How To Make Friends After A Divorce? 8 Practical Tips
Divorce represents a loss, a change in our life, and as such we must face it and adapt to the new life situation. And this involves relating to others in a new way, opening ourselves to the possibility of making new friendships and meeting new people.
Although divorce is not normally linked to a pleasant feeling or moment, it gives us the opportunity to reconnect with ourselves, to do activities that we really like and to meet people who contribute a lot to us, whether to be able to find a new partner or simply make new friends that help us disconnect and prevent us from staying at home doing nothing. Divorce is not only the end of something, but also the beginning of something new.
In this article We will talk about the post-divorce stage and how to make new friends when going through this stage which can be marked by the feeling of loneliness.
Divorce, understood as the legal action that separates and breaks the marriage between two people, involves a process, of greater or lesser duration, which both members of the couple go through and must overcome. But beyond the law, it has psychological implications. As with other grieving processes, given the different losses we experience, we will need time to adapt to it The time required will vary, depending on each person.
In cases where the subject is not able to control or endure the situation, the mental health professional may assess the grief as pathological and require the intervention of a professional to overcome the loss. For this reason, it is advisable to face the situation by looking for and doing activities that you like, in order to make the breakup more bearable.
Divorce represents a big change, the closing of one stage in our lives and the beginning of another; as such It can generate in the individual a certain vertigo, fear of the unknown, of not knowing if life will be better or worse, if we can adapt to the new situation. But we must consider this new period as a possibility to evolve and start a new life again, whether without or with a new person.
After breaking up with a person with whom we share a large part of our life, with whom we have probably lived together, shared countless experiences and even with whom we may have children in common, it may be difficult for us to visualize life without she. But as happens in other circumstances, The attitude with which we face the new situation will be essential to be able to adapt to it and be happy
We can consider divorce as an opportunity to dedicate time to ourselves, to do what we like and to reconnect with ourselves as individual beings, because on many occasions when we are with someone for a long time we lose or neglect autonomy, making decisions. by oneself.
In addition, Divorce also brings the possibility of meeting new people ; The time we previously spent with our partner is time that we can take advantage of to do activities or meet people. It is common for the friends we had when we are with our ex to be shared friends, or who are still married, for this reason, without the need to completely break off the relationship with them, it can benefit us to have a change of scenery and spend time with other people. that have nothing to do with our previous life, that help us completely disconnect.
So, below we mention some suggestions that may be useful for you to interact and make new friends. Keep in mind that in the end the intention is to make yourself feel good, so act when you feel ready and follow the advice that you see can benefit you.
1. Sign up for new activities focusing on what you really like
Doing new activities that we like is a way to stay active, disconnect and at the same time meet new people. As we have already said, the stage before us gives us the opportunity to do new activities, dedicate more time to ourselves and do what we like.
Likewise, by doing activities that we like, apart from having fun doing them, it will be easier to interact with other people who have similar tastes to ours and are surely in similar situations to ours.
2. Expose yourself to change and lose your fear of it
We already mentioned that change normally causes us uncertainty and some fear, because of what can happen. But this fear should not stop us, It is the time to experiment, to try new things, to carry out activities that we did not do before and to move in new environments that allow us to meet new people and make new friends. Although it may be difficult at first or make you feel a little hesitant, staying at home and doing nothing will not help you in the process.
3. Get to know your coworkers
It is common for us to have cordial treatment with co-workers but without ever having tried to get to know them. The workplace can be a good option to interact with different people, since they are people with whom we spend a large part of our time and it gives us the possibility of starting a conversation with them and establishing new friendships that we had not valued before.
Sometimes the point is not to meet new people, but to value those we already know in a different way People we already knew, but with whom we had not had the chance to talk, may surprise us.
4. Benefit from social networks
Social networks may give us some hesitation or make us lazy about meeting or talking to someone through these platforms, but currently they are one of the ways to connect more easily and establish relationships with new people and break geographical barriers There are different applications, more or less aimed at meeting people, that allow us to know the tastes of each person and have a first contact with them and thus decide if it is worth continuing to know them or not.
Through social networks it is also easier to find out about plans, activities, workshops, excursions that are organized and which we can attend. Applications to meet people are not only for finding a new partner, but we can also use them simply to find new friends. It is a more direct and simple way to interact with new people.
5. Connect with old friends
In the same way that we point out with co-workers, We can try to reconnect with people we already know but with whom we have not met for a long time Although it is not appropriate, when we are in a relationship we may neglect friendships and lose the relationship even though nothing bad has happened, simply due to distancing.
It’s never too late to reconnect. Make sure you reach out to them again and meet up to catch up and see if you can really get back to friendship. During life we ​​go through different stages, paths that can bring us closer or further away from people, but it is possible that at some point we will get together again, we can meet again.
6. Participate in groups
Surely in your city there are different groups, associations, of people who carry out different sports activities such as excursions or dancing, cooking, cultural… Find out and sign up for the ones you like the most. This way it will be easier for you to interact with new people and move in a new environment. Carrying out the activities periodically allows you to continue getting to know them and be able to establish new friendships
These types of groups will allow you to meet people of different ages, interests and professions, who are surely in similar situations to yours, they are single and their purpose is to have fun and connect with new people.
You may be interested: “The 6 types of group dynamics”
7. Don’t be afraid to do things alone
When we have been in a relationship for a long time and we have done most of the activities with the other person, it can cost us make our lives independently now, without anyone to accompany us. As we have already said, the best way to meet people is to join groups and do activities, so don’t be afraid to go alone.
We may not like the option so much at first, but going alone is the best way to meet people, since we will try to get closer and start a conversation with them. In the same way, they, seeing us alone, are also more likely to help integrate us.
8. Sign up for the plans that your friends propose to you
Another option, if you still don’t feel ready to join just one group, can be accept plans that your friends make with other groups That is to say, your group of friends will surely interact with other people, to open the circle and meet new people it can help you to attend activities that your acquaintances organize with other people, such as meals, excursions, trips, going for a drink…
