Before kids I never felt lonely even when I was alone. Now I'm around my family all day but feel completely isolated. My wife is exhausted, kids need constant attention, I work from home. There's this weird thing where you can be surrounded by people and still feel totally alone. Anyone else experiencing this? What helps?
Yeah the chaos keeps you from thinking about yourself and sometimes you realize you haven't had a real conversation with another adult in days. I embrace the chaos but also made sure to protect my friendships. Can't pour from an empty cup and all that.
You're not alone in feeling this way. A lot of us hit a wall where family life is good but you feel disconnected. Do something just for you once a week, doesn't have to be big.
This hit me hard in the first year especially. You're surrounded by noise and needs but nobody's really talking to you as an adult. Have you thought about finding a dad group or something?
Man I felt this when my first was born. The paradox of being constantly needed but feeling disconnected. What helped me was finding one thing I could do with the kids that didn't feel like parenting, just hanging out together. For us it was cooking. Might sound weird but it changed things.
I get this. You're never actually alone but you're also not really connecting the way you used to with other adults. It's a weird isolation that people don't really talk about.
Real talk this deserves serious attention. Maybe therapy or just finding other dads going through it. Your mental health matters as much as taking care of the kids.
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This hits hard. I think it's because before kids you could choose your alone time, you know? Now you're surrounded but it's a different kind of contact. Everyone needs something from you and that's isolating in its own way. Have you tried just taking like 30 minutes for yourself to do something totally alone? Not scrolling, just being.