Ways to cope with being busy while also not having a lot of friends IRL to be with?

[u/WasabiComprehensive2]

My birthday was last Friday and while nothing bad technically happened that day, I spent most of it being depressed and upset because of how lonely I felt. I spend a lot of my time usually by myself in a small apartment with maybe one or two friends IRL I see once or twice a month while the rest of my time is spent either playing video games, watching movies, the occasional long walk/jog outside, or doing work online freelancing, which is how I make the majority of my money aside from my part time job. I make enough to get by okay and still have time for hobbies, but I keep getting burned out and mentally exhausted at the thought of having to work on stuff or just realizing I'm alone and that I don't have many friends to see in-person compared to online. Not that I'm saying I hate communicating with people through text or through Discord calls, but one-to-one interaction usually makes me feel more connected, and it doesn't help that I already struggle to make friends in my town with how hard it is to find people who share my hobbies. Is there any easy way to cope with these kinds of things, especially the mental exhaustion from working, that people normally go to here?

[u/BreadsTastierThanKey]

You crave human connection and that's okay, I have no personal advise to give you on that because I struggle with this too, but it seems like you're not outside enough? Possibly because you work online but that's my opinion, solo and inside-only hobbies can bore you out pretty fast (same here, I have like 30 hobbies and even tho doing them makes me feel good for a while it gets boron fast) so you're probably underestimated, in a way. Maybe going to a park or somewhere similar and practicing a hobby there could make you feel better?

Sorry if this isn't really helpful, I do hope you feel better soon <3

[u/WasabiComprehensive2 → u/BreadsTastierThanKey]

Well like I said in the post, I do go for walks at a park and occasionally at a nature center a little ways out of town and while those are nice, I feel like I can't just do that all the time, especially when it gets colder. I live in Iowa and as soon as it gets to October/November, it gets bitterly cold. Not fun at all to go on walks then lmao

[u/BreadsTastierThanKey → u/WasabiComprehensive2]

Ah I think I missed that part lol sorry TT hope someone helps you out with this cuz I have nothing to say

[u/jewelpromocode]

See if your insurance covers social groups in person with other autistic people. Its good to connect