Thursday, August 11, 2016

Making Friends 101, #2

If you read my last post, I'm doing a series of 3 posts about making friends! If you haven't read my first one yet, read it now! My last 6 tips were pretty broad but definitely universal in their application. On this second installment in my series, we are going to narrow our focus on Making Friends into the elusive topic of fitting in.

As read in these Alumni Posts, you'll notice that fitting in was an issue they faced as well as me. Unlike my experience in Elementary School, Middle School was the first place where I had ever experienced cliques or groups. The stereotypical groups were: jocks, preps, goths, troublemakers, nerds, etc. etc. etc. And then there was me. I didn't identify with any of these groups at all. So, I was lost on where I'd fit in. If you read back to my first post, one of my tips is to be yourself. Easier said than done. There's A LOT of pressure to mold your personality into one which will fit you into one of those groups. After several of my own horribly failed attempts at this, I realized it is so much easier and successful to be yourself, although it can be hard at times.

In all honesty, today I like to consider myself a bouncer across all sorts of groups. I have friends who are goths, jocks, preps, and nerds. And I'm still me. I can't tell you all enough how much less stress it is to not have to uphold some sort of image. It is so much easier to put a smile on your face, be yourself, and consider a broad ranges or people your friends.

Remember, images aren't everything. In my experiences, the easiest way to fit in and make friends is to just be yourself. Come back tomorrow for my 3rd and final post in the Making Friends series!

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