5 Tips to Making Friends in a New City
INSIDE : After you move to a new place it can feel so hard to make new friendships. Check out these 5 Tips to Making Friends in a New City!
My family made a big move across the country last summer. After you prep your home to sell and then unpack all of the boxes and get most everything to it’s new spot in your home, you come to the realization that – We just moved and I have no friends, no community and no one to really share life with.
That can be a very daunting item to add to your “New Move to-do list”. So, today I am sharing 5 Tips to Making Friends in a New City and hopefully they will make finding friends a little less challenging.
5 Tips to Making Friends in a New City
1. You be you.
Take advantage of having more time on your hands with a lighter social calendar and get involved in activities that make you HAPPY. If you are doing something that you really enjoy and love, then it is in those places that you are more likely to find people that you will want to be in your tribe.
From local art classes to volunteering at a favorite charity or animal shelter. Surrounding yourself with places that you feel passionate about, will increase the chance of finding friends with those same passions.
2. Become a temporary ‘Yes person’.
It is so easy to move somewhere new and just want to stay home every night (I know I struggled with this). Moving is an exhaustive and daunting task and it takes so much energy, but if you never put yourself out there, you will never make new connections.
You need to be intentional about making friends. When someone makes the effort to include or invite you to something, for the first six months you should try to say yes (within reason) to all of them or at least some of them. At first, the invites are just nice breaks from lonely nights in your new home, but eventually they can turn into real friends. And you will never know if they could be friends, if you don’t put forth the effort.
3. When you find that friend, be sure to cultivate it.
At some point there will be someone who you feel a close connection with, hooray! Now it’s time to nurture the friendship. Mention you’d love to meet for coffee or are excited to see them at “x” activity again. You could even find them on social media (Facebook or maybe Instagram) and connect with them that way. But be sure to try and connect in person, as well. Friendships and community take time to grow but it is worth your effort in the long run!
4. Be confident.
At some point in everyone’s life, people have had to start over with friends whether due to moving or just seasons of life. So everyone has been the newbie or outsider at some point walking into a new group of people all by themselves. Be sure you walk into those new situations with your head held high. If these people knew you, they would love you! They just haven’t had the chance yet.
5. Follow the golden rule.
Knowing that everyone has been the “new friend” at some point will help you remember how it feels and when someone goes out of their way to welcome you. Make sure that you do the same to others! Be an includer. If you see someone who looks like they may be new around town, welcome them. Be someone who others would want to know and introduce around town!
Community takes time to grow but if you are persistent about these 5 tips, you will find your people. You’ll connect with friends that make a city so much more than just a city — that make it a home.
Here are a few other ideas you might try:
- Take a class, be it pottery, cooking or yoga
- Join a local book club
- Join your local creative Rising Tidy Society group
- Volunteer at a local non-profit
- Host a Supper Club
- Start attending a new church, synagogue or other religious activity