Making Friends (as an Adult) in Baltimore, MD
Moving to a new city? Have a recent break up? Have a new job? All of these life changes can have an impact on friendships as an adult. A common goal is making and keeping meaningful relationships. As children, teens, and even young adults, there can be a pool of possible friendships readily available! As an adult, however, it can feel harder to connect and find people with the same values, ideals, and even humor. Below are some ideas on how to connect with others in the Baltimore community.
Connecting within the Baltimore community
Identify people already in your life. For some, this can be the easiest place to start. Is there someone at work that makes you laugh or likes the same sports team? Looking in and noticing the people already in your life is a great way to expand a social network. Some ideas would be asking that person to eat lunch together or grab coffee before work. Showing interest is a way to gauge whether that other person is interested too!
Find common interests. Do you love being creative? Or athletic? Or love chess? Baltimore has organizations and clubs that meet in the community that give a chance to meet more like-minded people. Volo Sports Baltimore offers organized sports and activities to meet others in the community. Check out their leagues and classes. Peabody Heights Brewery holds a weekly chess club. Sedona House Baltimore has a schedule of yoga and wellness activities. The Ivy Bookshop, Bird in Hand, and Charm City Books hold regular book clubs, author events, and workshops. Looking up places you like to currently visit allows a neutral space to get to know other people in the community.
Go to a friend meet up. There are organizations that were created for the purpose of finding friendship. Skip the Small Talk meets biweekly in Baltimore as a place to meet others, there is also an online community. Girls Who Walk Baltimore is a walking and social club. These groups are often very transparent with the goal of seeking friendships and can take the guesswork out of meeting new people.
Looking at the existing people in your life, exploring your interests, and scheduling time to meet new people are all tools that can help find meaningful connections. It’s important to note, there are other barriers with connecting such as anxiety, communication styles, and not knowing our own values. These can be very tough and a frustrating part of the process. You are not alone! There are therapists out there who are trained in helping you identify your values and guide you through the process of increasing your social supports. After all, social well-being is an important part of our overall health.
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Interested in Online & In-Person Counseling in Baltimore, MD for Communication Skills, Boundary Setting, Self-Esteem, and Relationship Building?
If you’re a Marylander who knows that counseling is the direction you need to take, the therapists at LifeSpring Counseling Services are here to help. We offer online counseling services for mindfulness, depression, anxiety, trauma, and grief and loss. We also offer Brainspotting as a specialized service, and Brainspotting can be done online, too!
Here’s how you can get started! Online and in-person counseling for communication skills, boundary setting, self-esteem, and relationship building aren’t the only services offered at our Baltimore, MD office.
The counselors and social workers at our Maryland office also offer counseling services for trauma, grief and loss, boundary setting, communication skills, and difficult life transitions. We also offer specialized counseling services including Brainspotting and spiritually-integrated counseling. Because we are located next to several local universities, we also work with college students and international students.
Written by: Ashley Swift, LCPC, NCC
Ashley Swift is a trauma-informed therapist who helps her clients learn new skills for managing difficult thoughts, feelings and experiences using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and DBT. Ashley provides online counseling services to individuals across the state of Maryland, and she also provides face-to-face therapy at our Baltimore office.
