How to make friends and Release Anxiety
Make friends and meeting new people is not easy, especially if you are in a new town or environment. It might take a little effort, and sometimes you might have to step out of your comfort zone so that you can make a friend. Even as you struggle to make friends you need to ensure that you are making the right friends.
Here are some tips to make new friends:
Put yourself out there
To make friends, you need to ensure that you are in the right place. Do not be afraid to put yourself out there and meet new people by hanging out in areas where you will meet the friends you like. When you want to make like-minded friends, you need to do the following:
- Join groups with people who share the same interest as you. This can be a gardening club, chess club, cycling enthusiasts, dance club, and many more that are available in your locale.
- Volunteer
- Attend functions and parties
- Join an online community
- Get involved in church activities if you are religious
- Join school clubs and sporting activities if you are still in school
Start a conversation
Once you get to a place where you are likely to make friends, you need to take a step and start a conversation. You can start by making small talk to get something to start a conversation and make a friend that you share a comment interest with.
It is not easy for many people to talk, especially when they are in a new environment, so take the first step and say high. Small talk can range from talking about something simple like food to even the weather.
Comment on something you notice about the other person, like shoes, car, and anything else that can act as a conversation starter between you. Follow up after they answer with a question and ensure you keep a conversation going.
Make eye contact, and do not dismiss anyone’s thoughts so that you can get to know them better.
Be Yourself
To make genuine friends, you need to ensure that you are yourself to connect with people of the same interests. You need to know that you will make friends that you can share a lot with when you are yourself, but when you are not real, you will make fake friends who will not last long anyway.
Ask them for lunch or coffee.
Once you introduce yourself to someone, you can ask them to join you for lunch or coffee. If you have any sports in common, you can also watch a game together or play together. You can do so many things with a new friend like bowling, darts, and many more that you can think of so that you can have fun together.
Ensure that you keep in touch once you connect with a new friend and keep a conversation going even when you cannot meet daily. Find things you have in common to talk about them while also taking part in the same activities.
