Relocation involves numerous hurdles and issues to be dealt with in the midst of this major life-changing decision. The most common one is to be able to settle yourself and your family in this new place. To quicken that, one would require a friend, a confidant, a support group.
Here’s how you can make friends after relocating.
Warm Up To Your Neighbours
Go ahead and meet your immediate neighbours. Hold a house warming gathering and invite the families in your building/society. With the right first step you might find yourself a couple of good friends, very close to your home itself.
Join Associations
Enroll yourself in volunteer organizations, amateur sports groups, gymnasiums, book groups and religious groups. These are great ways to meet people who share common interests.
Meet Parents of Children
If your children are small, get to know parents of similar aged kids in your society or your child’s playschool/nursery. Call them over to your house for a play date or tea party. This will enable you to know them better and will also help your child feel more welcome in this new place.
Allow Children To Bring Friends Home
For bigger kids and teenagers, it is more difficult to let go of their old set of friends. Hence it is essential to help them adapt to this big change. Let them bring their new classmates and school friends to your home in order to socialize. Plan an excursion with their families so as to encourage their budding friendship. Enrolling your child in some activity/sports group is also a great way to increase chances of making new like-minded friends.
Network with Friends
In this highly mobile and social networking era, it is quite possible to find ‘friends of friends’. Reach into your existing contact list and inform your friends about your move, and ask them for assistance to track down some of their known friends/acquaintances from the area you’re moving to. When you move to the new place, prioritise meeting these locals first, so that your initial discomfort is put to rest, and you get valuable assistance from them about the place.
Unwind Socially
Arrange for some good unwinding session at your home, local pub, sports bars, etc, with your colleagues greatly assists in the settling-in phase. People rarely turn down such offers, and before you know you would find yourself fitting into a social circle with the right set of people.
Let Go
So once you have done with the unpacking of your luggage in your new house, remember to let go off all the ‘back at home’ emotional baggages. Focus all your energy in experiencing and enjoying this new place. If you keep revisiting your past, and comparing it to your current set up, you will only end up feeling more depressed.
Moving does create havoc in your present life, but with the right attitude and enthusiasm it can be turned into an interesting, fun-filled adventure.
Friendship is a byproduct of pursuing life with passion, meaning and values that are important to you. It might take you several months to make friends, but if you persist in putting yourself in situations where you can meet a lot of people, sharing common interests, eventually, you will build up a happy social life and make new friends in your new place.
