Episode 152: Making and Keeping Friends as an Adult

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We are social beings who want and need close meaningful bonds with others.  Loneliness and isolation are significant risk factors for a myriad of mental health difficulties. It can be a chicken or the egg kind of thing when you look at what the cause is for loneliness and isolation. Is it that you developed mental health difficulties and now want to isolate or are you isolating and not connecting with others and it is causing mental health difficulties? Whatever the cause, you can step out of the cycle by working on making and keeping friendships in your life.

Now I know it isn’t just as easy as that because adulthood is hard. I know that there are a few reasons you might find it hard to make genuine connections in your adult life. I realize that you might have an abundance of obligations in your life that might make it difficult to prioritize friendships. It may seem like you don’t have the time or the energy to make that step to find or maintain these connections. Also, you may have had some hard past experiences with friendships. Maybe you have been hurt before or had a hard time making friends and felt really uncomfortable doing so.

I know it isn’t easy but I do know it is worth it to make the effort.  Also I know that if you are already struggling with your mental health it can be hard to make that step too. That is why this week I am diving into what you can do to make and keep meaningful friendships in your life regardless of where you are on life's journey.

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