Surviving moving (as an introvert)

[IslandGirl_Becks]

I hate moving. I love going places, hate moving. I'm slow to make friends, even slower to make close friends. A month ago, I found myself starting over solo in a new city. I'm at a bit of a loss as to how to how to re-build my life and where to find community in this new place. 

 

For those of you who've done it, how did you re-build your life when you've been uprooted? How do you find 'your people'? 

 

(also, anyone in the greater Portland, OR area want to meet up and do something nerdy or fitness related?)

[Anim07734]

In my experience, the best option is to start with people you interact with anyway, like coworkers.  They may not be your people, but you won't know if you don't take the time to talk with them.  As introverts, we want to focus on low stress environments, like lunch, preferably with a medium sized group where you don't feel overwhelmed, but can still break off into smaller conversations.  And don't be afraid to try their interests, if you get invited to something.  You never know when you'll find a new passion.

 

You can also search online for "your interest" in "your location" and go check out the results.  Just understand that most of our people are also introverts, so it can take effort to find them.  I lost count of how many people came into my old game store looking for a DnD group, but expected someone else to do the work of arranging it.  Even with us telling them day and time to show up to meet everyone, we'd never see them again.

[Frost of the Gloaming]

I don't know if you run or not but Portland is a major running city; so one thing you could look into is a running club; not only will you get to meet people, running with a group makes training easier. 

[IslandGirl_Becks]

1 hour ago, Anim07734 said:

the best option is to start with people you interact with anyway, like coworkers

I entirely agree. I forgot to mention, I work remotely. My closest coworker is 300 miles away, and most of them are in Quebec! I'm trying out a co-working space this week, but I'm out of town one week every month, so it makes it hard for me to be a "regular" anywhere. 

 

I've also joined a crafting meetup (the knitters don't mind me chip carving at their knitting table), a German language class, and am trying out gyms that have group classes. There's a point where the alone-ness is more wearing than the effort of going out and meeting people multiple times a week. 

 

46 minutes ago, Frost of the Gloaming said:

I don't know if you run or not but Portland is a major running city; so one thing you could look into is a running club; not only will you get to meet people, running with a group makes training easier. 

I am slowly getting back into running. Once I can do 3+ miles, I'll think about doing a club. 

[Dilnad]

18 hours ago, IslandGirl_Becks said:

I am slowly getting back into running. Once I can do 3+ miles, I'll think about doing a club. 

Check out your local Fleet Feet. The one here does a "No Boundaries" training group that trains for a 5K. Lots of fun!!

[Red1263]

Meetup.com has a bunch of groups and events that you can attend

[IslandGirl_Becks]

On 9/5/2019 at 6:07 PM, Red1263 said:

Meetup.com has a bunch of groups and events that you can attend

I found my knitting group on Meetup. I'm not a knitter, but they let me bring my whittling projects and make chips while they click sticks. 

[Red1263]

On 10/3/2019 at 8:16 AM, IslandGirl_Becks said:

I found my knitting group on Meetup. I'm not a knitter, but they let me bring my whittling projects and make chips while they click sticks. 

Now I'm imagining a goblin saying something like, "Yesss! YESSS! The clicking of the sticks makes the soft mail! Keep bad cold away! Keep Grog warm!"

I'm glad you've found your friends!