How To Build Your Friend Circle

When we were kids, making friends was easy. You’d strike up a conversation about what’s in your lunch box and bond over your love of recess. But fast-forward a few decades and finding new friends and building strong bonds can seem more of a challenge.

Most of us are so focused on work or family life, we have little time to make connections with new people, or foster existing friendships. Then too, many of us have relocated and had to start all over, or have just grown away from certain friends we’ve known for a while.

But having good friends you can laugh with and feel supported by is imperative to a happy life. So whether you’ve moved to a new area and are starting over, or you’ve just grown away from certain friends and are ready for more, here are a few ways you can build your friend circle starting today:

Choose a “friend day.” Pick a day of the week and do one thing to help deepen a friendship. Check in with a friend you care about or have a coffee date with a potential new friend you’d love to get to know more.

Go to any work networking events. If your office has a happy hour or any sort of mingling event, go! Or if you work for yourself, go to any events geared toward your industry. They may be awkward (hello conversations about the weather!), but you just might be able to strike up a conversation with a new work buddy or mentor.

Say “yes” to invitations. It’s the end of a long week and you probably want to just curl up on the couch and chill. Some days you might need the rest, but often it’s worth rallying for book club or happy hour. Go and you may meet new friends you really connect with, or strengthen friendships you’ve already started to form.

Filter out friends who don’t bring you joy. You have a lot going on in your life and a lot to offer. It isn’t worth wasting your precious time and energy on friends who bring you down. If you feel a relationship with someone isn’t all that healthy, then do yourself a favor and let it go.

A lack of strong bonds can leave us feeling unfulfilled or lonely — making it harder to enjoy all the goodness life has to offer. While it isn’t always easy to meet new friends as adults, it’s worth putting yourself out there and making the effort.

Like Will Rogers said, “A stranger is just a friend I haven’t yet met.”

With love,
Emily and the EveryDay Happy Team

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