Making friends in your golden years

Starting fresh and making friends at 50 or older might seem challenging. METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION

Credit: Getty Images

Credit: Getty Images

Starting fresh and making friends at 50 or older might seem challenging. METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION
Lifestyles
By Metro Creative Connection
1 hour ago
X

Aging and change go hand in hand. Physical changes associated with aging, such as graying hair or reduced muscle mass, may garner the most attention. But personal relationships also can change as people age.

As a person ages, interests could change and home base may not be what it once was. People move after retirement, and friends you might once have seen with frequency may no longer be as close by. Children are older, and the friends you made from these early parenthood relationships may change as well.

It is important to have a solid group of friends. Psychology Today reports that a strong social network reduces the risk of early death by around 45 percent. Recent data even indicates that loneliness is as great a health risk as smoking half a pack of cigarettes per day. Starting fresh and making friends at 50 or older might seem challenging. Although making new friends after 50 may take more effort than it did when you were younger, it is certainly not impossible.

Here are some tips for making friends after 50.

  • Join a networking group. Networking isn’t just for advancing your career. Networking groups that focus on friendships can help individuals meet one another. Perhaps there is a neighborhood group in which people from a particular housing development or several streets in town get together? Shared interests can include the place where you live.
  • Organize a get-together. Sometimes making friends involves effort on your part. You might need to step out of your comfort zone and initiate first contact with others. Maybe there is a person at a store you run into frequently, or someone whose path you cross regularly that can be asked out to a get-together?
  • Get involved with activities. A church group or a volunteer activity can be a great place to meet new people. In fact, volunteers often get involved for the express purpose of getting to know others and to be integral members of the community.
  • Consider other generations. Friends need not be the same age and from the same generation. Keep an open mind that friends can come in all ages and from all walks of life.

Making friends after 50 requires some effort, but a sizable social network can benefit individual well-being into one’s golden years.

In Other News
1
Middletown Moose Lodge celebrates 115 years and $700K in annual...
2
Oxford woman’s family history part of Holocaust exhibit
3
Cooking for one is tough: Some ideas for healthy meals, saving time
4
Our interview with Jay Leno: He’s performing in Troy and truly wants to...
5
Local ‘MAD’ magazine exhibit has 150 humorous works of art, including...

About the Author

Metro Creative Connection