Seeking advice for a senior dd whose roommates are with boyfriends most nights and not home. Dd hates being in the house alone every night and is starting to show signs of heightened fear and loneliness. How can I help her cope?
I am assuming you are talying about a senior in college? Are there some places she can safely go for a while in the evenings where there are people around? The library, the gym, campus center, book club, church meetings, volunteer work,etc.? She gets exposed to other potential social opportunities and spends less time alone for most of the evening.
Oh dear, I feel for her. I think being alone is something one learns and typically ends up enjoying but usually much further down the road in life. This may sound out of the box or odd but if she is in a rented house rather than a dorm is there any chance she could get a cat or a dog? But maybe she isn’t an animal person and I realize most likely a landlord has a no pet policy. But boy do pets do wonders for loneness. NorthernMom has some great suggestions and the other thing I can think of is to remind her that this is temporary.
My D who is in grad school and not having roommates for the first time -is loving her cat.
She also asks other kids from her program over for watching something like “The Batchelor” and wine.
Is there a gym your D could go to some evenings? I feel for her -sometimes I get lonely in the evenings too.
How far is her apartment from campus? Is distance from campus what is causing her fear? From your perspective as a parent, is the area she lives in a legitimate safety concern?
Inviting people over for food, board games, or watching something on tv might lighten up her mood.
Thank you all for your advice. Will be sharing with her. She is in a safe area and school is close. She does workout at the gym a lot, but not everyday. I like the tv watching. Sadly the school doesn’t have a meet up system, they all use snap, insta, and FB events. Allergies to cats and dog is too much for full class load. She is going to work on reaching out with folks who like same Netflix shows, Thanks again!
My d is a little older but found herself in a similar situation. She joined a cross fit gym, I know everyone is not a fan but they are known for being friendly. She has college kids at her gym, it’s popular with kids in ROTC for one.
A running club is a great way to meet up with people, d also talked about a volleyball league and softball. If she has a lululemon close, they offer free classes. I know people from D’s gym will teach classes to promote the gym.
She invites people over for dinner, just makes tacos but everyone loves them. She put herself out for girls nights for sushi. She has HBO so she would invite people for programs they might not have.
There is bumble to meet friends not romantic partners.
D is also allergic to cats so I understand