Making friends beyond the heyday of our youth, teens and 20s can be a challenge for many people.
As we move away from education and social lives among peers with shared interests and situations, finding things in common with new people can be difficult for even the most active. Some will drift apart from earlier friends through changes in lifestyle or location, some simply lose touch.
But there are always success stories. We’d like to hear from people who have forged new friendships at different stages of their adult lives, and to understand the issues involved. For some, loneliness or social isolation leads them to join groups or services that help people find friendship; some may be “content” but meet new people through circumstance.
Whichever it was for you and whatever stage of life you are in, we’d like to hear about the process, and the successful relationships you have formed.
Share your experiences
Tell us about the friendships you’ve developed as an adult and what they mean to you using the form below. How did you meet? Were you actively seeking new friends or did you just happen upon the relationship through work, family or another set of circumstances? If you met through a group or organisation, tell us about it and how it worked for you. How are your friendships different to those you made at another stage of life?
If you have struggled to make new friendships at a particular stage of life, you can also get in touch and tell us your experiences.
You can also upload photographs that tell your story and we’ll feature some of your stories as part of an article in the Guardian.
- If you are having trouble using the form, click here.
