Fear of Making Friends is often referred to as social anxiety disorder. However, Fear of Making Friends just sounds better. It’s a shockingly common Fear to have. Even more common than something like Fear of Babies. Though it’s slightly less common than Fear of Heights. This Fear is usually the result of people not knowing what to do with their hands during conversation. I’m not an expert on the topic but I’m pretty sure that’s right. Anyone who tells you they prefer to be alone is either a liar or just doesn’t want to spend time with you. For as much as people hate people, people also enjoy spending time with people. Fear of Making Friends is what separates humans from the animals who would prefer to eat your flesh rather than coming over to watch a bad movie on Netflix.
Getting Acquainted With Fear of Making Friends
Making new friends is difficult for lots of people. Developing a Fear of Making New Friends is easier than ever! The year 2020 has already provided us with so much. You’ve got the plague 2.0, reality TV shows, and handy mobile apps that allow you to apply a dozen filters before sharing a selfie to ensure you look your best (read: a fake version but one most suitable for social sharing). It’s hard to tell who is real and who is really fake. In a cruel twist of irony, self-esteem issues are the thread that would help unite people together but everyone is too afraid to share that information about themselves. The secret is concealing your true identity by only revealing yourself in blog-form on the internet. Scientists estimate by the year 2022, over 90% of all relationships will originate from online catfishing. What a time to be alive.
Trying to meet someone new and simultaneously make a strong first impression is impossible. You basically have two options: You can completely embarrass yourself but have that memory be the foundation of a great, long-lasting friendship. Or you leave a lasting impression on someone but forget to ask for their contact information so you never see them again. Somewhere in the middle of the two sides is never learning the first name of someone until it’s way too late to ask. Like standing at the altar way too late. When in doubt, you can always earn your way to friendship via subtle reminders to encourage social sharing of great internet content or even shameless self-promotion of great content.
The Secret to Conquering Your Fear of Making Friends
So what is the secret to getting over your Fear of Making Friends? Well, it’s certainly not click-bait headlines and ambiguous promises. Making friends doesn’t come easy to a lot of people and that’s okay. The first step is admitting you have a problem while the second step is understanding the only problem is thinking that you have a problem. People should never be judged by the number of friends they have. Quality friends are much more important than quantity. If someone doesn’t accept you for who you are, they aren’t a real friend.
In order to face your Fear of Making Friends, try putting yourself out there. Reach out to someone you haven’t spoken to in a while to see how they are doing. Join an online group or forum for a topic you are interested in and share your common thoughts or opinions. You never know what might happen. It might just be what someone else needs to get a new friendship started. Contrary to popular belief, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Note: That expression was supposed to help inspire you to start the process of making new friends, not inspire you to construct a city.
