Fear of Making Friends?
Do you really wish that you could have a tribe of friends like you see on Instagram or on Facebook?
You know the pictures I am referring to?
The ones where they go on holidays together, they look like they have no drama in their midst; seems everyone has their own unique personality, they go shopping together, break bread together, sign contracts together, even their husbands are friends.. I am sure by now you get the gist!

But for you, it seems you have all these random acquaintances but nothing concrete. You like your quiet but you love to hang out with people. You like to keep your personal info to yourself but you also want a group of friends with whom you can banter with; you like to self-talk in the mirror but it would be nice to share your fears, hopes and dreams with another person or run an idea by them or even go for a girls afternoon out.. Something that involves people who you know got your back no matter what… sigh… and for now, the only person who you can truly count on is you, your spouse and your kids.

Ok- this is my 2 cents on this and I can totally relate.
So what can you do to find your kind of people:
No matter how isolated you think you are, there is someone that you know: One mistake we make is we often overlook the ‘random’ people that come in and out of our lives. We assume that they have an agenda or they would not get you. Think about the people that are already in your life and ask yourself, which of these people can I reach out to, and make it a duty to actually reach out. Friendship is a two way street; sometimes what we are looking out there, we have ignored because of familiarity.
Be Vulnerable: Putting up walls have brought us to this moment, imagine what would happen, if we pull down just a little bit? Vulnerability is how true connection is created. It is not about pretending to be a certain kind of person just to appease someone but staying genuine and letting people have a chance of knowing how awesome you are. So when you’ve found the people you want to connect with, be brave and show them who you really are. Even if they disagree with your opinions, that is fine. You all do not have to agree on the same matter.
She who wants friends must first be friendly: Sometimes, we are waiting on people to come and meet us, because we know if they do they would love us, so we just walk around the border of introduction and relationships because even if we know who we are, we are also scared of rejection. To be honest, you would never know if you do not try. Show a card of friendliness. Staying smug or disinterested all day would turn people off. Start with a smile and see how the ice melts.
Put it in your calendar: In the advent of social media and likes, one can have lots of friends but still feel they are missing that community vibe. One way to avoid this is to plan to meet physically. Ask your new friend (and maybe a few others) to hang out once a week: Brunch, lunch or dinner. It does not have to be something spectacular, but a way to touch base with one another, see one another and hold one another accountable.
Ask questions: Because this is a sign that you are engaged. Do you notice that you just listen to others but you do not engage them by asking questions about what they said or even volunteering information about yourself? You would be surprised the connection and similarity that can be found when you ask questions. So next time you meet someone new or someone old, ask them questions.
Do not force it: It can get sad trying to make a friendship or connection work. Most people fall into the category of having their tribe already exist from school work or where they live so as a newbie wanting to break in, can seem like you are trying to much or you get the outsider vibe from them.
The goal is to have quality friendships and not quantity and I can assure you that genuine ones are cooked on the back of time. So take it slow and make the necessary investment and the returns would be friends who get you!