alt Hacker NewsI'm going to assume you no longer live near family, or are not close to them. I was severely depressed for over a year where I lived alone (across the country from my parents) without pets after a painful breakup. Getting a remote job and moving back closer to my parents/cousins/grandmother helped the most, but other things that help(ed):
* Going to restaurants with bars (like diners or sushi bars) where I could attempt to make small talk with servers
* Regularly going to the gym. Cliche, I know, but at least 3 times a week at the same times and I started becoming friendly with other regulars who had similar schedules. If you get friendly enough with someone, don't be afraid to ask if they wanna get food or beer after.
* Volunteering (cliche as well, but it helps) at the same place once a week. I volunteered for a high school bringing near-spoiled produce from local supermarkets to their horticulture club. There's loads of ways to get involved, but maybe start with your city/county's website to look for volunteer opportunities, ideally ones where you see the same people every time. This lets you build trust and community with folks who are often from different walks of life.
My situation was nowhere similar to yours or OP’s, but back when I was dealing with depression a church group I was volunteering with was one of the main factors in my recovery. I met people that really helped me change for the better and helped give me at least a temporary purpose in life.
There were some days when I didn’t want to do anything, but due to my obligations as a formal member of the group I had to show up. This really helped me since it really forced me to get out and actually do something and not doomscroll YouTube Shorts.
I don’t want to make this specific to any religion or belief system, but in my experience groups centered around a place of worship and focused on service are some of the best ways to create social bonds as an adult. There are also other men’s groups that aren’t religious that fit this: Lions Club, Rotary Club, Veterans Outposts.