I’m 23M and feel like my life is stuck in a loop.
I live alone on the outskirts of a big city in Europe. I work remotely as a backend developer, and I’ve been doing that for several years.
On paper, I’m doing fine — good job, healthy habits, no drinking, saving money.
But the lack of social interaction is really starting to wear me down. Being isolated all the time affects my mental health.
My hobbies are classical piano (I practice daily, have a teacher) and climbing — I go to two gyms regularly, about 3 times a week. Sometimes I also go to classical concerts.
My weekly routine is basically:
Work → climb → piano → groceries → sleep.
Weekends are empty — I just clean and play piano.
Over the last year I’ve tried to meet new people:
– Joined several climbing groups → mostly older people already in their circles.
– Went to FB events (board games, improv, etc.) → small turnout, not my age group.
– Tried organizing a small meetup for students of my piano teacher, but it’s been hard to get people together.
Even though I’m not shy and I’m willing to put effort in, I feel like there are no environments left where I can meet people naturally.
I’d really like to make friends my age and build meaningful connections.
How can I break out of this kind of stable but socially isolated routine?
Has anyone here successfully expanded their social circle as an adult after years of feeling isolated?