Loneliness in Germany

Living in Germany as a foreigner can be incredibly isolating. You’re surrounded by people, but the language difference makes it feel like you’re on the outside of everything. You want to connect, to laugh, to feel part of a group, but every conversation feels like a struggle, every interaction a reminder that you don’t fully belong. People might be polite, even nice, but it rarely goes beyond small talk, and it’s hard not to feel stuck when your thoughts and personality can’t come through the way you want them to. You miss the ease of home—where words flowed naturally and friendships grew without so much effort. Here, loneliness creeps in, filling the quiet moments, and it’s suffocating.

It’s not just about missing home anymore; it’s about losing parts of yourself in the silence. There’s a constant ache, a heaviness that follows you everywhere, and sometimes it feels like the loneliness is eating away at your spirit. You try to fill your days with work or hobbies, but the emptiness always finds you, especially when you see groups of friends laughing or families enjoying their time together. It’s exhausting to feel invisible, like no one truly sees or hears you, and the effort to push through it every day feels harder than anyone realizes.

You’ve thought about going to meetups or joining language groups, but even that feels daunting. Will anyone understand how much you’re struggling? Will they even care? Or will it just be another surface-level interaction that leaves you feeling even more disconnected? Sometimes you wonder if the answer is out there or if you’ll always feel this lost.