You Have Each Other, but You Have No Friends
When you meet your special person it may feel as though the two of you are complete, and you are for a while. But marriage and relationships benefit from having friends. Friends give you support when you’re feeling isolated and their perspective helps you understand your partner more thus making you a better partner. Friends make your relationship more interesting which adds spice to your conversations.
Couple friends are difficult to find. Let’s face it, you date a lot of people before you find “the one,” and that was just one. Now you’re looking for two people you and your partner like. Being married puts you in a different mind frame. You have more obligations and responsibilities. If you have kids it adds another list of limitations with finding babysitters, stress and schedules. But not having friends can take a toll on your marriage. You need a social life, and having friends stabilizes and helps relax you.
With todays' fast pace lifestyle this friendless issue is becoming more and more problematic. Couples come to therapy feeling lonely and isolated in their relationship, and therapists all prescribe the same thing. “Get some friends.” But how? Listed below are ways you can begin finding couple friends. It’s always great when you both like the couple, but just because you’re together doesn’t mean you have the same needs and tastes for friends. So give the new friends a chance and don’t make judgments on one-time meetings.
Make a list of what you both enjoy doing. When you meet other couples that share interests and enjoy the same things you do, it makes meet-ups easier.
If you have kids, reach out to other parents in your child’s age range. They’ll understand your schedule, and you have an automatic topic to bond over.
If you’re looking for couples to hang out with in your neighborhood, host a block party or invite neighbors who live in your complex for a game night. You like people more when you’re having fun and you’re less picky.
Churches, couples classes and events are all great ways to meet couples that share your interests.
If all else fails you can go online. Dating websites for couples looking for couple friends is becoming popular, and although you’ll still have to go through the awkward state of meeting them, it helps to know all of you value finding friends to hang out with.
The effort you put into finding friends is worth it, good friends are good for your relationship and your health.