To ask how best to make friends?

[holiday125]

I'm feeling a bit sad at the moment as I've realised I've drifted away/grown away from many of my friends. I still chat to them and I think they'd be there if I needed them but if I'm honest, I don't have anything in common with them anymore.

I used to be really confident but now I am painfully shy and just don't know how/where to start meeting new friends. I'm not sure how I've changed so much it's just hit me today, the realisation.

I realise I must sound a bit sad but I was hoping someone might have some tips for me?

I don’t think it sounds sad! Friendships change and the older you get the harder it is to meet people. Do you have any hobbies? Do you have kids and could meet mums that way?

I know it's a cliché but joining a club or group related to a hobby/sport/interest you have is always a good way to meet like minded people

I don't have any hobbies to be honest, although I have a big family I'm really close to and spend a lot of time with them.

I am currently pregnant and really hoping that I'll be an active mother and hopefully some of the groups I go to with my child will help me make friends. Although I am only 3 months so could do with making an effort now.

My DH works away in the week so I'm on my own a lot, which mostly I don't mind but sometimes it would be nice to have a catch up or do an activity with a friend. He encourages me to be friends with his friends wife but we just don't have anything in common - which probably makes me sound really hard work.

My best friend i met in a 1-2-1 meeting to go over work i was substituting her for.

One close friend i picked up on the bus.

One friend i made while teaching her a foreign language.

Two friends are old colleagues from aeons ago.

One friend i stole off a good colleague (no not Wendying, it's a running joke between us! We arw all still good friends).

I actually don't belong to any groups or clubs, absolutely no time for that. Friendships, for me, seem to grow just organically, with an easiness. People that show signs of being needy or starting to want slightly outrageous favours, etc etc, i just back off slowly and politely.

Having said all that, i don't see all these friends very often! One is in S America, one in USA, one is in London (i'm in Spain). The ones here we try to meet once/twice a month.