Back when the outside was open, it was much easier to find your people. When you’re out and about doing things you enjoy, you’re likely to find someone who shares your vibe. When everyone is on lockdown, it’s much harder to find new people. You could always go the “no new friends” route. If, however, you are interested in a few new buddies, it can still be possible in this pandemic life. How you say?

Well, in many of the same ways you’d make new friends normally, you can do the same in this brand new world. The things we all love to do has been moved virtually in many cases. Start to look up things you’re into and I’m sure you’ll find some virtual options. You can meet new people this way or hang out with your current friends this way. So yes, first up, is do what you like to do. If you’re into wine tasting, find a virtual one. We’ve done a date night with other couple friends virtually by booking a virtual wine tasting. It was so much fun. Then after the tasting was over, we had a separate Zoom for us to have dinner and hang out.

Recently an acquaintance introduced me to a friend of hers who had just moved to my area. She made the intro via Facebook Messenger. We were going to try for a socially distant meet up but instead went the Zoom route. This new friend and I had our first convo on Zoom and it lasted for HOURS. What I’ve learned is we have to be ok with talking to strangers. Every stranger is a potential friend.

Try doing a Zoom with a friend where each of you invites friends. You can call it a Zoom Happy Hour. You and your friend could host it and throw out some conversation starters. Maybe you can even do breakout rooms so people can get to know each other in smaller groups.

Bottom line, is be open to meeting new people and trying new things. This quarantine can get lonely. Finding new ways to meet new people could be just the thing you didn’t know you needed.