As young kids, making friends was a piece of cake. However, as we grow older, we somehow become more fearful of making friends. Making friends as a mature adult can be quite overwhelming, but you can overcome your fear. Do remember that building relationships with people takes time, and you do not have to rush yourself into a friendship right away. Take your time to get to know the people first, and everything else will fall into place in due time. Here are some ways to make new friends in your mature years.
Find a Place That You Like
Go to the nearby shops in your neighborhood and patron them. It can be a café, restaurant or whatever shop you please. When you find a local spot that you enjoy, you can start patronizing the store on the same days and timings. Try to avoid the meal rush to raise the chances of meeting people who have similar periods that are free. Make use of the bar counters (if any) so that you can strike a conversation with anyone that comes by. When you become a regular, you can even make friends with the staff working at the place and can make you a hot topic. Servers will talk about you and you get more attention, possibly from other neighbors who love to patron the store too!
Take Initiative
Of course, the most important thing is to be friendly and be the first to say hello. It can be nerve-wracking but just relax. If the other person is comfortable with your approach and continues the conversation, you have won the jackpot! You may be surprised how friendly other people can be, and you will get used to starting small talks in no time. Questions about the other person are a great conversation starter, as people are typically more comfortable talking about themselves. You can talk about hobbies, favorite food and slowly move on to the more personal things. When you are ready, ask them for their number to stay in touch. Do put it across that you enjoyed your encounter with them and wish to get to know them more.
Find Similar Interests
The easiest way to start the friendship spark is to find common interests. Get to know a person’s hobbies, and let them know that you have the same. When both of you are comfortable with each other, you can even suggest doing these hobbies together as a bonding session. These bonding sessions can alleviate some stress from having to talk constantly as both of you are concentrating on the activity.
Be Thoughtful
One aspect that is appreciated by many is thoughtfulness. If you find out something that you think you can do for a person to make their day, do it! When you make effort to do or get something for them, it shows that you care. Be extra kind to the people around you and you are sure to have many friends.
