The brilliant lifestyle coach and social media influencer Faii Ong uploaded a video last month which really taught me something about mental health in adults. The point that he was making was that so many of us struggle with mental health in our 30s and 40s because of the reduction that we see with regards to socializing. Now many of us come out of school or college with hundreds of ‘friends’ yet gradually of course we lose touch with so many. The lack of acquaintances in our adulthood is not necessarily the issue here, the problem is that we don’t have enough friends, which of course serve as a great way for us to live our best life and give us an outlet too.
As an adult it is no doubt harder to meet people, but there are many ways in which you can still make friends, let’s take a look.
Joining Clubs
Much like when we are kids, meeting people who share our passions is a great way for us to engage with others and to make friends. The best way to find people who do share our passions is to join a club which focuses on it. For example if you are a sports fan then you could join a tennis club or a pool club, if you like to read then there are book clubs you can join which will introduce you to people who share your passion. The point here is that in order to find like-minded people, you need to go to places where they celebrate your passions.
Following Up
Something which many of us are guilty of is not following up with someone after we have met them for the first time. We can often fool ourselves into thinking that everyone has their own right circle and that they will not be looking to meet up or to do something else, the reality however is that most people would love to be invited out or invited to do something.
Using The Web
The internet is a great way to meet people, especially through organized meet-ups. These can take place for any number of reasons, an event which someone has set up, the chance to go for an adventure with people or simply to meet up for a coffee and discuss the finer points of life. The key for you to make friends is to engage and become a part of this kind of event, this is how you can make friends.
Less Judgmental
If you met your oldest friend for the first time today, would you be friends with them? Perhaps so, but in most cases it is unlikely that they would become your best friend. This is because as we get older we become more judgmental and therefore we close ourselves off to people. In order to make a friend you don’t need to love everything about them, you simply need to get on and have shared interests, and that is it.
Focus on this post-lockdown for a much healthier lifestyle with an abundance of friends.