How to Expand Your Social Circle
Despite having more ways to communicate with friends and family, you might still feel isolated, sad, and lonely. It's natural and inevitable for you to feel this way, especially when you're required to stay at home during the lockdown. One way to beat these feelings of loneliness is to try to expand your social circle, and here's how you can do it:
1. Join Online Communities
Even though you can't go out, there are ways to meet new people who share your interests. You can find and make new friends by simply searching and joining online forums or communities of hobbies or activities like, whether it's caring for dogs, specific video games, political beliefs, or whatever comes to mind.
If you're into any sort of video game, from casual games on your social media sites to board games that match you with online players, or even open-world massively-multiplayer RPGs, these games offer a good chance for gaining more friends. Don't assume that video games are childish and populated by teenagers-the average online player is 32 years old, and 65% of adults in the US play video games on their phones, dedicated consoles, and on their PCs or Macs.
2. Join a Dating Service
Online dating services can be an excellent way to gain more friends, as some apps like Bumble have a less-known feature that helps you find new BFFs. You can, of course, still use the app to find actual dates and meet as many singles as you like. Just be wary of the possible downsides of meeting people through these apps.
An excellent way to sidestep their downsides is to be honest with people about your intentions and politely asking them to do the same. This shouldn't be too much to ask, as many dating apps allow you to tick a box that says you're also open to friendship; use that feature to be clear about what you want.
Another way to expand your social circle is to hire the services of a matchmaker in Chicago. The advantage of doing this is that you get to talk to an actual person who listens to you intently and works harder than a mindless algorithm to find you a quality match. If you find a partner through the matchmaker, great; if it doesn't progress to a relationship, there's still the possibility you can become good friends with them.
3. Join Clubs Outside of Your Circle
Apart from meeting new people, try to introduce an additional element of change into your life. Befriend people that can present new ideas, perspectives, or even a different lifestyle, but choose potential friends that aren't into anything that runs contradictory to your values; you're looking for novelty, not chaos.
For instance, if you've become curious about yoga or meditation and don't have friends who are practicing, then find and join communities that do. After the lockdown and it's safe to go outside again, join a gym if you haven't already-in addition to meeting new people, working out offers other benefits like improved health, reduced stress, and increased feelings of happiness.
There are ways of expanding your social circle despite being confined indoors. Start by finding forums or groups online of your interests, then gradually try different groups who are into things that are new to you. Once the lockdown is over, continue expanding your social circle by joining groups or signing up for classes of other activities you'd like to try in real life.