If you’re forty or older and experiencing feelings of loneliness or discontent with your social life, you’re not alone. With the recent period of isolation many friendships have been put to the test. Life is too short to wait for a kindred spirit. Seize the day! Spice up your social life and form lasting, meaningful relationships with these tips.
Friends for a Reason
Our friends for a reason are the people that we interact with for a particular purpose, which gives us the time and exposure to develop a relationship. Perhaps they’re a member of your child’s sports team, church group, or book club. Maybe they are a former roommate, a neighbour, or someone you work with. Or perhaps you met them on a wellness retreat (like we discussed in our recent blog).
Whatever the reason, these are the friendships that develop due to our environment. Sometimes they last a lifetime, and sometimes they only last until the situation changes. Either way, these friends should not be overlooked. Friendships need not last forever in order to be fulfilling, and oftentimes life has a way of sending us the right people at the right moments. All you need to do is open your eyes!
Friends for a Season
Sometimes a friendship lasts only a season, and that’s okay, too. Ever have a great friend who’s with you through thick and thin until one day you look over and realize that you’re no longer the people you were when you first began your friendship? That’s bound to happen as people change and evolve. As we grow, we can grow in a different direction than those close to us.
Often when the end of the season rolls around, people experience grief over the loss of a close friendship. Perhaps this is what brought you to this blog in the first place. While grief has its place, it shouldn’t be looked upon as a negative experience – you had the chance to experience a beautiful friendship, and just because it’s over, that doesn’t diminish what you once had. Friends for a season can bring sadness when you split, but don’t worry – the next season (and friend) is right around the corner.
Friends for a Lifetime
As the name implies, these are the friendships that stand the test of time. You don’t need to necessarily talk all the time or stay in constant contact, but you know that if needed, you’ll be there for one another. Friends for a lifetime offer forgiveness, unconditional love, support, space, and understanding. These are the friendships where you can coexist together in silence, just happy to have the other’s company.
Friends for a lifetime don't have to start in childhood. On the contrary, we often form our deepest bonds when we share life experiences with someone – that's to say, many strong and lasting friendships come later in life.
How Do We Form and Nurture Worthwhile Relationships?
Just like friends for a reason, often friendships are lurking in the people we already know but haven’t given a chance. Glance around at the people you interact with regularly and try to take on a different perspective – sometimes seeing someone in a different light will open doors you never thought possible.
When that technique fails or we don’t have a lot of casual interaction in our lives, it can be tricky to meet new people. It’s easy to suggest joining groups and clubs to meet people with similar interests but let’s be realistic, that’s not always possible with a life full of hustle and bustle.
Homesharing presents a unique opportunity to introduce interaction and companionship into your life without cutting into your free time. When you live with someone or invite someone into your home, you introduce a fairly constant presence in your life. You get to share the experience of coming home from work and talking about your day or introducing them to your extended family. Before you know it, you and your housemate will have many shared experiences and memories!
Many people turn to home sharing later in life as a way to combat loneliness and introduce a sense of companionship into their day-to-day lives. The beauty of home sharing is that you can screen your potential housemates to pick someone that’s right for you and your lifestyle!
You’re no longer in college and have to form friendships with the first roommate that crosses your path; this time around you have the means to wait for the right fit. Not only do you gain company and comradery, but you also get to cut down on living costs and home upkeep. It’s a win-win! Talk to the team at HomeShare Alliance to learn more about the friendships that form through homesharing.
Comments