Hey mate! Fellow uk person here whos been in a very similar situation to yourself. I would also say it’s fucking hard but try not to give up hope. You’re already doing the right thing. So many people get stuck in shitty relationships so well done for putting yourself out there

I really struggled meeting people at uni and when I moved back home- it gets better!. For me I found it was a numbers game, of rock climbings no good- try something else

When I was struggling with loneliness I would just sometimes ring the Samaritans- just for a 5 min chat. Just to vent and then put down the phone.

That’s actually what they’re there for and it’s a good place to start if you’re thinking about therapy :)

If you like sport- You might also like a mental health focused run club? There’s run talk run and a few others that are great. 15 min chat before a gentle chatty run :) it really helped me and I met lots of people. Or Goodgym! You do little tasks about town and do nice shit and it makes you feel better :)