Find Friends

Do you want to find friends but can’t? If you said yes, you are not unusual. It’s sad, but not everyone in America can find friends, leading to what some experts are calling a loneliness epidemic. Friends can enhance a person’s overall well-being and combat loneliness, so those who can’t find friends are missing out on serious health benefits. If you can find a friend, you may notice that you are happier and able to function better at work and in the home.

To find friends can be extremely difficult and frustrating for some people, but there is hope. My primary job as a confidence coach is to help people find a friend and I’ve helped countless people create enduring friendships. Here are my tips for find great friends.

1. Find friends in places you enjoy

The easiest way to find friends is to hang out at places where you have think you’ll have fun. For example, if you are into sports, you’ll be more likely to find a friend at sporting events because you’ll be relaxed and interested in the environment. So, you may want to join a club, attend festivals, go to religious events, etc. What matters to find friends is that you are relaxed and enjoying yourself.

The opposite side of this advice is to avoid places where you’ll be uncomfortable. Lots of people think they should find friends in bars and clubs, yet they hate the environment. Obviously, they’re not going to find friends there, at least not good ones. So, be honest with yourself and hang out in places where you actually think you’ll have fun. That will make sure you find a friend.

2. Find friends by approaching strangers

Once you get out in public, even in places you enjoy, you’ll have to do the more difficult work and actually find friends. You may have to approach people randomly. This isn’t too hard in a social setting like a bar or festival where people are trying to have fun.

You’ll probably feel a little approach anxiety, which is the feeling of dread you get when approaching others. The best way to do this is to simply remind yourself that the person you’re approaching is only human and that you’re not in any real danger approaching them (make sure you’re not approaching bad people, of course). Just use humor and try to build rapport with them. You’ll probably find that the people you approach are just as eager to find a friend as you!

3. Find friends by getting their information

The last thing you’ll need to do to find friends is to get the person’s contact information so you can see them later. After all, it’s no fun to find friends only to never see them again. You can make the close by simply asking them for their phone number or Facebook. You can say something like “I’d really like to see you again. How about we exchange numbers?” If you’ve truly built rapport they should eagerly give you their information. If they don’t want to give you their contact information, don’t get upset or take it personally. They could just be private people.

4. Find friends online

You can find friends online easily. While you can use friend finder services or classified ads, the best way to find friends online is to use social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace. Join groups that reflect your interests, find connections via video games you play, etc. Some social location sharing programs like Foursquare and Gowalla will let you find a friend in real life through these social media programs.

I hope you found these tips to find friends helpful. Why not leave a comment and tell us your tips to find a friend? Click “post to Facebook” to share your tips with your Facebook friends.