How long do you go without speaking to someone?

When I was just married we went to live abroad. My new husband was often away for weeks on end. I have never known such loneliness. I used to write long letters to family and friends. Thank goodness I've never experienced that loneliness since returned to UK.

Nanpops7 - what a story you tell. I wish you were my friend, you would be fun.

I misunderstood this question slightly and my answer was going to be that my husband and I have managed to ignore each other for seven weeks. Beat that! After that length of time such as that, it's hard to remember what the disagreement was about and we just decide to be friends again.

reading the question correctly, my husband and I are leaving Spain to come back to England because here, without getting in a car, there is no-one to talk to. I'm a sociable person and find it difficult to survive without regular interaction. It makes geting out of bed difficult, as there doesn't seem to be a reason to be up and about.

Too long really. I often don't speak to anyone for several days. My family tend to keep in touch electronically - text, whatsapp, email, which is fine except that my jaw is becoming set so that when I do have to speak it's getting physically difficult.

I too can go days without speaking to anyone and as you say its since I retired it does take time to adjust especially if you're worked since leaving school which amounts to abot 70% of your life.To make things worse many companies when phoned only have automated services

Lost my fantastic best friend/husband five years ago and the loneliness without him is often unbearable. I live alone and work from home. Personal emails mean so much, even if they're trivial.

I am a very friendly, sociable person noone would believe I was a shy child although I still find meeting new people especially somewhere I don't know a challenge. I have to force myself out of my comfort zone but it has been rewarding. I moved 3 years ago (widowed 5 years ago) to a new area to be nearer DD & DGSs. Luckily my neighbours are friendly, after I was in Hospital with Pneumonia I was "picked up" by my local Community Care group, Lunch once a month, Afternoon Tea once a month & transport if required for a small payment.

I have also joined a couple of Meet Up groups & started Pilates. I intend to join WI again at some point. I am fortunate that I can still drive & despite some mobility issues still get out.

Winter is worse as every-one stays indoors or dashes out to the shops but I do love my own company. I have a cat & we have "conversations". I love quiz shows & programmes like Question Time so I'm frequently talking to shouting at the TV.

I ring my DM every 2/3 days as she is 89, lives in a small village & although she does still go out in the bad weather & Christmas can be times when she doesn't speak to any-one. I also have a friend in Somerset who I ring or she rings me frequently. I communicate with DD on Facebook Messenger mostly.

I'm always happy to chat in shops, it helps that I am very interested in people & worked in Catering in my teens & 20s. The day will come when I am less able to get out but until then I'm going to "grab life by the horns" & make the most of my opportunities whilst I can. As my DD said I'm Adventurous Nan, she encourages me

I can go a couple of days without speaking to anyone but the cat. It doesn't bother me overmuch as I'm happy with my own company.
I sometimes start a conversation if I'm ever at a bus stop or in the vet's waiting room. Most people are happy to have a little chat.

Even if you can and do get out, if you live alone you can spend most of a week without really talking to anyone and perhaps only saying "here you are" to the person at the supermarket check-out, as I remember very clearly from the days before I met DH.

I think the reason elderly people chat in the street, the bus or at a bus-stop is that we were brought up to greet neighbours and to make polite conversation in buses, trains, waiting rooms etc. Now others (younger people) look at us as if we were mad, bad or perverted when we do so.

Dee - your story is similar to mine.
And thanks to Babs for starting this thread.

"I can go days not chatting to anyone and that’s fine as I’m happy in my own company.
I have a dog so I know my voice still works lol"
>this<
everyone is far away and living their lives.
thunderstorm coming in right now.
cat1 behind me,cat2 on one side,staffy pup on otherside.they keep my voice working!

I too can go days without speaking to someone, unless you call talking to yourself or the tv as conversation. Even the children now seem to text rather than phone. I am not inclined to join groups, I have never done that before and somehow have no inclination to do it now. I keep telling myself to go to bingo at least once a week but it takes me such a long time to get motivated in a morning that I usually find I am too late to go. I keep telling myself it will be better in the summer , that's if we get a summer this year. I don't like to go to the shops more than once a week because I always end up buying something that I don't need but it seemed a good idea at the time.

I live in a very friendly cul-de-sac where everyone knows one an other. If I feel like a chat, I just ring one of them and ask them over for a coffee (I live on my own) and more often than not, if they are not busy, they will come over for a chat. Most of my neighbours are retired. Besides, there are a couple of regular dog-walkers who walk past my house. I sometimes step out to chat to them, because I know them and their dogs. I have a couple of friends who I talk to most days, on the phone. I guess I'm lucky that way.

Being a widow doesn't prevent someone from going out any more than being divorced or single does.
Libraries often have the names of clubs and local meetings where volunteers will pick you up and take you home.
If you're a carer for a family member, there should be provision in place (via social services) for someone to care for that person whilst the carer has 2 or 3 hours 'off' which woukd enable them to have a social life.
It's easy to think of why one can't get out to make friends but, with a bit of positivity, most people can make changes that benefit their wellbeing.

*would

I don’t count talking to husband as it’s only an odd word and not a conversation. Saturday is probably the only day I don’t speak to anyone

Let me add, I am physically able to go out, I can drive etc etc. How awful it must be for people who are housebound and the only "chat" they have is with their carer, who for obvious reasons, don't have the time to hang around "chit chatting"..... so sad!!

I can go weeks at a time without speaking to anyone, unless the telephone goes.

Babs53, you gave started a thread that will helpful to a lot of people. Those that are housebound and don't speak for days are in the worst position. How nice if try could come on this thread and chat to others in the same circumstances. For those of us, who can get out and about, it still gets lonely when you go a few days without company. I make a point of passing the day with people when out and about, that lady at the bus stop, who spoke about personal things and her health, was probably worried and didn't have anyone to offload on to. Does it really hurt to just listen and for her to feel not do alone for a while? As people age and families become fractured or move away, friends or your spouse die, in a short while your life can change hugely. It applies to everyone. You can send private messages as well as coming on here, so there is awaits someone to listen.

i think confidence goes as well for some people.

My life's pretty good these days but, after my divorce 15 or so years ago, from when I left work on Friday I wouldn't speak to a single soul till work on Monday. One Saturday I phoned my landline using my mobile to see if my phone was working [it was]. Later that night I dialled 1471 and was excited to see that there had been a missed call. Of course, it was me phoning me with my mobile. I think I phoned the Samaritans that night and said to them 'I'm sorry to phone you; I'm not suicidal but I just wanted to hear someone's voice'. I always tried to give lots of time to the elderly patients at our surgery when they were booking in because I realised that it was the only time that some of them got to speak to someone.

Loneliness can affect anyone, not just people living on their own. Many carers who live with someone with dementia can feel isolated as their loved one may have very limited conversation. There are lots of telephone and visiting Befriending schemes in the UK which can help Not only the person living alone but who are always looking for volunteers www.befriending.co.uk

I work 4 days a week but often in the holidays or weekend I can go 3 or 4 days without speaking to anyone it doesn't bother me much at all . I enjoy my own company after years of bringing up a family and being in an unhappy marriage for years I relish the peace and quiet

My mother, after we’d all left home and my father away a good deal on business, used to turn it on it’s head as ‘Peace, perfect peace with loved ones far away.’