Friendship is an integral part of life that fills us with delights and encouragement during ups and downs. That being said, making friends doesn’t always come as an easy touch – especially for those of us who are introverts.

Oftentimes introverted people dare not make the first move to a new face for fear of not being appealing or likeable to him/her. Instead of engaging in awkward interactions, you sit and wait for people to come to you. With a mixed feeling of anticipation and worries, you end up having waited for nothing but shrugging and comforting yourselves that you just haven’t met the right people that click to you. Does this sound familiar?

The thing is, making friends doesn’t just happen naturally. All it takes is a leap of faith. If you’re ready to reach out to others and meet like-minded friends that you crave, take a deep breath and read on to find out what to do next!

*Create* the opportunity to meet people People don’t show up at our doorstep out of nowhere, declaring themselves as your new friends. If you mean to pursue potential friendships, you ought to put yourself together, step out of your comfort zone and embark on your journey to meeting people.

The most convenient place to make new friends can be around the corner – the place you work, the neighbourhood you’re living in, the interest groups you’ve joined … You name it! Identifying a few friendly faces who are in close proximity to you can be a good start.

Despite the crowd of faces we can see, the repetitive experiences of making new friends and getting rejected can be off-putting in real life (I’ve been there too). Plus, the year of social distancing may even make you hesitant to meet someone in person. That’s when we have come to witness the merits of utilising the Internet to meet new friends – where you can get acquainted remotely with potential friends by joining or creating a social group online for something you’re enthusiastic about. What’s better than finding a community that shares your interests online?

*Share* stories, interests, and emotions that are relatable Right, getting someone to like you and forging a new relationship online might sound daunting to introverted people. Now that you know how to meet new people with similar interests, how do you sustain your relationship with them? The answer to this question comes down to your inner world.

People tend to connect with others in emotional situations. Sharing your own stories or forwarding online articles (like this one) to your newly acquainted friends can create resonance and bring more insights as to how you and your friends perceive a certain issue. Instead of talking about yourself (which may be intimidating to us), feel free to share somerelatable anecdotes, entertaining videos or thought-provoking stories to your new friends – they’ll probably connect better with your inner world!

*Explore* the other person’s world by asking questions

Once the conversation goes well, you can’t possibly just linger on your own stories and feelings. That’s the time when you explore your new friends! Ask simple and down-to-earth questions like:

“How do you like spending your weekends?”

“Have you binge-watched any TV / Netflix shows?”

“Do you keep any pets? If not, what do you want to keep if you have a chance?”

Change the subject of the conversation from yourself to themselves, which also makes them feel that you’re interested in knowing about themselves – a good listener usually scores!

*Connect* with the right people

Making new friends successfully is a big move – unless the one you’re seeing is not the right one to you. If you find yourself unsatisfied or even exasperated after having a chat with someone, let yourself step back from this relationship. It’s a wise choice to be with people you’re comfortable with, and spend more time and energy on the right people.

Looking for a platform to forge a genuine and meaningful friendship? Soul it is! Soul is a leading algorithm-driven virtual social playground where people can *create, share, explore and connect*. More crucially, Soul connects people from different places based on shared interests. With this interest-based community platform, you are bound to create a whole raft of opportunities meeting people who share similar interests with you. Wondering what awaits you next in Soul? Take your first step and try it out now!

Being introverted is never a flaw, and loneliness isn’t inevitable. If you are too shy to try out the skills face to face, you are not alone. Begin with Soul App to step out of your comfort zone, and meet people who share similar interests with you!