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Tips For Getting to Know Your Neighbors
It’s not always easy to make friends and get to know your neighbors. Sometimes, you may feel like you’re the only one in your neighborhood who doesn’t know everyone else. It can be hard to start a conversation with someone you don’t know, but it’s also rewarding when you finally do meet someone new! Here are some tips for getting started:
Introduce yourself to your neighbors
Getting to know your neighbors is important, and the first step to getting to know them is often as simple as introducing yourself! Be friendly and introduce yourself the next time you see that new family move into the house down the street or when one of your friends invites a new roommate into their apartment. Don’t worry if you don’t have a lot to say the first time you meet your neighbor. Let them talk about themselves, and ask questions that show that you’re interested in getting to know them better – like their name, where they’re from, what brought them here, etc.
Exchange contact information
Once you’ve introduced yourself to your neighbors, you’ll want to give each other contact information so that the relationship can grow. This step is simple: ask for their cell phone number or email address, and share yours in return. You may even want to go one step further by offering to set up a call/email “reminder” at the end of a first visit if that feels more comfortable to you. Ensure that you trust this person before exchanging contact information with them – do not give out your personal info to people who make you feel uncomfortable or unsafe!
Now that you’ve officially introduced yourselves, the next step is getting to know each other better. Once you’ve asked about where your new neighbor is from or what brought them to this city, find out what they like to do for fun and invite them over for a backyard barbecue, a yoga class, or some other activity that’s relevant to their interests! This step is usually the most intimidating – but remember that everyone gets nervous hosting someone new! Make your first couple of invitations low-pressure (like a coffee or drink) and then ease into more involved invitations.
Plan events together
Once you’ve gotten comfortable inviting each other over, start planning other activities to do with each other outside of the house! Think about the kinds of things you like to do for fun. Do you like to go dancing? Go for drinks at the bar down the street? Try out new restaurants? If your shared interests are more extensive than that (for example, if you both like to travel), don’t be afraid to email your neighbors with some ideas for places you’d like to visit together or trips that they could host! Or, if you don’t really have any shared interests, then come up with something that’s fun and gives your neighbors a chance to get to know you better (like hosting a movie night or game night).
Support each other in times of need
When all else fails, remember this: everyone needs support sometimes, and it can be challenging to get support from people outside of your inner circle. Sometimes, you just need a friend – and for this reason, it’s crucial that you and your neighbors feel comfortable asking each other for help when needed! You can do this by offering emotional support or just making plans to hang out one-on-one if they need someone to talk to. At a more practical level, this can look like inviting them over to bake lasagna for your neighbor whose mom just passed away or helping carry their groceries into the house if they have a sprained ankle. It can be challenging to know how much is too much when it comes to offering help, so keep checking in with yourself and/or your neighbor if you’re worried about being intrusive! Perhaps most importantly, being supportive also means understanding that everyone is going through hard times and not taking it personally when your neighbor doesn’t respond to your invitations.
Summary
Above all else, remember that most of us are intimidated by meeting new people – so don’t take it personally if your neighbors aren’t as easy-going about hosting or making plans as you are. Creating a great relationship with your neighbors takes time and patience, so try to enjoy the journey and trust that it will take shape naturally if you continue to offer each other support and encouragement along the way!