Yep, that's the hardest, when you're sick, and still have to get the meds, soup, whatever! It's a combo of emotional emptiness and sometimes the physical frustration that you have no one to help. Funny thing is, I have so many online friends, who need me to help them with emotional or everyday problems....but no one in close proximity. My mom and my daughter were my best friends...now mom has passed, and my daughter's across country. Also, I made the mistake of depending upon boyfriends for my friendships...so now that they're gone, poof! How do you find local groups??

Here we go online to Volunteers and they have everything you can think of to give your time to, I'ts so hard tho when you don't feel well but I'm sure if you thought of what really interested you and asked around you'd find somewhere to volunteer.It takes your minf off yourself, it does for me anyway.

For volunteering you can look up non-profits in your area. There are plenty who are looking for volunteers.
My problem is I have chronic illness that keeps me tired most of the time. I am afraid to commit to something, because I may not be able to follow through. I also have no family tho it wasn't always that way.
I joined a church community right after my husband died, and it's nice to have people around who are kind once a week.
The rest of the week I more or less "get through". I am trying hard not to be a complainer or whiner. I decided to act as if I'm fine. I smile and laugh with the others, attend Saturday night dinners out, and keep hoping something will come of it.
It's so hard to have chronic illness without a support network to rely on.

This is where I apply mind over matter, if you don't mind, it doesn't matter. I try not to let my brain dwell on how tired and sick I feel and just get up and go, it works most of the time.

yeah to find people who truly understand you and will stand by you during hard times is hard. i guess i'm an intense person and i'm all cool with talking about big things. i mean i'm not fond of downers and haters, but when it comes to important life things, it's sort of a passion to talk about them for me. it helps me make connections, cultivate my character, and understand myself and others better.

Sometimes it really helps us to talk things out and we hear what we are saying and it clears things up for us, you sound like you are like that and it's good to be that way, a lot of people just don't understand that tho.

a 72 year old christian lady told us this story at church, a building maintenence man came to get a beehive off her balcony, he sprayed some stuff around then said to the old lady, hey ma'm i see you all the time here, always alone, you live alone, i know your lonely, so whats say me and you have a drink or two at my apartment, i know you must be lonely, so come on over to my place and we can have some drinks, we can drink whiskey, beer or wine at my place. the old lady said, no i am not lonely and i do not need a drink, thank you anyway, but no.
the maintenence man persisted, come on lady, i know your lonely, lets say we get drunk at my place, hey, its friday, we can drink all night.
the old lady said , 'NO' again and ushered the maintenence man out of her apt and thanked him for spraying to get rid of the bees.
after he left her phone rang, hey lady, its me, said the janitor, i'm at my place with some good whiskey and a cigar and i know your lonely and could use some company, so do you want to come over and drink? the old lady said, no i am not lonely and i do not want to drink with you, good bye.
the next day the bees were still in her apt. so she went to the hardware store by herself and the clerk sold her stuff to kill the bees, she took the stuff home, put it around as the store clerk instructed to kill the bees and by the next day it worked. as she told us this story in chrch she laughed, not only was the maintenence man in error in misjudgeing her as lonely, he was also incompetent and could not even do his job, killing the bees.
sometimes its better to be alone then be bothered by obnoxious incompetent alcoholic handymen.

I can say Amen to that