I'm a middle-aged man and father who struggles to make friends. Here's how I worked through my loneliness.

• When I moved to a new town with my family, I struggled to make friends.
• Most people my age were either busy or didn't want to welcome new people into their lives.
• I joined a gym and met new people; I even started talking to strangers at my local dog park.

A few years back, I uprooted my family and moved to a town where I knew virtually no one. I had plenty of family and friends in my old city but knew no one in my new area. I had to meet new people — or learn to love being alone, buy a cabin out in the woods, and knit sweaters for myself.