Bell KS I rarely stay in a place longer than 2 years. I get bored easily and antsy about seeing and experiencing new places. It started when my family first moved to the UK and hasn’t really stopped since. I completed a gap year in Australia, went to university in a different part of the UK and then decided to move to London (for now anyway). One thing I learned along the way is that making friends as an adult may be difficult but not as impossible as people make it seem. The other thing is that you don’t need to worry about losing good friends when you move away. The real ones stick around!
So, here are my 3 top tips I use every time I move to a new city or travel solo to meet new people:
1) Get over your pride
My next two tips will be more specific but I have given these tips to many of my friends before who came to me with struggles regarding meeting new people as an adult. These tips work well and are the reason I’ve met many of my closest friends. Yet, time and time again people ignore them as they are worried about ‘how it will make them look’. You have to put yourself out there. You need to acknowledge that you want friends and not be afraid of the consequences. No one is going to judge you, we are literally all in the same boat. How many people lose touch with their university friends or move to a different city for a new job and end up lonely. Acknowledge it, accept it and do something about it. Don’t let your pride get in the way of trying to make new connections – it’s not ‘sad’ to be looking for friends as an adult, it’s just part of modern life. Many of our parents likely grew up in the same town, surrounded by the same people for many years. They built friendships over those years that lasted and never really had to look for new friends. Our generation is different and there is no shame in this! You have the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life – don’t miss it out of misplaced pride.
2) Leverage online tools
There are actually a plethora of opportunities online for finding new friends or meeting people in exactly the same position as you. For example, Facebook groups are an incredible tool when it comes to new connections – simply search for groups in your area or specific to a sport or activity you are into and I can say with 100% certainty that you will find people in the same position as you. London has been incredible for this but I also planned my entire trip around Australia with people I met on Facebook groups. Another great resource is the Bumble Friends feature. There are other apps with similar features out there but I personally stuck with Bumble and have met really close friends through there. As I said, it feels awkward at first but once you get over it and start meeting people, you’ll realise just how many other people out there are experiencing the exact same thing.
3) Join local clubs
Whether that’s sports, painting, writing or exploring, there will be a club for it relatively local to you. Joining it will immediately put you in touch with people in your area who also share similar interests. It’s also a really relaxed environment for getting to know someone as the activity will be distracting and provide a ‘bonding’ experience.
So, these are my tips for making friends as an adult. The main thing is really just putting yourself out there. It’s worth it!
Do you have any tips I haven’t mentioned here? I’d love to hear them 🙂
