Hey leafyman
Welcome to the forums and thanks for reaching out to us.
I'm sorry that you've been feeling lonely and it sounds like it's been hard dealing with this. One of the things that I find to be helpful is to look at what's going on for you now and how we can tweak it just the slightest. Often with anxiety and depression making big changes is pretty daunting, so just start small and work your way up.
Are you working or studying right now? This can be a great way to meet people; and sometimes even just getting to know people better can be handy. Maybe there's someone else who works or studies just around the corner who you know but not well - this can be a good opportunity to get outside your comfort zone a bit.
What about your daily routine - do you have hobbies/interests? Again, it's cliche, but also another great way to meet people. Finding things that interest you and that you can lose yourself in can help with managing loneliness, and finding things that interest you can help you meet people. If you play music, it might be going to gigs or playing in a band - if it's exercise, it might be joining a gym or a club.
Social media can also be a great way to meet new people; I know I myself have found a heap of new people to chat to online and that's helped me feel more confident about meeting people in real-life. People can often let their guard down online so it might be a less confronting way to start. Maybe it's connecting with people on your Facebook a bit more, or friends of friends, or even joining new groups.
Hope this helps -
