How to start a friendship when you recently move
Moving is a very challenging thing to do, with not only packing and unpacking, but saying goodbye to friends that you have made and saying hello to new ones that you have yet to meet. One in six Americans move every year. That is over 42 million that move; 7 of that million move to another part of the same state or county that they have lived in. Here are some ideas on how you can start new friendships when you move to a new city.
Say `Hello' and introduce yourself to your new neighbors. Even if you are anti-social, put yourself out there and break out of your bubble. Ask questions about the neighborhood and about your neighbors. Let them know where you moved from and things about yourself. After you have introduced yourself, have a barbecue or dinner and invite your neighbors into your home. Having a friendly and open relationship with your neighbors will help you not only make friends with them, but will also help you build a relationship with them for when you may need help with something or need to borrow a cup of sugar. It will also give your neighbor confidence that they can turn to you in return.
|
|
Meet your co-workers. You work with them daily and will spend more time with them than with your family. Building a relationship with co-workers can help you meet new people throughout the city and community. Be friendly and personable and make yourself available for evening and weekends outings. Whether you are working or not, get involved in your community. This may be by getting involved in your church, community center or youth programs. You will be able to meet a lot of new people who will help you network and meet other people.
Do activities that you have always been interested in. For example, you used to live in area that you would hike regularly. You knew the trails and the local groups and friends that would hike them. Don't stop hiking; find the new trail-heads and areas that you can hike. Once you start hiking in your new area, you will be able to meet new people that may hike with you or get you into a group that you can start hiking with. Don't stop doing the activities that make you who you are.
Take a step out of your comfort zone. We all have one and know what are limits are. Break those limits and step out. You will find out more about you and more that you want to do. This will also give you confidence and will help you to approach new people and make those new friends you are going to be looking for. If you have moved by yourself, the step out of your comfort zone may be going to dinner by yourself or ask a co-worker if they would want to go for drinks or coffee after work. Be open about you are and what your interests are. You will find yourself starting to network and meeting new people.
We network every day through our computers. Use programs such as Face book, MySpace and local web sites to find out what is going on in your community for holidays and city celebrations. You can also find people who live in your town and other people you may know. Use your friends that you have made in your previous city and ask them if they know anyone where you are going. Friends are your source of networking and can help you meet a number of new friends.
