Making New Friends
Summary: If you have a hard time making new friends, it may not be as difficult as you thought.
Friends are here to help us learn and grow. However, sometimes our closest friends leave our life and are no longer around. There may be a time we don’t have anyone in our life and need to branch out, but are too scared to. So what are some ways of actually making new friends?
As someone who has had difficulty making friends their whole life, I can say from my own personal experience that making friends isn’t necessarily hard, but keeping them and getting closer to them is challenging. I am reserved and prefer to be alone much of the time, so time with friends tends to be sparse. However, it’s the quality of the friendship, not the quantity.
If you are too scared to meet people, one of the first places to begin is to branch out despite how difficult it is. How else will you learn and grow unless you take that necessary risk. When something is difficult, that means that significant growth can be had. Even if it’s just a little thing such as joining an online social group, going to an event, or whatever else you consider challenging when it comes to meeting new people. The scariest part is just the initial thought of what may happen.
Being nice, happy, and thoughtful is a key to meeting like minded people. Don’t treat people in a way that you wouldn’t want to be treated. Instead, put a smile on your face and be kind. People like seeing you smile, so make it visible to show how nice of a person you are. However, learn to not be too nice. If you are a genuinely nice person, being too nice can cause people to take advantage of you.
Learn from past friendships to not make the same mistakes you have in present ones. Your past relationships are all here to help you learn and grow. If you refuse to see what could be learned from the experience, and continue to stay in your same old ways, what makes you think that the next person will be any closer or different from the previous one. An old relationship will help you become a better person, so learn from it.
And lastly, be your own best friend. When there is no one around, learn to make the best of what you have in your life now. When you are alone, occupy yourself with positive things. Boredom often leads to negative coping mechanisms and will distract you from your life goals, so stay busy and go towards the ideal path in your life.
Finding this article helpful?
Making new friends doesn’t have to be hard, in fact it’s often not, but keeping them in your life is a challenge. With enough communication on both ends, and pushing past that initial uncomfortable boundary when becoming friends with someone you’ve never met, you can and will have successful friendships and relationships.
Let me know how this works for you. Have a great day!
Additional Info
I’ve always had a hard time making new friends. I’m always nice and accept people for who they are, but oftentimes others do not want to keep me in their life, or we end up growing apart and not keeping in touch. I am thankful for the few friends I do have, even if we don’t talk regularly since I know that they have helped me learn and grow and become a stronger person.
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