A Guide To Making Friends In Adulthood

The older you get, life tends to fill up with work and all sorts of responsibilities that might make it challenging to forge fruitful friendships.

In addition to the new priorities you might have as a grown person, making new friends is admittedly intimidating. Fears of acknowledging your loneliness, being rejected, or making friends with a potentially toxic individual can creep up and keep you in your bubble.

But despite your fears, it's really great having friends with whom you can share your life. So this summer, it's time to get out of your shell and put yourself out there. Where to start, you ask? Right here with this grown girl guide to making friends:

Get Out Of Your Shell

To make some new friends, you have to allow yourself to come out of your shell a bit. And while chemistry (platonically) typically occurs effortlessly, you might want to add a dash of enthusiasm to ensure that the connection is cultivated into a friendship.

Exchange numbers or handles with that person you always have a casual chat with at the gym and occasionally reach out. Soon enough, you could be making out of gym plans.

Join A Class

Joining a class you're interested in means you already have a common interest with a potential buddy, which is a good basis to spark a conversation.

Think of something that might interest you, and then take a class in it. Because friendships don't make themselves, confidently introduce yourself to some people and start casual conversations, including some questions to keep the chat going.

Tap Into Online Communities

You can sign up to meetup.com to find people who are like-minded and share interests with you. There is a wide range of groups, including age groupings, hiking groups, LGBT groups, book groups, and more.

Shared hobbies and interests provide the perfect subject to start up a connection. Luckily, you know that other people on the site are there with the same objective.

Read The Room

The truth is, when we feel nervous, we might think too hard about how not to mess up this interaction. But try to stay in the moment.

Read the room, and see if your potential friend is receptive or if they seem uninterested and annoyed. And if they don't appear to share your vibes, take it on the chin and move right along.

Build Your Self-Confidence

Putting yourself out there requires a healthy shot of confidence. If you feel confident, you might feel less nervous starting a conversation.