What's your favorite thing(s) you do to cope with solitude and don't have any friends?

I do the things I like (like going to art museums or going on hikes or long walks, or going to music performances). And if I crave company, I look for groups that do those things.

A good place to find like minded people is meetup dot com. People on meetup organize hikes, organize museum trips, organize walks around town or out to eat. And once you meet a few people, you can do things with them that are separate from any organization.

Television!

@zenvelo is spot on here. Exactly what I would say.

If you are naturally introverted, and being in a crowd drains you rather than charges you, I would say right up, enjoy your solitude. I right now have a girlfriend and I have two aging parents, and split my time between them, but no permanent regular employment. From my parents, I get a sense of nostalgia (my own past in their home) and economic stability. From my girlfriend, a sense of hope for the future and future planning.

But what’s missing altogether and I miss the most, is my time alone—pursuing my own interests, writing, artwork, long walks in the artsy parts of town. I never get to be alone anymore.

I also have found that I sort of live in the past, and get a lot out of memories, exploring places and revisiting places in my past, and sometimes in my imagination ‘re-writing’ my past as if I had lived in other places, towns, I explore or frequent upon. Nostalgia and re-exploring and re-evaluating one’s past is very useful for understanding one’s self.

@kritiper‘s response about television only works so far. My GF is an introvert also and actually gets to BE alone for stretches of time. I couldn’t survive on T.V. because I’d still be in the same PLACE all the time (though would go stir crazy without it), and too much of anything on T.V. gets old, boring, sometimes even stressful.

I get on the computer and travel around the world in my mind.

Then I get on Fluther and phhhhhht! the day is gone.

I have noticed with old friends that guys mainly drop out of social things once they are married and working, especially if they have kids. There just is no time to be social anymore. Not really much need either, especially if you are an introvert like me. Personally I have work acquaintances and extended family but my only close friend now is my wife. I see this with many guys. When old friends call me out of the blue I already know that they are either about to get a divorce, it just happened or something else is keeping them isolated. I get lonley after just a few days when she is gone and I find I want to call up old friends and chat.
I have a lot of solitary hobbies like bicycling and I enjoy a couple days to myself. Past three and I’m not so happy.

@ARE_you_kidding_me It gets even worse when you have grandkids. You will want to spend every spare minute with the little critters.

@luigirovatti In all seriousness… have you considered meeting some people from here?
Think about it. You already have quite a bit in common and somewhat know the way they think. It is not a such a crazy idea.

Anime.
There is this great one airing right now, called “My Roommate is a Cat!”.

Solitude is my friend after having a very busy life working to pay the bills to keep a roof over my head and food on the table, and never having the luxury of having fun doing things that I had always wanted to do.
1. Research our family origins.
2. Go out on hikes and photograph and self publish those images .( Used blurb.com).
3. Tried as a Candidate for Council, then yrs later as Mayor, but did not win those seats and I gained a lot from that experience.
4. I tried writing and now have three drafts for three stories that I want to make into a novel one day?
5.Looked up how to sketch and tried drawing scenes,people ,things in the local Park, just people watching.
6.Tried painting..not that easy and slow to learn..have put that side for another time.
7. Attended a lot of meetings encompassing various topics, went for awhile then interest waned, but met a diverse group of people in attending, so not a loss at all.
8. Rented a car and traveled out of my comfort zone to other places in my Province(Canada).
9.Read,read, a lot of books on a variety of subjects that I had previously never considered and learned new things because of that.
10.Attended coffee groups, breakfast clubs etc but interest waned when they turned to gossip and “familiarity breeds contempt“adage comes to mind.
11. Kept up with technology ( computer ,cellphones,software etc).
12. Tried to assist all those that I can if possible and have the means to do so without draining me or going beyond my capabilities etc
Always find new people, things,interests,hiking trails,places,books,ideas etc
Life is as exciting as one makes it.Even a short walk outside in Nature will energize one and realize that this vast universe is to be awed and be happy that we are all sharing it together.

Here is an example of one persons way of turning solitude into a passion.
Very Inspiring.( started at age 10 yrs old on his own developing his talent).
Enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9LswsQ5Bqs
Notice that he is in Nature a lot.

Volunteering to help others can be a good way to get out of isolation and make the universe a little bit better place. Who knows, you might make some friends too?

