Recently, there have been more articles about people being lonelier, and especially millennials. There seem to be fewer ways to meet people, with more of our shopping done online, and even classes being online these days. So what’s a person to do? How do you go about meeting people? By the way, if your loneliness leads to depression, you may want to see a professional. Here are some ideas for dealing with loneliness.
Hobbies Explored through Social Media
For me, my hobbies have often turned into friendships. I’ve talked before about knitting (in the context of boredom), and how that has opened up into another world of friendships. Stick with me for a minute here. So I found out about local knitting classes on Instagram, invited a couple of girlfriends to go with me, then met a whole bunch of other knitters with whom we now share wine, knitting, and details of our lives. With a new hobby (perhaps it’s a different hobby for you), you might also know people within your circle who already knit or photograph or like to hike, and reestablish those connections.
Online Classes
Even if you are in a class that’s online, sometimes people want to meet in person. And those meetings can blossom into friendships. Years ago I took an online class and am still friends with the woman who taught the class. I discovered the class through Twitter.
Meetups
Another way to meet and make friends is through meetups. There are many meetups for all kinds of interests, and if there isn’t one for your interest, you can easily create your own. For instance, I’ve met many people through a meetup that I used to attend on the Law of Attraction. Although many classes are only available through Meetup, some of them announce their meetups through social media. That may be indirect, but it’s a good way to meet people, too.
Have You Met People Online and Then In Person?
How did that go? And are you still friends? Leave me a comment! And thank you.
Hi Carol,
Very helpful post. I think socialization is the key to a healthy old age. I’ve seen folks who were social all their lives and with aging fell out of the habit and soon after were gone.
I have met many people online that I would love to meet in person, like you. One woman I met on line happened to be in our state and I was able to drive to her location after her seminar and we spent half a day together. It was wonderful. We still communicate online via social media.
Hi Patricia,
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I’m not getting notifications for some reason!
Yes, socialization is definitely key. So many people are unable to drive or travel and that really hampers their ability to socialize.
I keep hearing things about the area around Tucson, and every time I think of you! We’ll have to put it on the calendar. It’s so fun to connect and stay in communication with people from online.
Have a great weekend!
Carol