Want to Be Left Alone? Be Careful What You Wish For

A lot of friends my age seem to be closing themselves off from the world. It's a stark contrast of how we were back in our 20s but I understand that life gets in the way. Everyone is busy with family, work, working out, hobbies and other activities. Sometimes these activities can make us lose too much energy for hanging out with friends.

Some of us get lazy though. I think this is one of our biggest problems because hanging out with friends can be an investment for your well being in the future. I understand the need for some "me" time but I think too much of this can be a bad thing.

Yes, hanging out with people can be a daunting affair but it doesn't have to be. You just have to find the right people to hang around with. Some people get stuck with certain friends that bring up a lot of drama. I know a few people that don't want to hang out with people for fear of getting into drama or even being in the presence of it. You should know your friends and how they behave. This shouldn't be that much of an issue, and if it really is an issue then maybe you need to get new friends. There has to be a reason why they're still your friend though. Don't let this deter you from hanging out with people though.

I talked to an older co-worker of mine and he talked about how social circles have worked in his life. He mentioned that we have tons of friends when we're young but as we age our social circles get smaller. Some of the reasons why these circles get smaller are same reasons I see in my friends now. I then realized this is a turning point in my own social circle. Even I have been closing myself off to some of my friends when they've reached out to me. I know I have to make a better effort to hang out with them.

My older co-worker went on to explain that social circles are really important in your life especially when you get older. As those social circles dwindle so does your sanity. He went on by explaining to me that humans are social beings. We need people to interact with or else we're going to go crazy. Loneliness is a hard thing to go through and we hear about it in the news a lot. It's not a secret that senior citizens can get quite lonely and this is probably because of the smaller social circle. Who wants to go old and live in a self made prison isolated from society? I spoke with a few other co-workers that confirmed these findings (they're around the same age as my older co-worker).

So I know that maybe today it might seem like it takes a lot of work and energy to hang out with friends but it's important. Family is important but even they can be busy at times and you don't want to be intruding on their lives all the time. Hanging out with friends can be an investment for your mental well-being. It feels good today and it will feel good in the future. You'll always be able to share old stories and feel comfortable asking them to hang out.

It's never too late to find friends too. My co-worker mentioned that yes your social circle may dwindle as you get older but today with social media and the Internet, it's much easier to find like minded people. The only thing is that you have to be proactive and go for it. Don't get lazy on your friends because if you get lazy with your friends you're essentially getting lazy on yourself.