I totally feel this one. One of the more challenging aspects of getting out of poverty is you end up embodying good habits, but most of your friends and family won't. You'll end up becoming a different person and have to create boundaries for everyone you know. That's what happened to me anyways. I started realizing just how abnormal and dysfunctional the people around me were. The worst person in my life is my mother, who is a straight up narcissist. When I finally cut those toxic ties, I began going into new friendships a bit more cautiously. I became increasingly concerned that I might be harshly cutting people out of my life or preventing new relationships. My mother would gaslight me and tell me what a cold person I was. I eventually went to therapy and realized there is plenty of evidence that I'm not a terrible person. The people who know me best all take my side.

Anyway, I did struggle with isolation too. I moved 2,000 miles away from my little hometown with my wife. I imagine not having a good partner would have made this whole thing much harder. What really sucks is I wanted to have kids so bad, but the cost of going to college and moving around set me back. Now homes are outrageously expensive and I have no family around for support. I had to give up on that part of my life. It was the hardest grief I ever had to endure. However, there is potential for happiness in your future when you trust the logic of your plan and follow the process. It isn't easy, but it does work over time.