I graduated in 2020 amidst the pandemic and for almost the first couple years after that, I was pretty isolated. I was doing online community college and I hung out with my HS friends maybe once a month, and outside of that I pretty much just spent my time in my room. I desperately wanted to live the life most 18-20 year olds do but felt unworthy because I didn’t think I could socialize well and manage friendships. I got a couple part time jobs over that period but it didn’t really help.
Starting the summer of 2022 things got a little better. By normal standards my social life was still probably more isolated than most, but I was doing something social with friends around maybe once a week. I got into a relationship at the beginning of 2023 and the summer of 2023 was probably the most lively my social life had been since I was a kid, but she moved away, the relationship petered out, and now I’m kind of back where I started.
I’m 22 and have a decent amount of friends. None are very close though, which I don’t know how to help. I’m making good progress with my social anxiety. It just hurts to think about how I spent my youth so far. I don’t want the next 4 years to be like the last 4, but I don’t know what to do or how to change it. Anyways, thanks for listening to my story.