It’s been a year since my move to Atlanta and as I’ve written before, it was one TOUGH year. Moving to a new city where I had no friends or family has been one of the toughest things I’ve done. And the bravest I keep reminding myself. Moving to Atlanta really put me outside of my comfort zone. I’d spent my childhood and young adult years in the NJ and NY where I was close to my family and could easily take public transportation to visit them or my friends. But this time I didn’t have that option. I felt disconnected from people and from the city. Making new friends in a new place is not an easy feat. Growing up we take making friends for granted. Some of my best friends are all the way from middle school. It was also easy to make friends in business school.
Making friends at work is a tricky. While you might get along with colleagues, at the end of the day you cannot trust them completely because ultimately they are competing against you for that promotion or role and oversharing can lead to too much personal information floating around the office. You have to keep your work friends at arms length. So as an adult how do you meet new people and make genuine connections?
BARS baby!!! Just kidding.
One great way is to get involved in activities. And I don’t mean volunteering for the sake of volunteering or going out partying. If you enjoy that then power to you. But its not something I particularly enjoy anymore. I lived those days in undergrad and had a great time! Participating in activities that you enjoyed as a child is a great way to meet new people and develop connections. For me that was playing Tennis again. Growing up I played Tennis, not competitively. I wasn’t on the high school team or anything but I would wake up early and play with my dad. It was a great way to get a workout and get outdoors. My key to losing the Freshman-15 was Tennis. Can’t say the same anymore since my metabolism has slowed down. But going back to the court and engaging in an activity that made me feel healthy and strong and good about myself has been awesome! And its also helped ease some of the loneliness and brought moments of happiness back in my life.
Atlanta weather is mostly perfect all year round and this makes it that much easier to play Tennis throughout the year. I started going to the clinics at Piedmont Park Tennis center, which were a fun way to get back in the sport. Most recently I’ve been attending the Sunday Cardio Tennis clinic. Going consistently helps a lot because I get to know some of the people better and can develop a rapport. I haven’t made the best of friends this way but seeing friendly faces is a start. Getting some exercise has also helped reduce my stress levels.
Participating in activities that you truly enjoy is a great way to meet people and ward off some of that loneliness. Meeting people doesn’t mean you have to go to bars or go clubbing if you don’t genuinely enjoy these activities. Take some time to reflect on what you enjoyed doing as a kid. Ask yourself, what brought me joy? What did I enjoy doing that gave me a sense of accomplishment and brought me peace. Try that activity out. Because I guarantee that it will bring back some of the same feelings you had as a kid. And these are good feelings to have.