Social September Challenge - 30 days, 30 ways to be more social!

30 days, 30 ways to be more social - how many can you check off?!

Meetup, Facebook groups, and all these random apps + event concepts popping up now that everyone wants to profit on the loneliness epidemic are tools to build a social life and make friends. TOOLS y'all! They are NOT our actual social lives.

It's easy to convince ourselves that we have friends and a social life thanks to these platforms - and, to some extent, maybe we do! Having and facilitating community is necessary to a fulfilling life. However, I have always felt social websites/ apps/ communities give the illusion of friendship while lacking the soul of it.

I've been hosting events with our social club for years. It brings me a sense of purpose and enjoyment. I love seeing y'all connect. I've learned so many lessons about people and friendship. I've made friends, I've made enemies. I've heard amazing stories, shared in some fun times with so many cool people. As we begin to wrap up 2025 in the next few months, I've been spending a lot of time reflecting on friendship.

A few months ago I had a falling out with some "friends." One of them implied that it's not hard to make friends as an adult and maybe I'm the problem. I gave them that in the moment. But they're wrong. It IS hard to make friends as an adult.

It's easy to meet people, it's easy to "settle" on whatever community we can find. We can always find something to do on a Saturday night. We can unseriously enjoy the company of many.

But friends? GOOD friends? Hard to find, harder to maintain. I'm talking a friend who gets us. Someone we don't want to cancel plans on just to stay in. Someone we can trust. A friend who matches the effort we put in. Someone where weekly texting doesn't just fizzle out. A friend who knows/accepts all of our sides. Someone who checks off many of our friendship boxes despite being just one person. The inside jokes, the "Remember that time?" moments. That is truly hard to find. & usually once you find it, they end up moving for their job in 6 months. Gotta enjoy these friends while we can.

So that's why I came up with this Social September Challenge. It's mostly for myself but I encourage anyone to join in. We don't want to settle on friends. What's the point in a room full of "community" if you never talk outside of it? We have so many options to meet people nowadays yet we seem to be lonelier than ever.

Social clubs, Meetup Groups, and attending events don't always equate to lasting friendships. But small, intentional steps do add up.

The challenge: 30 days of putting your social life on the front burner.

• Some prompts are super chill (like mailing a postcard or texting someone you miss)
• Others will nudge you out of your comfort zone (Hosting an event, try a new activity)

This isn’t supposed to feel like a chore! It’s a way to make September a little less “scroll and binge” and a little more “connection." So if you’ve been wanting to shake up your routine, meet new people, or simply reconnect with yourself, join me. Let’s make September the month we stop saying “I should…” and actually just do it. Fingers crossed we make some potential new friends or at least can say we tried to put ourselves out there.

Want an accountability partner?! Email [hardtomakefriends@gmail.com](mailto:hardtomakefriends@gmail.com) and we will message you every Sunday to check-in, offer encouragement, see how you're doing. You're also welcome to join our local group WhatsApp chats to make new connections. We will also be hosting a 30 minute Social September Recap Google Meet every Sunday

Use #hardtomakefriends #socialseptemberchallenge #frienderseptember to share your progress!

30 Days of Reclaiming Your Social Life:
Pick one item per day to cross off this list! Feel free to make adjustments to fit your own interests, schedule, etc

⬜️Catch up with a friend/relative
⬜️Introduce yourself to someone
⬜️Attend a virtual event
⬜️Mail a postcard/letter
⬜️Send a "Thinking of You" text
⬜️Host an event (Big or small!)
⬜️Spend time volunteering
⬜️Go to a music event
⬜️Support a small business
⬜️Spend time with a furry friend
⬜️Read one book on connections/friendships/socializing
⬜️Go somewhere solo
⬜️Meet or talk to a neighbor
⬜️Try an entirely new activity
⬜️Get out of your comfort zone once
⬜️Write down your social needs/goals
⬜️Have a self-care day
⬜️Compliment a stranger
⬜️Schedule a social event for October
⬜️Partake in one sporting/active/fitness event
⬜️Attend a local community event (School play, sporting game, book club, etc)
⬜️Leave a 5 star review for a local business
⬜️Do something that will result in major laughter
⬜️Read a few entries by Humans of New York
⬜️Visit a place that makes you feel like you
⬜️See a movie
⬜️Tip extra once
⬜️Do a good deed
⬜️Complete a to-do list item (Reducing anxiety, in general, can help other areas of our lives)
⬜️Text an old friend

This event is a self-led virtual + in-person challenge for the month of September 2025! Cross off one item per day to participate! Read the full blog post here for more information.

Let's stay connected!
Join our Facebook group for more events & connecting! Follow your host Macey on Instagram/TikTok @meetwithmacey and check out our website + podcast "Hard To Make Friends As An Adult" on Spotify & all major streaming platforms!