Find Friends in Your Area
Finding friends in your local area isn't as daunting as you think. It's better than letting another week roll by where you find yourself starting another weekend with a B-grade film and a take-away. Let's be honest, we've all been there at one stage or another.
Whether you've recently moved for university or travel, started a new job or sick of your social rut; finding friends in your local area will not only improve those Friday nights, but will significantly change your overall outlook.
How to make new friends in your area
The biggest question of course is how to do it. You can approach the challenge of meeting people locally in a number of ways – this completely depends on how confident you are and in all seriousness, how willing you are to make some local mates.
There are loads of things you can do to meet people while you're out and about. One of the first things is to make sure you're approachable; just think how eager you would be to start up a conversation with someone who has their earphones in.
So, when you're sat in your local coffee shop, pub or library; try reading a book or magazine instead – you don't want to make people feel guilty for talking to you.
Taking control when making new friends
If you're a bit more forward and would rather take control of the situation rather than waiting for someone to talk to you (and let's face it, you might be waiting a while!); there are numerous things you can do to strike up a conversation. Think carefully about where people usually feel most comfortable talking to strangers. Some basic, yet highly highly effective ideas include:
- If you frequent your local pub, offer to play the winner at pool. This is a great way to talk to a group of people and the fact you're actively doing something reduces those dreaded silences. And before you say it, your level of skill is irrelevant! Whether you're the best in the pub (or worst) you will still find something to discuss during the game.
- If the pub isn't really your scene but you're still determined to meet people, the gym is a great springboard into friendship. Gyms are usually full of local people there for a particular reason – to get fit. A common goal is a good start. Sign up to some classes and make an effort to chat to the people around you. Before you know it you'll be sipping energy drinks together after the class and swapping low-fat recipes.
- If you're a commuter, there's nothing more fascinating than instigating a conversation with one of the many intimate strangers you see every morning during your daily routine. Whether it be that woman with the red bag at the bus stop, or the tall guy with nice suits at the tube station; you already know they either live nearby or work somewhere in a similar area... so why not say hello?
Benefits of finding new friends
The benefits of finding friends locally is immeasurable. Knowing there is someone around the corner who you can rely on and will be happy to 'talk it out', is a priceless relationship in itself.
Finding friends locally need not be as daunting as you may think, all you need to do is make the decision that this is something you genuinely want to do and then start putting yourself out there.
What have you got to lose?
