Staying in touch with old friends, and making new ones, can be a challenge in your later years. People change, schedules get in the way, and health issues can make it difficult to get out as much.
With that being said, having friends is crucial for staying well and maintaining good mental health. As such, it can be helpful to know how to make new friends during retirement.
Join a Club
Clubs are one of the best ways to easily and naturally connect with others in your community. Whether you’re living alone or enjoying retirement in St. Petersburg assisted living, becoming a member of a club is a surefire method for making new friends.
Examples of clubs you might find in your community may include:
- Book clubs
- Walking clubs
- Church groups
- Charity organizations
- Card players
- Bakers clubs
Clubs meet regularly and change membership often, giving you a new wave of people to connect with each time you get together.
Volunteer
Volunteering is another great way to link up with peers with common interests. It’s also beneficial to your community, as it allows you to give back. Regardless of your abilities or level of mobility, there are bound to be many volunteer opportunities in your area.
Consider walking dogs in your neighborhood, reading to bed-bound patients in the hospital, or offering a helping hand at a local soup kitchen. Doing so will give you a chance to form meaningful relationships with fellow volunteers, charity staff, and the people you’re helping.
Host a Party
Many people think you can’t have a party without friends, but hosting a party is actually a great way to meet people. You might invite casual acquaintances from the community who you’re close to or even open up the invitation to the whole neighborhood.
As the host, you’ll have a perfect opportunity to get to know your guests — and possibly make some lasting friends along the way.
Take a Class
One of the best ways to spend your retirement years is by embracing lifelong learning.
Take advantage of your newfound free time by picking up a new hobby or skill, such as painting, baking, ceramics, or a second language. Learning can be a great way to make new friends, as you’ll already have at least one thing in common with your classmates.
Some community colleges and organizations even have senior-focused classes, providing an ideal environment for older adults to mingle.
Set Goals
It may sound like advice meant for the young and ambitious, but setting goals is an excellent way to make sure you’re getting out there and creating the possibility of making new friends. Without concrete goals, you’ll have nothing to aim for.
For instance, you might set a goal to go to a community event once a month or perhaps once a week. You might also resolve to introduce yourself to one new person each time you attend an event.
While not every interaction will result in friendship, you’d be surprised how many exciting new connections you can make by setting and following through on incremental goals.
Stay Open
Lastly, you’ll need to stay open if you want to make new friends in retirement.
You’ll frequently need to put yourself out there to spark a new relationship, and you may be unaccustomed to this kind of boldness if your social circle has been relatively small over the past years. Now is the perfect time to get out of your comfort zone and try new things.
Another way to stay open is to give everyone a chance. Not all of your friends have to be your age or even have much in common with you — great friendships can form no matter how different two people are.
Make New Friends in Assisted Living in Saint Petersburg, Florida
There are many benefits of entering assisted living in Saint Petersburg, Florida, but one of the biggest is the built-in social network. With group dining, communal areas, and activities open to all, senior communities make forging new friendships easier than ever.
