Most of our best memories are made in high school. High school life takes you on a roller coaster ride of emotions, drama, love, entertainment, fun, and adventure. Therefore, it demands meeting new people and socializing to get the best out of it. Although many people find it a piece of cake to make new friends, some still find this to be one of the hardest tasks in life. Especially people who are shy or introverted face difficulty mingling with new people. In this article, you will find out how to make friends at high school.

10 Tips on How to Make Friends at High School

1. Be Ready for Surprises

High School brings many surprises. You can only enjoy those surprises if you make yourself available to witness them. The best way to do this is to throw yourself out there. Make yourself comfortable enough to mingle with strangers, you may never know these strangers may turn your best buddies in time. Also, you might meet the love of your life who knows!

2. Bond with the People with Common Interests

One of the best ways to make new friends is to bond with people with the same interests as yours. It is easier to start conversations with people with the same interests or hobbies as yours. Also, you can join a club where you can meet like-minded people who can talk about the topics you are interested in. High school friendships are famous for setting examples. So, befriending people with the same interests may result in lifelong friendships.

3. Love Yourself First

You can never make friends with anyone if you are not comfortable with yourself. So, the first important thing to do is to love yourself and love your life. You can only bring new people to your life if you radiate positivity and that is only possible with a positive mindset. So, start loving yourself. Also, find the qualities in yourself that you like the most. The more positive aspects you find in yourself, the better will be your confidence to make new friends.

4. Be Approachable

The first thing anyone will notice in you is your face and attitude. The more approachable you appear, the better your chances of making friends at high school. Learn to keep your head up and appear friendly. You do not need to smile and walk around but make sure to give a gentle smile when you make eye contact with someone. It is not polite to keep yourself occupied with headphones all the time. Besides, negative body language can make people despise you in the first meeting. So, make sure to look like you are genuinely interested in knowing people.

5. Start Conversations

This is the most common way to make new friends at high school. Asking open questions can lead to healthy conversations. This can usually be a good start for the freshers at high school. Asking about how one spent his or her summer vacation, career goals, part-time jobs, or even about a recent game can be good conversation starters. Besides, you can also ask for help or offer help to start a conversation. It all depends on the situation. Hearty or even casual talks between strangers are great ways to start bonding with high school mates.

6. Look for People with a Good Sense of Humor

People who make you laugh have this infectious quality of making your surroundings positive. While in high school you might be in a dilemma of choosing between people with high social status quo and people with great academic records. To make this easier for yourself, go with the ones that have a great sense of humor. They will not only brighten your day but will also lighten you up.

7. Relax and Take It Easy

High school experience can be overwhelming. New friends, new surroundings, academic challenges can bring a lot of stress. Besides, many people can feel butterflies in their stomachs while talking to strangers. So, the easiest way to handle all these is to calm yourself down. Learn to practice deep breathing exercises. Take some deep breaths through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Do this for 2 to 3 minutes to keep yourself relaxed. Also, remember to fake confidence till you achieve it. Remember, most people feel nervous when they are talking to someone for the first time. So, you are not the only one who feels the pressure.

8. Plan Events or Activities

One of the best ways to make friends at high school is to invite them to spend time with you. You can either organize a meaningful event or plan an activity that might interest them. Playing video games, going to a concert, or even watching a sports game will do. Try this with someone you have just started talking to and bring this casually in a conversation. Do not feel bad if you get a no, there is always next time.

9. Be Who You Are

The pressure of socializing is huge in high school. So, many people tend to appear cool just to be popular in high school. This can eventually frustrate you and leave you with no friends. Do not be afraid to show people who you really are. When you make friends, who come into your life knowing the real you, they stick longer. Besides, high school friendships are not about pleasing one another but enjoying together.

10. Be Ready to Accept Rejections

Not everyone will accept you to be their friend. So, while you set out to make friends at high school, learn to accept rejections as a part of life. If you get a No from anyone, just move on. As they say, if one door closes, a thousand other doors will open for you. Besides, there might be differences of opinions and choices between two or more people also. So be ready to take them all with a pinch of salt. Remember, you are making your high school memories at every moment, so it is in your hands to make them either good or bad.

High school friendships are like flowers. You need to give them time to grow from buds into a complete flower. Also, do not get frustrated if you have not become an expert in making new friends. Keep yourself happy, positive, and confident. Thus, you will be able to attract people without much effort. Now that you have learned the tips on how to make friends at high school, it’s time to apply them. Do not forget to let us know about your experience. All the very best for your new journey in high school!