Any advice on escaping summer loneliness?

I had the same feelings when I was turning 20 and a very similar track record. Little did I know that the following five years were about to be even worse, more lonely and more boring. Become a yes man, try to socialize as much as possible. It will become only harder with time as people are getting married and closing themselves in their bubbles.

 

Yes, the following years are even worse especially if you continue your loneliness tendencies

 

I don't know if this will make sense to most people in that age range, but I've come to the conclusion that romance, as hot as compelling as it is can be very shallow and unsatisfying. Being physically attractive is just not the entirety of what makes up a person, but if that illusion is still compelling it's not going to feel like it.

That itself is a kind of fantasy. It's instinctual, so it's only partly stories and imagination, but I can't do that anymore because that's just not what life is for me. And I guess although it kind of sucks for me I can't even get into a relationship if it's shallow, so it's even farther removed to go back to porn at this point.

If you are going to date, are there INTERESTING girls in your classes and whatnot?

 

There is no reason whatsoever to feel bitter since you are only 20 and have everything ahead of you. I did not only miss the chances of young love in my teens but during my entire 20's as well (I had the chance a few times but didn't pursue it because I had other goals, plans and ambitions) and I am not the least better because after all, it has made me a stronger, better and unique person overall. One of a kind that people would like to be and will never become during their entire lives since they are too conformist and too scared of paying the price it takes to walk their own way and experience true joy in the long run.
Due to a tough start in life where I was bullied and alienated at several occasions between the ages of 12-20 plus separating parents simultaneously, I thought I was never going to recover and bounce back during my entire lifetime. In my late 20's I was hitting rock-bottom but slowly started to find my way back to life.
Most of the people in my extended social circle who had it easier in their social lives early on and who experienced so called "young love" and jumped from one poor relationship to the next are mostly miserable, unhealthy and complacent people today where I am standing strong and start to age like a fine wine. I might have had a tough start but that does definitely not guarantee that the rest of your life is going to be hard, miserable and unfulfilling unless you make it that way yourself.

There are plenty of men who never experienced true love until their 40's or 50's even and all of that started to take of as they took care of the heavy and demanding task it meant to improve themselves.

 

Very timely. I needed to hear this today. Had the toughest isolation/loneliness this year but came back from a really fun conference in Iceland where I met new friends and even enjoyed some flirting with a woman from the UK. Hadn’t had that in forever. Now I’m back, it’s straight into isolation but I’m looking into how to change all that. I’m like you, missed the young love but aging like a fine wine with some cool stuff I’ve been doing along with self-improvement. Those things really make us stand out as interesting and unique.

 

Be aware that for men, there is no such thing as a fertility and attractiveness wall (like the one most women hit the day they turn 30) so the best thing you can do as a man in order to reap future success in most walks of life is simply to improve and develop yourself continuously. You can hit the wall temporarily if you go broke or too complacent but there is always the opportunity to bounce back if you pull yourself up.
Compared to most men who become complacent, lazy, fat, uninteresting, and unmotivated without a purpose in life when growing older, you will stand out as that interesting person that everyone wants to be around.