I work from home and have no local friends. I'm lonely but the thought of "getting out there" makes me so anxious and I always feel too depressed and tired to try. How do I deal with all of this?

One thing I remember my counselor saying when she heard about how I hid in my room from people (paraphrased): "I know its gonna be uncomfortable, and you're gonna be kicking and screaming. But you just gotta do it." Try and just do the stuff you love, and find friends over the same interests! That's usually the easiest way to make friends

I was in a similar situation not that long ago. I felt frustrated and didn't know how to meet new friends in a new place and at my age. I first decided to put less pressure on myself and allow myself all the time I need. Next, I thought about something I enjoyed doing (in this case it was playing board games) so I looked around to see if there were any local board game clubs in my area. I found a few and decided that I would give one a try. I admit that I haven't made any real friends yet but every week I enjoy the company of other people, discover new games, and I enjoy myself. I realized that it takes time to become friends with people and that there are a few people in the group that I would like to suggest getting a coffee with sometime or even inviting them over to play a game as a first step.

It is perfectly okay to be the way you are. Just because a person is not an extrovert, does not mean that he/she has to be alone. It can feel difficult, putting yourself "out there", but if you really want to meet new people, I have found that enrolling in a class helps a lot, because usually people do not enroll in such classes with a lot of their friends. The classes may be anything from art to cooking to health related class. This way you dont just meet new people, you will also have fun doing so. At the same time, you increase your skill set through the class you take.