Don’t deprive yourself of doing something you want to do just because you have no-one to go with you, like going to a movie or a concert. All the people including you are there to enjoy themselves having a shared experience, so make the best of it.
To make friends, try to make yourself go to new safe situations where you will meet people with interests in common. Choose activities that you are genuinely interested in and try to enjoy them – whether it is a Society, sport or even some voluntary work.
If you’re in a new school/club/job and feeling lonely, don’t wait for other people to speak to you. Try to talk to people you sit next to, maybe suggest going for a coffee. Say hello, or even just smile, with other people you sit with or pass in the corridor.
Changing the situation may involve finding and developing a circle of friends, but it may also mean finding ways of learning to enjoy your own company – to use that time more constructively and pleasurably.
It is important to think about what your concerns are based on with your friend’s partner and how this may affect your relationship if your friend doesn’t believe you or doesn’t want to believe you. You’ll have to let them decide what to do with those facts.
It is important to talk to your friend if you think the issue you have with their partner is serious and your friend’s health or safety may be in danger; it may still create a divide or tension between the two of you, but in the long term you are doing the right thing.
If you don’t get along with your friend’s partner, try to approach at a calm time when you can talk one-on-one. Let your friend know that you miss him/her and ask if the two of you can make plans to hang out again, just the two of you.
If you find yourself getting jealous that your friend isn’t spending enough time with you, try to put yourself in their position and remember the feeling of being in a relationship. Your friend may not even be aware that your feelings are being hurt.
If you simply have a bad feeling about your friend’s partner or dislike them for an unknown reason, give careful thought to if and how you will approach your friend. You may need to take some time and self-reflection to get to the issue at the core of your negative feelings.
When you have a partner, your friend might feel excluded from your new social calendar. On top of having to carve out time to hang out with their best friend, they now have to deal with “stealing you away” from your partner.