Sometimes love can be found right under your comment section!

[u/HarshitaS]

most wholesome thing I saw all week

[u/Matchaparrot]

Yep. I had no friends in middle school at all. I gave up after a year of no friends and wore the same hoodies every day, and took no care of my hair because what's the point.

As an adult I now have more friends I could ever hope for, and the confidence to not give up until I found the people who genuinely care about me. I now take care of my appearance and really enjoy fashion now as a side effect. And people want to copy my style

[u/Key_Curve_1171 → u/Matchaparrot]

I can back that. I got severely depressed and tried to cut everyone off and self imprison myself to my room. I stopped doing anything really. I'm back to it all but actively don't want a group of friends. Only trusted people that I call as such but everyone at a distance. I love my me time and need a ton of it. Family is plenty for me and I'm not married or have children. My parents need plenty babying and I can barely manage that. I don't give a fuck about fashion anymore. I used to be so stylish in my own unique sense that girls would play with my hair and hangout with me and rub my shoulders and stuff. Being part of my friends circle meant you had access to a lifestyle, my dress sense was a major part of that.

Now I couldn't give a flying fuck

[u/Top-Strawberry4466 → u/Matchaparrot]

how’d you find those people

[u/Matchaparrot → u/Top-Strawberry4466]

I decided to stop caring about whether I had friends before trying new things and hobbies, so I did hobbies for my own enjoyment first and talked to people. If people were cliquey or didn't include me after giving it two sessions, I left and tried another society or sport. No point hanging around people who don't try to welcome you. Friendships naturally formed as I found societies I enjoyed, and they've lasted to today.

[u/Top-Strawberry4466 → u/Matchaparrot]

Thanks, I can’t seem to get over the clique barrier.

[u/Sad-Ad4423 → u/Top-Strawberry4466]

Adding to what the previous poster said, I also started looking outside my own generation for friends. I’m an elder millennial who had one single friend for years (my best friend from high school). I have a lot of hobbies that attract people of all ages. I go to weaving classes, attend events at my library, and have gotten involved in our historic society, for example. I have good friends now that range from their early 20s into their 90s. It’s not necessarily one cohesive circle of friends who all go out together, but I prefer it this way.