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5 Sure Ways to Make Friends as an Adult

And Be the Social Butterfly You Were Meant to Be

By Erika PotapPublished 6 years ago 4 min read
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You’ve had the same group of friends since high school and you're the only one in your group who isn’t married with children? Between their kid's soccer practice and ballet recitals, your friends can hardly squeeze in the time to meet for a quick coffee, and on the rare occasions they do, you find yourself thanking your lucky stars for being single because all you’ve been listening to from the moment they sat down is how awful married life is. As much as you miss spending time with your friends, you're almost relieved when they have to go because let’s face it, there’s only a certain amount of negativity you can handle, and they’ve somehow managed to surpass that amount within the first five minutes of sitting down. You glance at your watch and can’t help but wonder to yourself, where would one make new friends when you're an adult and no longer in school? Making friends was a lot easier when you were growing up; it was almost second nature and didn’t require much thought. But making new friends when you're an adult sounds a lot harder than it really has to be. In fact, here are five easy ways you're sure to make new friends as an adult.

1. Meetup

Meetup is the perfect way to form a new adult friendship, because that’s precisely what it was made for. It’s a social networking service created around bringing like-minded individuals together. You fill out a profile which includes all of your areas of interest, and based on your location it will give you a time and a place to "meet up" other people with the same interest within a given radius. From there, all you have to do is show up, be yourself, and make as many friends as you would like, all of which you already have something in common with.

2. Try a new hobby.

Think back to when you were just a kid in middle school. Depending on how active you were growing up, you probably had several groups of friends. There were the kids you were friends with in school, which most probably were your main group of friends considering you spent the most time with them. But you also had summer camp friends or your basketball team friends, dance team friends, drama club friends, friends you made on the cheerleading squad. Do you see where I’m going with this? Trying out a new hobby is a great place to make new friends, and what makes it even better is that you already have something in common with your new potential friend—your new hobby. You’re getting two things for the price of one.

3. Volunteer

One of the greatest things you could do for yourself is actually doing something for someone else. Volunteering for a charity of your choice is an excellent way to give something back to your community while helping those in need. Whatever charity or organization you choose to be a part of is a great place to meet like-minded individuals who are all there for the same reason: volunteering their time for the same cause. Weekly food drives for the homeless or local pet adoptions are just a couple of the thousands of options available to you. What better way of making friends is there than those you make while helping those in need?

4. Dog Park

Your best friend is also your best bet when it comes to making new friends. Taking your pet to the dog park is a great place to meet other pet owners who love their dog just as much as you love yours. Think of it like PTA moms buddying up at their kids schools, only your dog moms getting to know each other at the dog park. Your dogs get to socialize and play with their friends while you get to know their friend's pet parents.

5. Bumble

You may have tried your luck with dating apps and swore you would never swipe again, but thanks to Bumble's new friends feature, you may want to try out your luck once more. Think of it as the Tinder for friends. Hundreds of profiles of potential new adult friends all looking for the same thing, and no, it’s not a one night stand or fuck buddy, it’s a buddy buddy. Like what you see? Swipe right and say hello to your new friend. Let’s hope they’re less flaky than the people you matched with on the dating app version.

There you have it guys, five sure ways to make friends in adulthood. Keep in mind, however, friendship is a two-way street and requires both of those streets to put in the time and effort in order for the relationship to grow and blossom. Making new friends is easy; keeping them is the hard part. It all stems from attitude. Remember chemistry where like attracts like? If you never leave your house and on the rare occasion you’re caught out at a social gathering look like you can’t wait to be home in your pajamas, don’t count on making many new friends. Everyone is allowed the occasional Netflix binge or two, but if you want a social life, you're gonna have to be social. Go out, be yourself, and have a great time; your energy will attract tons of people and you’ll make lots of new friends. If all else fails, try AA; I hear it’s a great place to meet other adults.

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About the Creator

Erika Potap

I know a thing about a thing or two. Believe in the power of the universe. hope my words can somehow make you smile, even if only on the inside. Questions, thoughts or comments?

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