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Comment by mhh__ | Hacker News Reader

From my experience so far, the combination of virtual lectures and quasi- living alone is depressing me to the point of very dark thoughts indeed.

Academically I am good, sometimes very good, but I almost literally have no friends and probably won't be making any more this year at this rate.

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FWIW, the isolation can be a source of opportunity as you are freed from ordinary distractions. Many years ago I read a bunch of the great works of literature during a long winter of discontent. None of the books were "assigned" or "required" as it was just me saying "OK, War and Peace, let's see what all the fuss is about." And some of those books are still some of my absolute favorites to this day. YMMV

Hey man, please feel free to email me at me at focalPoint49 (at) protonmail (dot) com and/or look for counseling online. I'm not a counselor but at least I can be someone to talk to so you don't feel as alone.

I probably won't end up emailing you, but thank you.

No worries. Just definitely find some support somewhere. Whether it be your family, therapist, or someone else. God bless.

Hey friend, here are some random ideas for you to fend off loneliness. I’ve been doing all of these myself:

- Have a quasi-solo dance party (quasi because you’re still dancing with these people, albeit in a different slice of space time): https://youtu.be/VZClzm3K__4

- Join a teamwork oriented MMO (WoW classic?)

- Do a virtual happy hour with your family or friend(s)

- Go for walks in the nearest nature area (you’ll probably run into people) or post up in a local park

- Join a dating site like OKC, even just to browse or chat (and even setting your location to a faraway city)

I'm not too sure I would recommend online dating to someone who's depressed.

Seconded. You're going to get rejected, it's just par for the course, but it can be hard to handle if you're in a bad place. I personally only try to date when I feel emotionally stable. Can try something like chatroulette or omegle though.

You can always approach it as “just dipping your toes in the water”, and tune your expectations accordingly. There is really no correct way to use an online dating platform, though there are some wrong ways—e.g. harming yourself or others).

Yes, going into it with a healthy and open mindset is essential. But being depression-free is not a necessary condition, and I’d caution people against establishing that type of artificial gateway for themselves. My belief is that every human is of infinite value, and nothing that happens in the online dating realm can subtract from that (“you don’t do arithmetic with infinity”, so said my calculus professor).

Yes! I met a girl on omegle when I was a depressed teenager and we talked for years. She helped me a lot.

I hope there is someone you could talk to?

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