I thought loneliness came from having too few friends. For me, it came from having too many.

Focusing on a smaller circle of friends made me feel less lonely.

Carrie Berk Despite having a lot of friends in college , I felt like I was surrounded by strangers.

After a careful analysis, I discovered meaningful connections fulfilled me more than casual ones.

I stopped spreading myself too thin and have since focused my time on a smaller circle of friends.

My 21st birthday party was packed with a dozen faces I half-knew.

They all smiled as I blew out the candles and made a wish, yet I felt as if I were surrounded by strangers.

As I looked out into the crowd, I realized that most of my friendships were surface-level, rather than genuine connections.

We talked about upcoming school assignments, trending TV shows, and our favorite restaurants , but I wanted more.

What was supposed to be a celebration turned into a rude awakening: Did these people even know me at all? I've always been someone with many hobbies, which meant making friends across all walks of life.

Although I'm lucky to have so many people in my corner, there came a point where it felt like I was collecting friendships like tokens rather than forming meaningful relationships.

The realization set in: I had tons of friends, but somehow, I was lonely.

I needed to learn how to distinguish casual friendships from meaningful ones I realized friendships with a strong emotional connection were the most fulfilling.

Carrie Berk Even years after graduating from college, I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd been collecting the wrong type of friendships.

I realized many of my relationships had been rooted in transactions or shared activities, which may explain why I was still feeling lonely.