Hey /adv/,
I'm a male in my early 20s.
Most of the last 8 years I have spent in isolation due to a chronic illness (physical not mental.)
I'm finally starting to get out in the world, but I find it extremely hard to communicate and adapt to my new environment.
What do?
Keep trying.
Can you give some examples?
>>16563287
ride it out. Be sure to keep yourself exposed to the outside world and it'll get easier with time.
>>16563298
You must really like frogs.
>>16563304
They're poison!
>>16563298
IDK, I'm sometimes personable, but sometimes I interject too much in a conversation like someone is saying something and I try and say something but they keep talking.
I sometimes say what I want to say in my head in a conversation instead of saying it out loud.
I try to be around people, but I often get discouraged because I either over analyze a situation, or I fuck up by doing something weird.
Right now, the illness is coming back.
I usually only go out on Friday night for a church meetup, but I feel like I don't really belong there.
I tried going to this other one on thursday night 2 weeks ago and met some cool people, but the atmosphere is really overwhelming to me because there are so many people and I kind of don't know how to act around so many.
I didn't go last Thursday. I just didn't feel up to it, but I might go again depending on how I'm feeling.
>>16563325
My situation is not quite as extreme as yours, but I missed nearly 4 years of school due to a physical chronic illness. I was 15 when I started going to school again, I was a huge fucking aspie and had a very hard time adapting. Years of social isolation does something to your brain, and the only thing to do is practice. It takes time, but I went from being the weirdest, creepiest person to someone who was suddenly called extremely charming, extroverted and sociable. You just gotta learn from your surroundings; isolate yourself as little as possible and take every opportunity you can to make friends
>>16563325
Can you find a way to hang out with people who are younger than you?
>>16563351
The Friday night meetup I'm the oldest one there, but I feel like the youngest.
Most everyone there is going to college and I'm just sitting here being a NEET.
My illness restricts me from doing the kinds of things I want to do a lot of the time.
Lately its kinda getting worse and I'm losing a lot of weight with not much energy left to hang out with people.
What is your illness
>>16563371
crohn's disease, I'm in a bad flare and I'm consistently losing weight
>>16563362
You are the youngest, since you took time off. That's what I was getting at.
Practice being out as much as humanly possible, as other people have said.
It'll be uncomfortable and painful, but hey
No pain, No gain.
>>16563294
>>16563393
OK I guess I'll keep fighting the awkward feelings.
Go to a rave and do MDMA
Its also really easy to meet people and make friends if your a freak compared to traditional methods.
>>16563483
I actually tried this once and I felt like it wasn't my scene.
I really did enjoy the music and gloving though
