Friendships

For most of our lives, our social relationships are accidental. Then, in our 60s, we find ourselves wondering how to make friends as an adult. This is not a trivial question. Having strong social ties is good for our health and happiness. Let's explore this topic together.

7 years ago

How to Get More Involved in Your Community in Your 60s or Better

What things matter to you in your community? Do you care how many shopping malls are nearby? Do you care if nightlife is around the corner to spice up your evenings? Do you care if enough bank offices populate the downtown area?
Read More

7 years ago

Are You an Introvert Pretending to be an Extrovert?

One of the keys to happiness at any age is to learn to accept yourself for who you really are. Why? Because you can’t build an environment that makes you happy until you know what makes you tick. Read More

7 years ago

Making Friends as an Adult: The Value of Cross-Generational Relationships

Yesterday I took my 79-year-old friend to the hairdresser. We go out a couple of times a week, with occasional stops at the store to stock her refrigerator or at the drug store to pick up a prescription. Then we visit for a while when we get back and catch up on family news. Read More

7 years ago

Say Bye-Bye to these Kinds of Friends After 60

As baby boomers, we have collected a lot of friends over the last 50 to 60 years. Some of us still stay in touch with people we knew as children. Most of us have at least a few high school or college buddies. We have work friends and social acquaintances, poker buddies and professional contacts. Read More

7 years ago

“Don’t Talk to Strangers!” This Simple Childhood Rule is Killing Your Happiness

One of the most basic rules that all parents try to drill into their children’s heads is “don’t talk to strangers.”

I’m sure that you did the same thing with your kids. I know I did. From the time that my boys were old enough to play outside, I used repetition, role-playing and threats to get them to follow this simple rule. Read More

7 years ago

Has Social Isolation Snuck Up on You? Here Are 6 Ways to Reconnect with People

Isolation sneaks up on ya! Has it snuck up on you too?

I had been building my business as an “Influencer” for over 35 years and this year decided to do something differently. However, disconnecting from that business network for a different focus caught me with a sideline surprise. Read More

7 years ago

Hopscotch and the Art of Making Friends as an Older Adult

Hopscotch. We played the game every day after school. We played it on the sidewalks and in the playgrounds outside the eighteen-floor brick building that was our home in Brooklyn, New York. We played as a way to hang out with each other. We were friends. We were friends because we were the same age and lived a floor from each other.

How do we hang out with our friends as adults? Read More

7 years ago

How to Help a Friend Who Experienced Sexual Abuse in Childhood

Have you ever found yourself listening to a friend’s disclosure that she was sexually abused as a child? How did you handle it? What’s the best way to receive such news?

Here are some of my ideas, based on my thirty years as a trauma therapist. During that time, I helped women who had been sexually abused in childhood. Read More

7 years ago

How to Develop True Friendships in Retirement

­­I’ve moved to a new city and I don’t know anyone. Like many older women, I left my comfort zone to be near my family. When I say I didn’t know anyone in my new city, I mean I missed people with whom I shared history and a comfortable sense of belonging. Read More

7 years ago

Practical Advice for Letting Go of Toxic Friends After 60 (Video)

Nothing will hold you back more than toxic friends. By the time we reach our 60s, you would think that we would have let go of all of the people who make us unhappy. Unfortunately, this is seldom the case. Read More