Making Friends & Meeting New People After Your Move

One the facts about moving is that you probably aren't going to know many people (if anyone at all) in your new city or town. It can be a good thing having to start over and build a new social life. Fortunately, with the many tools available today, it is easy to meet new people and make friends very quickly. Here are some tips and techniques to help.

• Forget the Fear: Sometimes, the idea of being in a new and strange place can be a little nerve-wracking. Sure, it may be awkward at first, but being able to step out of your comfort zone can also be a good thing. The best way to forget the fear of being rejected is to simply accept that there is always going to be some risk in doing anything worthwhile...and then just do whatever activity is needed. Yes, you can approach new people and engage them in conversation.
• Connect with the Internet:Social media today makes it incredibly easy to find new people and start communicating with them. This also makes it painless since there is no face-to-face rejection. Take a look at the different groups and pages that allow you to connect with others based on geographical proximity.
• Keep Options Open: Try not to focus on any pre-conceived ideas you might have about the type of people who might make good friends for you. For starters, remember that you are in a new area, so the lifestyle might be very different than what you have been used to. The best approach to take is to try keeping all your options open and interact with many different types. This will also give you a much more eclectic bunch of friends, and that's always a good thing.
• Focus on Activities or Interests: If there are things you like doing anyway, focus on them first. This could mean that you find a gym or health club, or maybe a place to continue with your cooking classes. If there is any interest that you have, this is a perfect place (and excuse) to connect with someone. After all, you already know there is at least something in common. And all you have to do is just start up a little conversation. Anyone can say, “hello,” right?
• Get More Information: After you have made an acquaintance, the next step is to actually exchange information. Email, phone, whatever. Make plans for seeing each other again or setting up a new event. From here, be sure to stay in touch. If not, the other person may just assume you've lost interest. The idea is that the other person will soon start contacting you and there will be a nice back and forth.

The bottom line is while the internet can be a great way for initially meeting people, actually making friends involves you physically getting out of the chair and going out to meet people.