Dear Teena,
I really hope you might be able to help me out a bit. I’m in 8th grade right now and it’s been alright, but I have come to understand that I honestly really only have one close friend, and everybody else is just an acquaintance. I became distant from my old best friends last year because they became “popular” and now I see them on Facebook and Instagram, going out with random people, and I get extremely disappointed. It feels like it doesn’t matter how hard I try; I cannot make friends with people because they just look at me as an acquaintance. As a result, I devote time with my one best friend and she is the complete reversal of me. She is not very talkative and she enjoys hanging with a small friend group, but I like speaking with a lot of people and socializing in groups. Sometimes I feel really depressed where I don’t even want to do anything any longer. I am an A+ student, but my grades have been slipping down as a consequence of everything that’s happening. All I am saying is that I want more friends in my life. I am a talkative and social girl; I just can’t move past the acquaintance stage with other people. Help!
You can be as social and talkative as you let yourself be! Make it a point to join a club. This is a great way to get to know people who have the same interests as you. Attending your school’s sports events could be a picture perfect change to re-connect with your old friends and make new ones. You can be friends with all different types of people. You can have friends who like to go out, and you can have friends who would prefer to stay home and binge watch Netflix. Having a diversity of friends really keeps you stable, balanced, and less worried. You will be able to go to gatherings occasionally when you want, but still stay home and put emphasis on different responsibilities, such as studying and homework, when you need to. You really just have to put yourself out there. If people see that you are making the initial attempt and putting energy into accepting their viewpoint, it will help them feel relaxed with you and make it more probable that they will move past the acquaintance stage. Friendships take time to grow, so be persistent and patient, but most importantly, be yourself!! Before you know it, you’ll find a great group of girls will become your close friends!
XOXO
TEENA
