HOW TO make friends as an adult
One of the harder parts of adulthood, especially if you work from home is making friends. I've compiled some of my favorite easy tips for putting yourself out there and getting yourself one step closer to a BFF or two!
Wear your Smile
Not only will this lift your mood but smiling while keeping eye contact with someone will create a positive effect on the other person. Carrying on a conversation with a genuine smile and consistent eye contact makes the other person feel comfortable and interested in the conversation.
Show up
Put down the phone and be IRL daily. If you are invited out with co-workers, a parenting group, neighbors, church friends, challenge yourself and go. It is often stated that a large part of success is showing up, this can also hold true to friendships. A key to creating long lasting friendships is putting yourself in the physical space.
Say Yes
Practice saying yes and you will see your whole attitude towards new adventures and openness to trying new things will change for the positive. Creating shared memories is a great path for a sustainable friendship.
Focus on qualities that you like about yourself or admire in others
Your identity is deeply shaped by your friendships. Make a list about what qualities you like about yourself or wish you had, and look for people with those qualities in your friendships.
Volunteer
Love gardening? Love reading? Help out at your local library or become a docent at your favorite museum or gallery. Meeting fellow volunteers is the perfect environment to engage with other adults you can be friends with.
Empathy
I feel like more than ever this quality is a driving force and perhaps the most important relational skill and foundation of friendship. Empathy involves putting yourself in somebody else’s shoes and reflecting an understanding of how they might feel in a given situation. It helps them feel heard, understood, and connected to us. Compassionate empathy is not only understanding a person’s experience and feeling with them but being moved to help if needed and welcomed. This is the level of empathy that can really foster deeper friendships.
