Creating Community

Everyone is talking about community these days — the importance of it, how to navigate it, and just simply the beauty of it. There seems to be a big piece missing from many of these conversations, however. 

How do we actually create community?  

Let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room: building friendships and community with new people is downright hard. It requires you to get out of your comfort zone, be vulnerable, and put yourself out there in ways that usually aren’t required in day-to-day life. Even with the risks associated, there aren’t any guarantees that the efforts put forth will lead to success. 

Still, the number one step in creating community is vulnerability. 

If the purpose of community is to have a safe space to help navigate through life, how can that happen if you aren’t able to be honest and open about what’s going on with you? When we allow ourselves to open up around others, it creates a space that allows for closer connection. 

To find authentic community, you need to be your authentic self. Part of this means spending time in the places you like to be in. If you frequent the same coffee shop, concert venue, or bookstore, you could build a community with other people who share similar interests. The same concept also works for online spaces. The key either way is continuing to show up and make the effort.

The next step in creating community is consistently spending time with people. 

Humans naturally seek out and benefit from connection with others. This can look like having a virtual movie night, planning a day trip, or simply running errands together. By consistently spending time with a person, you have the ability to get to know them, their lifestyle, and their habits better. As we get older and into the busyness of life, it becomes increasingly more difficult to spend time with our family and friends. However, this is necessary to maintain good relationships with people. 

Finally, the last step in creating community is simply to keep trying. There will be bad experiences, people who don’t quite fit well into your life, awkward interactions, and the list goes on. However, as with all other areas of our life, we have to keep trying. 

While everyone won’t be for you, there will absolutely be those that are for you. And you’ll never know the difference of which people fall into which category if you do not you stick around through the rough moments to figure it out. 

Creating community is a hard, but necessary process in helping to establish healthy mental health support. We’re all a little nervous, a little unsure, a little embarrassed in meeting new people and creating relationships. However, we are also all in need of support, love, and friendship. 

Embrace your fears and go find your people. It’ll all be worth it in the end.