At the end of seventh grade, my family and I relocated to another city. Suddenly, I was the new kid. I left behind friends, a home, activities, some family. It was hard – starting over. Now, I had to find myself somewhere between all these people, who already knew each other and formed connections. As is, I have a hard time making friends, so until I achieved it in my old school, I now had to do it again.

Getty Images/ DigitalVision/ Image Source

I know that at the end of the day, these people, just like me, are people. I shouldn’t be so nervous to talk to them, but I am and was. It was difficult, but I had to collect the strength to start conversations, and pretend to be comfortable even if I’m not. For a few weeks after my move, I have yet to make a friend in my new school. Yes, I knew from people from the clubs I was in, but they weren’t my friends, just people I knew. I thought that maybe I just shouldn’t talk, but wait for people to approach me on their own. I was afraid that by talking, I would be open to judgment; that I might ruin my chances to make friends.

What I failed to understand was that by not being myself, I was blocking my chances to make friends. I was the one who stood in my way to make friends because I didn’t allow people to get to know the real me. As time went by, I allowed my barriers to go down and gather the nerves to interact with others. I started a few conversations, made some connections, and got out of my comfort zone for a change. It was a long and tough process, but it happened eventually. You can’t expect everyone to like you, approach you immediately, or please everyone. It might take a while, but eventually, you’ll find your way.