It’s so necessary to nurture your friendships! Sisters before misters, right?

If you’re the type of person who accidentally spent way too much time focusing on her partner during your last relationship, a lot of your friendships probably suffered.

This doesn’t mean it’s too late to rekindle some of those friendship flames, or even put yourself out there to meet brand-new people who you’ll get along with.

Nurturing your platonic friendships after getting out of a relationship is one of the most important things you can do for your personal happiness and well-being.

Reach out to your friends with sincerity

You might already believe you’ve blown it with friends you distanced yourself from while you were busy in your relationship.

Now that you’re single, it probably feels a bit cringe-worthy to reach out to people who you placed on back-burners for so long.

Still, it’s worthwhile to try and rekindle faded friendships as you go through such a significant life transition.

Reaching out to friends that you’ve grown distant from might not feel like the easiest thing in the world to do, but it’s definitely worth a try.

They might not have any patience for you after feeling like they were placed on the back burner of your life, for any stretch of time, but it’s still worth a try when it comes to reaching out.

Your best bet when rekindling a friendship that hasn’t been active for a while is to send a text message or dial a phone call at a time when you know your friend is likely to be free.

Ask them about what’s been going on in their life. You should never call them to simply unload all of your emotional baggage on their shoulders if you’re attempting to reconnect.

If you were the one who grew distant from them, you have to show a genuine interest in what’s going on in their life before you start talking about yourself and what’s going on in yours.

Meet new friends by putting yourself out there

If no one comes to mind when it comes to rekindling friendships, then it’s possible you didn’t have very many reliable friendships, to begin with.

If that’s the case, it’s up to you to change that. Dating apps might not be the best thing to use right away after a breakup, but there are plenty of friend apps, you can use that will connect you with like-minded individuals.

Some of the top options to consider include BumbleBFF, Hey! Vina, and Yubo.

For those who are ready to jump right in and meet new friends in person right away, you can join a group on Meetup and attend upcoming events.

There are Meetups designed for single moms, people who love learning about the Law of Attraction, people who enjoy trying new restaurants, and more. Whatever interests you most likely already exists on Meetup.

Find friends naturally and organically

If you want your friendships to develop in a more organic way without the use of any online help, your options are unlimited there as well.

Investing in a gym membership or signing up for a consistent workout class will have you surrounded by people who are on the same page as you about fitness.

Signing up for a workshop or class is another option if you are serious about learning something new. For example, you can sign up for art classes, cooking classes, guitar lessons, or really anything to surround yourself with people who want to pick up the same hobby as you.

Volunteering with a local nonprofit is another great option because you’ll instantly be surrounded by people who are willing to take time out of their day to help others.

If you’re religious in any capacity, you can meet new friends at a church or other spiritual institution.

If reading new books, all the time tickles your fancy, there are book clubs you can sign up for at local libraries and bookstores.

Once you’ve created a friendship with someone you get along with well, it’s your job to maintain that friendship and ensure that it lasts for the long haul.

This means you aren’t just hitting them up to vent about your troubles or using them as an emotional dumping ground for your trauma.

You have to be there for them when they need you as well. You have to show them that you care about what’s happening in their life just as much as you care about what’s going on in your own life.

Having good best friends is one of the best possible realities for an individual who’s going through a breakup, but at the end of the day, all you really need is one solid bestie who has your back.