support helps us cope with the various difficulties that we are facing. Therefore, the lack of it can lead to certain problems in itself. Therefore not having friends can lead to depression. 

Not having friends is more common than you think. 1 in 5 have no close friends. Imagine that every fifth person you meet on your next walk has no close friends. Visualizing this can help us feel less weird and alien: You’re never alone feeling lonely. Know that there are many people who feel just like you. 

BetterHelp: A Better Alternative

Those who are seeking therapy online may also be interested in BetterHelp. BetterHelp offers plenty of formats of therapy, ranging from live chats, live audio sessions and live video sessions. In addition, unlimited messaging through texting, audio messages and even video messages are available here.

BetterHelp also offers couples therapy and therapy for teenagers in its platform. Furthermore, group sessions can also be found in this platform, covering more than twenty different topics related to mental health and mental illness. The pricing of BetterHelp is also pretty cost-effective, especially considering the fact that the platform offers financial aid to most users.

Conclusion 

In this article, we have tried to find out what one can do if they don’t have any friends and are depressed. We have also tried to find a few reasons why you may not have friends in the first place. Lastly, the blog ended with can having no friends lead to depression. 

FAQs: I don’t have any friends and I’m depressed

References 

https://socialpronow.com/blog/no-friends/

https://www.mentalhelp.net/advice/20-year-old-female-no-friends-depressed-what-should-i-do/

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/16/depression-disease-loneliness-friends