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Keep Making Friends

However old you are

There seems to be a perception that making new friends is just for young people. It’s something you do at University or in the early years of your career before having kids removes your socialising time.

But think about what friendships are based on — connection, shared context or experiences and communication. They can all happen at any stage of life.

Unfortunately, people seem to close themselves off to potential new friendships as they age. Perhaps they think they “don’t like people” (I’m surprised how often I hear people say this, or similar).

There’s also something about getting older that makes it harder to lower our defences, and friendship does require that. You need to be the first to say “Hi’, to start a conversation, show interest. It’s too easy to just get your phone out and doom-scroll.

Try talking to someone new.