The hardest part of being lonely is knowing family and friends have no idea.

At 25 years old, I’m the only child of a single father who has been chronically ill for the past 2 years. He refuses to make an effort to make friends in our small hometown that we moved to 2 years ago for his health (because of a pre-existing condition he’s already high risk and so he’s very isolated and I basically have the sole responsibility of taking care of him). <br><br>I have a good paying career that allows me to work full time and be on call after hours and weekends when needed. I’m not complaining about my job. It is rewarding, challenging and I generally enjoy it. <br><br>My boyfriend of 3 years recently broke up with me because my work life balance is Frontline work is taking such a toll on my mental health and I’m not the girlfriend he met. I agree. I feel terrible and I’m considered highly functional for someone with a mental illness. <br><br>I want to move for work in a year or 2 but I can’t leave my dad. I’m exhausted by the idea of dating at this point and it’s also really hard to meet people in this field. On top of that, it’s so hard to meet people outside of work because of COVID and I have an essential job and need to be careful so it’s a terrible combination for building friendships and relationships. <br><br>When I vent to friends or my mom they never really get it. They basically tell me I have nothing to complain about or that everyone has it hard and that I need to put in effort to make friends. But I don’t see how when I’m working 12 hours a day, nights and weekends, taking care of a sick parent, and trying to spend time taking care of myself and having just enough time for a (short) workout and a shower to keep my job. <br><br>It’s so frustrating and I thought joining this sub would help. It has a little but I just wanted to vent. Feel free to comment your thoughts if you feel the same way :)