How and when do you noticed that you are lonely?

[Nicolelt]

I noticed after college when I broke up with a guy and had no one to talk to about my feelings. Still don't have many people to talk out my worries and woes, which is what makes me feel better.

 

[Tealeaf]

It's been a lifelong thing. I was never a "normal" kid. I'm not a "normal" adult. I try to keep busy, find fun things for people to do at work and in online games, etc, but during downtime it can be noticeable. It's not something that can just be ignored forever, like it isn't even there.

The difference between solitude and loneliness is choice. I appreciate the time I choose to have alone, not so much the time I just don't have anyone to talk to or do something with.

 

[Cucuboth]

I knew I was lonely when I was about 4. Watching my sister and the other kids in the street playing, and being told that I was too small, too skinny, too ugly to join in, kind of leaves you with no doubt. But at that age, and through primary school, I could mostly get through by just going in to my own worlds of my toys or by drawing. There were a few blips, of course, like being kept back to repeat 2nd Grade because I was 'too young' (as I was told, even though that puzzled me because I knew I was actually one of the oldest in the year), the bullying of later primary school, and of course it just got worse in high school. That's probably when I would really say that loneliness became a major problem, so, about age 14. That's probably about the age it started to noticeably affect my day-to-day functioning, which, of course, only made the bullying and the social anxiety get even worse ....

 

[ardour]

I knew I was lonely when I was about 4. Watching my sister and the other kids in the street playing, and being told that I was too small, too skinny, too ugly to join in, kind of leaves you with no doubt. But at that age, and through primary school, I could mostly get through by just going in to my own worlds of my toys or by drawing. There were a few blips, of course, like being kept back to repeat 2nd Grade because I was 'too young' (as I was told, even though that puzzled me because I knew I was actually one of the oldest in the year), the bullying of later primary school, and of course it just got worse in high school. That's probably when I would really say that loneliness became a major problem, so, about age 14. That's probably about the age it started to noticeably affect my day-to-day functioning, which, of course, only made the bullying and the social anxiety get even worse ....

Similar story; the teasing/general nastiness didn't start proper until intermediate, but even before then I couldn't relate easily to other kids. My peers always seemed to be a few years ahead of me in terms of confidence and articulateness. Looking back it felt like the mental development was stunted. I was annoying and socially inept, couldn't handle the hassling, had no self-esteem and clung to people who weren't as cruel until they got sick of me. Things got a bit easier in the last 2 years of high school.