a forum to commiserate and share advice and coping mechanisms and so on.

Speaking for myself here, but I feel like this can make the problem worse. /r/depression is something in a similar vein. Whenever I went there, I’d always leave sadder. There’s something about reading other people’s struggles that just seemed to reinforce my own sense of hopelessness.

Also, bad advice on those kinds of forums can look extremely reasonable if your perception of the world is clouded by your problems.

I know it doesn’t work for everyone, but give therapy a shot if you haven’t already.

Like others have said, having a friend that you see regularly can help with loneliness. Doesn’t even have to be strangers. Try messaging an old friend you drifted apart from. Odds are they’d be happy to catch up.

Sorry for the unsolicited advice. I know this isn’t the type of response you asked for. I hope everything works out for you, bud.

I don’t know of one, but the Internet is toxic. I’ve had more luck meeting strangers into the same hobbies. Went to an open source conference. A business meetup. Professional settings are lower pressure because there’s no expectation of making actual friends.

I’ve had great experiences on Slowy (https://slowly.app/) which is a modern pen-pal app. Every message takes days to arrive and you can either connect with people based on profiles or random matching and it’s one of few social networks that aren’t incel or hijacked by dating.

The easiest way to make friends (and this is no easy task if you’re an adult) is to revolve it around hobbies. Find people who share the same interests and conversation is easier if there is something to talk about. This can be online or in person. For example, there are weekly DnD games that happen at local game stores, or book reading clubs, or take a woodworking class at a local college, or find a forum that is all about one niche subject you’re into. If you don’t have hobbies then you have to find something to try, and just try everything you can to see what you are into.

As a once socially inept kid who was bullied mercilessly, social skills are something that takes practice. For me, changing schools, taking up a sport, and getting a job where I had to socialize with people is where I learned to socialize. There were a lot of very awkward conversations, but eventually you figure out what works and what doesn’t.

I feel you on all that, I really do. Guess my brain responded to bullying by going the other way, fighting to learn socials skills to make it stop. I’m old BTW, we might have different definitions of “bullying”. Mine definition is; “getting the shit kicked out of you daily at school, while the teachers watch or participate, and/or being constantly on the lookout to avoid said ass beatings”. All that to say, I get you.

Anyhow, you might not like this take, but going outside is probably your answer. I know how facile that sounds, but you’re not going to make any sort of meaningful human connection with a keyboard.

What does “going outside” look like for you? I got no idea, but I got experience. If you like, DM me and I’ll give you my email or phone number. Hell, maybe we can help motivate each other.