You may be excited to start your retirement and spend time with loved ones, but making friends in retirement can be hard. You might feel lonely or left out of the social scene if you don’t know how to make friends in retirement. The following are top ideas on how to make friends in retirement that you can try today!
Reconnect with Old Friends
We’ve all heard that old saying You can never go home again. This is true in many ways, but especially when it comes to friendships. It’s much easier to make new friends than to reconnect with old ones. But reconnecting with an old friend is rewarding on a number of levels, whether you plan on staying close friends or enjoy catching up every once in a while. So next time you find yourself thinking about reaching out to someone you haven’t spoken with in years, give it a shot!
Invest Time
Retirees may find themselves spending a lot of time with their families and children, but they also may find themselves lonely and missing having friends. It is possible to make new friends in retirement, though. You have to put some time into it. One of the top ideas on how to make friends in retirement is to take action by getting out into your community as much as possible. This can help you make connections with people who share similar interests or backgrounds to yours, which will hopefully lead you down an easier path toward making lasting friendships.
Establish Regular Meet Ups
The best thing to do is find a local club or organization that has activities you like. If you’re interested in quilting, there’s probably a local quilting club that meets once a month. If you enjoy bird watching, see if there are any organized outings. Don’t worry about being alone at first. Once you get to know people and begin to feel comfortable, try to strike up some friendships with other group members. This will help make you feel more comfortable about asking for help when needed, as well as give you someone to vent with about all those things we don’t understand.
Keep Trying
There are many reasons why retirees don’t have many or any friends. Often, they think it’s because they don’t want to or that nobody would want to be their friend. The truth is, most people out there are just like you and would love to have a relationship with you! You need to make some changes in your life and try new activities until you find what works for you.
Be A Good Friend Yourself
It’s very difficult to make friends in retirement if you aren’t a good friend. If you aren’t fun, open-minded, friendly, and pleasant, it will be much harder for people to befriend you. This is especially true in retirement communities and assisted living communities where most neighbors are looking for new friends. If they don’t feel like they can trust you or think that they would enjoy spending time with you, it will be nearly impossible for them to want to get to know you better.
Join a Club
One great idea of making friends in retirement is to join a club. Clubs are great because they offer people who have similar interests an opportunity to connect and share experiences. You don’t have to join a formal group, either; if you like an activity that you can do on your own, like book clubs or yoga classes, there are often local groups with members who meet up outside of classes as well. Try searching Meetup for ideas, or use Google+ Events to see what kinds of things your friends in different communities are planning. Once you find something that looks interesting and fun, go ahead and sign up!
