I’ve been here for over a month now, and on the most part, it has been a good time. But after the business of MathFest wore off, and some of the novelty as well, I find myself struggling more with loneliness.
I’ve been doing a good job of getting out to meet people. It just takes time.
I knew before I moved that a period like this would happen. At least, with classes starting soon, I have lots to do. I don’t have a lot of time to mope.
What’s the recipe here? Keep getting out and doing things. Good books. Reach out to people. Accept that there will be unhappy days. Keep doing things; don’t let sadness cause paralysis.
Count some blessings too: it is easier to be here than it was to get packed up to leave. That was hard, and sad to leave my community behind. There is a ton of interesting stuff I want to do here. Sure it would be nicer with a friend or two, but it is still great solo. There is a ton of opportunity here for me. I just have to make the most of it. Which means getting my work done and keep making progress, even if it seems slow. It is really beautiful here. I can’t get enough of the view. I did it; I applied for the jobs and I made the change. That was more than what I thought I could do a year ago.
Live and enjoy EVERY moment!! Join a biking group — or start one! Join a MeetUp group — or start one! Find every Geocache in the state! You were brave to make this big change and it will also take bravery to get through this “lonely” stretch, but I’m sure you are up to the task. A young mother once told me that she wished it were as easy to make friends at her age as it was for her kids. It does seem to get harder as we get *ahem* older, but hang in there!
If you check some previous posts here, you will see, I think that I have been doing things with the local biking group. Not to worry, I have not been sitting at home, I have been out doing things and meeting people, but It Just Takes Time.