No More Lonely Friends

For a vast majority of millennials the pandemic has upended our social lives. Friendships that you had from childhood are broken, high-school friends may have forgotten you and long distance friendships with people you met in college are stressful to maintain. It's hard and certainly terrifying to think that the possibility of being alone is likely. Relationships drift apart and friendships can end over the most petty and insignificant reasons. This is how the group No More Lonely Friends began. The story of Marissa Meizz and how she started the movement was told in the New York Times. She started with a picnic in Central Park that began an expansion nationwide as she received more attention from social media.

I had the opportunity to attend an event on September 18th. Being isolated really makes you self conscious about putting yourself out there and being social. I certainly felt a level of social anxiety and intimidation when I saw the large group. Everyone seemed to have some familiarity with each other and I hovered around the periphery of the group. I was always content to just be the bystander or wallflower in any social situation. Being out there and telling people about myself felt so laborious because I always felt I wasn't interesting enough. I am not unique in these feelings. Yet, this event helped me to realize that there is so much people have to offer. Even if you don't connect right away it is still phenomenal being able to go out and meet such a diverse group.

What is fun about events like this is that it takes you out of your comfort zone. It forces you to confront your own insecurities and slowly open up to others. I think what makes forming friendships so difficult for so many people is building trust and connection with strangers. Each of us is so unique that it's hard to express ourselves honestly. We always feel like we have to put on a façade to be social. Yet when I was walking around I saw how everyone just got along. It felt so natural to be there. When there is no pressure to be something or someone everyone just lets their guard down and opens up.

What makes No More Lonely Friends such a wonderfully unique idea and an amazing concept is that it fosters the sense of connection and wonder in all of us. It's very easy to just sit in our small pandemic bubbles and live a very disconnected life. What I am supremely thankful for is that Marissa took a very negative experience and turned it into the something so positive and uplifting. It's beautiful to see how social media moved so many people across the country to come together to meet and connect with each other. In the three months since this began Marissa has traveled across the country carrying this message of positivity to countless people.

Marissa is a beautiful soul. When I met her she had such a selfless quality to her that was very inspiring. She organized this not just for herself but for the myriad people who felt such isolation and loneliness from fake people in their lives. In the four hours I was there I learned a lot about myself and I hope others can say the same. Loneliness is just a fleeting state of mind and when you take the risks to put yourself out there beautiful things can happen.

I hope this grows into an international movement that inspires similar actions abroad. The pandemic has really made us all feel hopeless. It's only natural to become more withdrawn as we find ourselves disconnected from the world. Marissa's goal is to bring people together and build new connections between people. It's an ambitious undertaking for one person but the nobility is admirable.

I highly recommend to anyone that they attend a No More Lonely Friends Picnic. These are wonderful events to build new connections and meet interesting people. The atmosphere is relaxed and casual. You're never under any pressure to join in and everyone is so warm and friendly. To keep informed of any events you can follow No More Lonely Friends on social media. Don't be afraid to put yourself out there. I did and it changed my outlook on life for the better.