5 am: sleepless in snowland

The question about love in the previous post was by no means random. I would really like to know how you are supposed to show your love to other people: the ways I have tried don't seem to work very well, as it feels like I'm constantly giving and hardly ever receiving anything in return. Most of the time I'm trying to support someone in one way or another, trying to convince people and myself that everything will be OK, life is wonderful, it's full of opportunities, we all deserve love, hard work will pay off, whatever. I've given away money and food, lent an ear and shoulders to cry on, thrown away dreams, moved to foreign countries, taught people foreign languages and helped with homework, looked for jobs and flats. The inevitable thought right now is: would anyone do the same for me? It's draining me, every bit of energy is gone and to be honest, I have no idea where to find it again. It would be nice if someone for once would be genuinely interested in me, my thoughts and my wellbeing. A "how are you doing today?" would do just fine. Of course, I can love myself as much as I want, but still, it will not make this loneliness that is suffocating me disappear. Maybe my expectations are too high, maybe it's just all about bad karma. Who knows?