A guy in his 40s. I've been cleaning up my relationships and suddenly found myself all alone.

I'm a man in my mid-40s. I got married 15 years ago, have a son and a daughter, and have been living in a relatively happy home.

Separate from my ordinary family life, I'm writing this because I have some concerns regarding my social relationships.

When I quit smoking around the time I got married, more than half of the people I used to meet were filtered out. Then, a year ago, my inflammation levels spiked, so I started avoiding drinking gatherings, and the rest were all gone. Surprisingly, not even a fraction remained; it was a 100% cleanup. I don't have a single friend or acquaintance I can comfortably call and share my heart with.

To be honest, it's not that there's no one I *could* contact first, but I just don't feel like making the effort, and at some point, I stopped contacting anyone altogether.

Looking back, I realized I didn't have a single social group that met in a healthy way without alcohol or cigarettes.

My hometown and university were in the provinces, and since I settled in the metropolitan area after graduation, I naturally drifted apart from my friends.

I know it's natural for relationships to be pruned in your 40s, and I know I wanted this and brought it upon myself, but the fact that no one is left makes me feel empty. Sometimes, a huge wave of "reality hit" (hyeontta) comes over me because of the loneliness of being alone.

However, the thought that I don't need anyone keeps swirling in my head, and I feel like I'm constantly hiding in my own cave.

I wonder if the fact that things have reached this point is due to some psychological issue of mine?

I'm posting this because I wanted to see if there are others who feel the same way... I want to take some time to think, telling myself, "Ah, there are other people who think like this."

I wrote this because I felt frustrated, so I apologize if the content was uncomfortable.

Have a great rest of your weekend!

Source: Ppomppu https://www.ppomppu.co.kr/zboard/view.php?id=problem&no=232919

Source: https://theqoo.net/hot/4225357107