Work keeps me busy, home is chaotic with three kids, but I feel so isolated. Can't really talk to the guys from work about this stuff and my buddies from college have kind of drifted away. My wife tries to listen but she's got her own stuff going on. Does anyone else feel this way? Sometimes I wonder if I'm just wired wrong or if this is just what being a middle aged guy feels like.
That's tough dude. You're running a household and still feeling like you're on an island. Don't wait too long to talk to someone about it, could be a counselor or a trusted friend, but don't carry this alone.
Man I know that feeling of being busy but still feeling empty. With three kids you're doing the heavy lifting but nobody's really checking in on you. Might be worth finding even one person you can be real with about this.
Three kids is a lot and that isolation feeling is real even when you're surrounded by chaos. The guys at work just don't get it sometimes. Have you thought about looking for a dad group or something online where you can talk about this stuff?
The chaos at home is what's supposed to fill that void but sometimes it just makes the loneliness worse because you're surrounded by noise instead of actual connection. Might be worth talking to someone professional about it.
Have you thought about finding a dad group or something? Not like we can have deep conversations at work or with the guys at the gym, but finding a space where other dads talk about the real stuff might help. This forum is doing something for me at least.
I felt this way for years. Turned out I was present physically but checked out mentally all the time. Therapy helped me figure out how to actually be there instead of just going through the motions. Sounds like you might need that too.
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I get this completely. Being busy doesn't mean you're connected. I work full time and I'm around three chaotic kids all night but some days I feel like nobody really knows what's going on in my head. It's a weird kind of loneliness.