Hi there!

Thanks for reaching out and sorry for taking this long to answer you.

Being demisexual, and feeling attraction only after a strong emotional connection is formed. That can indeed make dating harder, although not impossible either.

First, there’s nothing wrong with you or your orientation, it’s a valid and legitimate way of experiencing attraction, and there are many people out there who share your experiences.

As for making friends, it can be challenging for anyone to open up to new people especially if you’ve had negative experiences in the past. Are there any groups, clubs or social events that you know of in your city? You can start with your hobbies and interests and see if there are like-minded people who meet and chat about them. It can be in person or online, Discord for instance has a lot of servers for gamers and other enthusiasts.

Again, it would be normal to feel shy or uncomfortable at first in those contexts. You can respect your limits while pushing yourself a little but out of your comfort zone.

Once you meet a few people you like, you can slowly open up and be honest about your feelings and experiences. It’s scary to be vulnerable, but it can lead to deeper connections. But you don’t have to put too much pressure on yourself for it to happen overnight, these things take time and effort. But they can be worth it in the end.

I hope you’ll get to surround yourself with people who respect and accept you for who you are.

Take care,

Maxim-e, for AlterHeros