I (30F) am struggling with balancing my introvert/extrovert sides while also feeling lonely

Relationships

Hi, r/relationships! This seems like such a dumb problem compared to others that I see but maybe just getting it out will help.

I have been with my fiance (let's call him Ed, 32M) for almost 7 years and our relationship is wonderful. I can't wait to marry him. We moved to a new city together about a year and a half ago (I didn't know anyone here but he has several great friends here that I have become friends with as well) and I was so lucky to find an amazing full time job that I really threw myself into. I usually work about 50 hours a week. Unfortunately I have neglected to build my own network of friends outside of his friends.

I consider myself an introvert masquerading as an extrovert. I'm great with people, I can work a room and I'm comfortable in a crowd but then I need to recharge (either alone or with Ed, which is the best of both worlds). My job is very social and involves a lot of emotional labor as well, so I often need to recharge after work.

Ed is a performer and while he mostly works in our city he does occasionally go out of town for a gig (and I did similar trips in the past in my "former life" as a performer). He's currently several states away for an amazing opportunity and he'll be gone for another couple of months. Usually these trips aren't a challenge for us but this time feels harder for a few reasons:

-I'm a wedding planner and coordinator so we're in our busy season right now and I'm working 70+ hours per week. When I'm done with work I'm so exhausted I just want to retreat and not talk to anyone for a while. But right now I can only retreat and be alone and I have no one around to talk to. My coworkers are very nice but no one I'd hang out with outside of work, and all of Ed's friends seem to be busy lately.

-Our wedding is in the fall so while all of the major decisions have already been made, it's more fun planning things together than apart. And of course being around weddings all the time makes me think/get excited about our own and magnifies how much I miss him.

-This is the first time in almost a decade that I won't be able to do any performing myself this year. I found my "tribe" in a summer stock theatre when I was 21 and have performed there every year since. With my job and the wedding I just can't do it this year and I miss those people and I miss performing so much. It's such a huge part of who I am and honestly, I feel like I've been ignoring that pull for a while and trying to fill it with my job.

Ed knows that I've been feeling down lately and it kills him to think I'm lonely. I try to put on a brave face but he knows me too well. He calls or texts when he can but with our schedules sometimes all we can really swing is a short conversation before bed. I really don't want to put all my emotional needs on him since 1) he's great and it's not fair to put my loneliness on him, 2) there's not a lot he can do from hundreds of miles away, 3) he's having a great time with this show and I don't want to bum him out.

So what do I do if I'm lonely but have so little drive to venture out and make friends when I get off work? Do I just muddle through? Do I force myself to try to make friends when I'm exhausted? Try to lean more on my out-of-town friends and family?

Thanks in advance, internet friends :)

TL:DR- I'm exhausted from work but also lonely and don't have any friends.

Posted Jun 16, 2017, 7:21 PM UTC

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