How To Approach Social Situations and Make Friends as an Adult
Don’t abandon your social life and exclude yourself forever
Making friends as an adult is hard.
Work and newfound life responsibilities consume 90% of the day. Convincing yourself to spend the remaining 10% trying to make friends is a hard sell.
I say “trying” because it’s not automatic. People aren’t as approachable as they get older (myself included). We aren’t as receptive to strangers initiating conversation out of the blue.
On top of that, there are fewer opportunities. Spontaneous friendship is a tall task when most people are either glued to their phones or wearing earbuds in public settings. (Again, I do it too.)
The next time you’re walking around, run an experiment: count how many people either (a) wear headphones or (b) focus solely on their phones. I bet it’s a high percentage.
I don’t want to convey that making friends is an impossible process — just that it requires a deliberate approach. Strangers won’t come knocking on your door and ask you to accompany them to a movie. You won’t get a text from an unknown number about grabbing a drink.
Instead, if you’re in the market for some new friends, you can tinker with your daily lifestyle…