I have learned to cherish my solitude!!! Not long after retiring, I went through a time where I felt all alone in the world. My husband had died, both my parents had died. My 22y/o cat had died & she had been in my life about ⅓ of my time on earth. I also had 6 friends who died within a 4 week period & I found myself growing depressed…yet, when I tried to think of something to do, I really felt at my happiest when I was all alone. I didn’t want the hassle of getting up, getting dressed, & going out. When I forced myself to get up & go out, I found others wanted to do things that I just didn’t enjoy…yet I didn’t want to say no because I felt I needed to be doing something other than sitting a home growing more depressed!!!

I tried getting back into dating but found that to be more trouble than it was worth. Guess I just wasn’t ready or maybe I had just met the wrong guys. Then I notice that I felt a lot better when I went shopping. The shopping itself did nothing for me; but, I did enjoy walking around the store watching people being themselves. I really enjoyed watching the smaller children exploring the world around them. Of course, the main drawback of shopping was spending too much money & worrying at the end of each month about being broke. So, I had to stop my shopping trips except for when I really needed to pick up something useful!!!

Cooking for myself became a chore, so I started eating out. I tried different places until I found one I really enjoyed & I ate there every day. Lucky for me, there are a lot of people my age that eat there & we have developed our own little community meeting every day. We don’t go out to concerts, movies, or what have you; but, we do watch out for each other & have an interactive time together. None of us are close friends;yet, we are closer than acquaintances!!!

I also began volunteering my time doing things that I enjoy. I babysit for free so I have my own little group of non-related grandchildren!!! They give me a LOT of LOVE & a happiness in my heart that I thought had died!!! I went to a local nursing home & spoke with the administrator. I started visiting shut ins who had NO family that ever come to visit them. Then with the ones that are able, I take them out to eat on their birthday & do my best to turn it into “their day”!!! IF any need to go shopping, I pick them up & take them to the store so they can take care of their “personal business”. The ones that are too sick to go out, I just sit with them & talk to them about whatever interests them. I’ve heard some wonderful stories & made some great friends!!! I send birthday cards to those who can’t get out to eat for their birthday. The hard part about making new friends at the nursing home is that they tend to pass away & you have to be prepared for the loss!!!

I’ve also volunteered a good bit of time with a local mental health facility working with ADHD tweens & teens who have no one that really cares about them. I’ve found this one the MOST rewarding & it has increased my circle of non-related grandchildren!!!

The BEST part of volunteering is that IF I don’t feel like getting up & going out, I can call & say “I won’t be there today” & nobody says a word. Not receiving a paycheck has offered a freedom of my time that I totally appreciate!!! I work when I feel the need & don’t work when I don’t have the energy..

I’ve got a pretty good balance of busy days & nights of solitude going right now. Most of my friends aren’t that big of wanting to go out a lot & the younger kids don’t want to hang around me all the time. We have our time together & then we have our own “alone time” which is working well for me!!! With the older crowd, they understand when i say I’m having a bad day & we can discuss our aches & pains together. The younger crowd helps to keep me feeling young. They have absolutely NO concept of aches & pains!!!

IF you choose to volunteer you time, you just need to be prepared to set your own specific boundaries!!! People who use volunteers will also “use” the volunteer as much as they are willing to give & can burn you out fast!!! Once you learn when to say NO & set your boundaries, they will still check with you but they’re not near as pushy!!!

Since everyone has different interests, it’s a matter of finding where your passions lie & the best way to utilize them!!!

I put books on my Amazon wish list all night.

Fluther, Facebook, television, and where I live I have all sorts of clubs and lectures I can go to.

I find I eat when I’m lonely or bored, ugh, not good. I try not to do that.

If you can, get a pet of some kind.

I have no friends, but my family keeps me busy. I also spend a lot of time playing cards online.

I have seen videos on YT of men showing their awesome talents with spin tops. It looks like fun, and some of the tricks are very impressive

Just be born an only child, with only a couple of friends only occasionally close by enough to play with, who had, at an early age, quickly to learn to amuse oneself..

I go to a bar and play blackjack with myself.

And where the hell have you ^^ been?!!!?

I write. I write and write and write.
I hope to be rich and famous from it some day, but even if not, I sure entertain myself.