I'm 23M and live at home (working on getting out on my own in the next 6 months). All of my closest friends are either in different states working or the next state over at my alma mater working on a Masters.

​

I have a few friends around here but none that are really the type to go out to a bar on the weekends and have a good time. I have a full-time job in which I'm working on advancing, I train MMA with the intention to fight competitively in the next year or so, lift 4 times a week, am losing weight, go on semi-regular dates as I get them through approaching. In my opinion, my life is pretty well put together all things considered.

​

But I feel fucking lonely and I think it has to do with a lack of core friends. It's hard making friends stick at my age for whatever reason, but I don't stop trying. Last weekend, I went out alone on Friday and made friends with a group of people I met at the bar. Hit them up again on Saturday and we all went out. That was fun. However, those people are busy tonight. So here I am at work feeling this dread of loneliness that I know awaits me tonight after I train and lift. I can go out alone again, but how long until that's just sad?

​

Is this normal until I keep meeting people to form a few connections with different social circles? It feels like I'm going through these ebbs and flows of social connection and the valleys are really lonely and throw me off my game. Thanks, guys.