It becomes challenging to make new friends as the years go by. Everyone has more responsibilities in their daily lives which makes it more difficult to socialize with friends regularly. There are many responsibilities that come with being married, raising children or building a career. Often times, spouses have to help each other balance the workload, especially when it comes to friendships. If you’re thinking to yourself, “how can I help my wife make more friends?”, here are a few ideas that you can suggest to her.
Below are a few ideas that you can suggest to your wife to help her make more friends. Our resources page has additional information along with our Marriage Repair Handbook.
Idea #1: Join Social Media Groups
Social media is a great tool for connecting with other people. There is a Facebook group for almost everything. Facebook has groups based on different cities, so that your wife can enjoy activities in your local area with people who live near you. There are also groups based on hobbies, interests and careers. For example, you can join groups for gardeners, travelers, social workers, nurses and gamers.
If you lead a more active lifestyle, there are groups for runners, hikers and cyclists. There are other social networking sites like Meetup, InterNations and Nextdoor.
If your wife can’t find a group that fits her particular interests or career field, she can always create her own group and let people find her. Either way, social media groups are a convenient way to find new friends or even potential colleagues.
Idea #2: Network with Colleagues
Meeting people in the same career field can be beneficial to your wife for both personal and professional reasons. She already has something in common with them that could help her to elevate her career and also build friendships.
There are professional membership groups that she could join, such as the American Accounting Association, the American Mental Health Counselors Association and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.
Your wife can join a professional organization within her own career field. These memberships offer networking and training opportunities. Your wife can attend events to meet like-minded people and obtain resources to help her advance in her career. These events will give your wife the opportunity to meet more people, gain more knowledge and learn more skills within her field or industry.
Idea #3: Learn a New Skill or Hobby
It’s never too late to learn something new. If your wife wants to learn how to play an instrument, learn how to cook or learn how to play pickleball, now is the time to search for classes. Attending a personal enrichment class gives your wife an opportunity to learn a new skill and connect with those who have a shared interest.
Classes can be a one-time thing or they can run from a few weeks to a few months. Classes with a longer duration gives students a chance to become close friends, grow their friendship and continue taking other classes together.
Check in your local area to see which classes are being offered. Virtual classes are also an option for convenience and flexibility.
Idea #4: Host a Dinner Party
As your wife makes more friends, you can invite them over for dinner or for a game night to continue building friendships. Ask your guests to invite some of their friends over which will create more opportunities for your wife to meet more people. During the party, you can play games such as Phase 10, Charades, Apples to Apples, Scattergories or Exploding Kittens. Just be sure to create an environment that will encourage you and your guests to mix and mingle.
As you meet more people, be sure to stay in touch with them. You can catch up in the evenings or over the weekends and spend time together by going to escape rooms, breweries, comedy shows, karaoke, bowling or concerts. Making plans to see your friends is important, because it takes effort to build and maintain friendships. Consistency, communication and quality time are the keys to making more friends.
Hopefully, these ideas are helpful for your wife to help her make more friends. Remember, our resources page has additional information along with our Marriage Repair Handbook.