u/Calm-Criticism231

I'm 24M, Living away from home for 2 years now. By every external measure, life is fine. Decent job. Managing expenses. Call home once a day. Family thinks I've settled in. But there's this thing that happens around 7-8pm on weekdays that I can't quite explain to anyone.

Work is done. I don't want to watch anything. I'm not tired enough to sleep. I just want to sit somewhere and talk to someone who is physically present. Not a call, Not a text, Just someone in the same room. And I genuinely don't have that here. I have 3 college friends on WhatsApp I talk to regularly. I have 2 colleagues I eat lunch with. I have a neighbour I say hi to. On paper I'm not isolated. But none of these people are the kind where I can say "kuch nahi kar raha, aaja" and they'll just come. Or I can go. That specific kind of friendship, I don't know when I lost it or how to get it back.

The weird part is I've tried. Sort of.

There was a networking event I went to last year. Full of people my age. Everyone was perfectly pleasant. We exchanged Instagram handles. I have absolutely no idea what any of their names are today. I joined a gym thinking maybe i will gel up there with someone I know, and i only know one guy's first name. We nod at each other. My building has like 40 flats. I've spoken to maybe 4 people. Everyone comes home, closes the door, opens their phone, Including me.

I think what gets me is in college I never had to try. It just happened because we were all stuck in the same place going through the same chaos together. The trying part feels strange now. Almost embarrassing. Like am I weird for wanting this? Should I just accept that adult life is supposed to feel a bit empty in this way? I don't think this is a mental health thing. I think it's just a very normal, very unspoken part of being in your 20s in an Indian city that nobody really talks about because it feels too small to complain about.

And then you see someone's Instagram story where they're at a dinner with 8 friends and you wonder how they have 8 people to call on a Tuesday.

not looking for advice, just want to know:

How did you actually build your social life in a new city? Like the real story, not the LinkedIn version.

I'm 24M, Living away from home for 2 years now. By every external measure, life is fine. Decent job. Managing expenses. Call home once a day. Family thinks I've settled in. But there's this thing that happens around 7-8pm on weekdays that I can't quite explain to anyone.

Work is done. I don't want to watch anything. I'm not tired enough to sleep. I just want to sit somewhere and talk to someone who is physically present. Not a call, Not a text, Just someone in the same room. And I genuinely don't have that here. I have 3 college friends on WhatsApp I talk to regularly. I have 2 colleagues I eat lunch with. I have a neighbour I say hi to. On paper I'm not isolated. But none of these people are the kind where I can say "kuch nahi kar raha, aaja" and they'll just come. Or I can go. That specific kind of friendship, I don't know when I lost it or how to get it back.

The weird part is I've tried. Sort of.

There was a networking event I went to last year. Full of people my age. Everyone was perfectly pleasant. We exchanged Instagram handles. I have absolutely no idea what any of their names are today. I joined a gym thinking maybe i will gel up there with someone I know, and i only know one guy's first name. We nod at each other. My building has like 40 flats. I've spoken to maybe 4 people. Everyone comes home, closes the door, opens their phone, Including me.

I think what gets me is in college I never had to try. It just happened because we were all stuck in the same place going through the same chaos together. The trying part feels strange now. Almost embarrassing. Like am I weird for wanting this? Should I just accept that adult life is supposed to feel a bit empty in this way? I don't think this is a mental health thing. I think it's just a very normal, very unspoken part of being in your 20s in an Indian city that nobody really talks about because it feels too small to complain about.

And then you see someone's Instagram story where they're at a dinner with 8 friends and you wonder how they have 8 people to call on a Tuesday.

not looking for advice, just want to know:

How did you actually build your social life in a new city? Like the real story, not the LinkedIn version.

Genuinely curious how creators figure out their rates for sponsored posts. Do you use a formula? Does anyone share rate cards openly? I've seen wildly different numbers for similar follower counts and can't figure out if there's any logic to it or if it's just whatever the brand offers. How do you know if you're being underpaid?