The Friendship Crisis : Finding, Making, and Keeping Friends When You're Not a Kid Anymore
Editorial Reviews
Book Description
Finding friends was as effortless as breathing when we were kids-they slid into the seat next to us in class or lived across the street. Making friends as adults, however, can challenge even the most gregarious of women. They're shocked to discover how hard it is and secretly fear they're the only ones having a problem. But they're not. For many midlife women today, traditional social ties have been frayed or torn by such common life-changing shifts as: lMoving to a new town lLeaving a communal office to start a home-based business lBecoming an at-home mom lBeing divorced or widowed The Friendship Crisis provides women with a pathway out of isolation and into the warm embrace of friendship. Written in a lively, conversational style, it brings together the author's own experiences, profiles of women who managed to forge satisfying new connections at various stages of life, and the insights of psychologists and other relationship experts. In candid, resonant stories, women describe the strategies they used to overcome shyness and fear and take the first steps toward building a friendship. Included are tips for turning casual ties into lasting bonds and innovative ways to meet people with similar interests or needs. Paul also discusses friendship-boosters and -busters, how to be an enthusiastic friend without being overly aggressive or needy, accepting a pal's limitations, healing conflicts, and establishing a rhythm both friends find satisfying and comfortable. Recent research has proven the strong links between intimate friendships and mental and physical health. Filled with practical ideas and confidence-building advice, The Friendship Crisis will be the start of a lot of beautiful friendships.
From the Inside Flap
The Friendship Crisis
Finding, Making, And Keeping Friends When You're Not A Kid Anymore
When Marla Paul returned to a Chicago suburb after a 5-year stint in Dallas, she found herself without the true core of friends she once had there or the close circle of pals she enjoyed while in Dallas. Bewildered and frustrated at how hard it was to make new friends, Paul felt like the only one not invited to the party.
So she wrote about her experience one Sunday in the Chicago Tribune, and later in Ladies' Home Journal. But she was embarrassed. She thought she was the only one having a hard time. Was Paul alone? Hardly. The response was overwhelming.
Women across the country began contacting Paul with sentiments and experiences echoing her own. Using feedback from hundreds of women, as well as interviews with top friendship experts, she began writing a regular column on women's friendships for the Chicago Tribune, casting light on this previously silent problem of epic proportions.
Now, she brings her culled wisdom to women everywhere, proving to them that they are in friendly company. Focusing on major life events that can crack and even shear a friendship-- having (or not having) children, becoming divorced or widowed, moving, leaving the office to stay home-- Paul charts a path to find new friends and community. Other chapters include finessing the inevitable challenges to friendship, like conflict, jealousy, and feeling neglected; creating a neighborhood community; finding Internet pals; and closing the generation gap on friendship. She also explores the behaviors that wreck a friendship and the ones that strengthen it.
With creative and solid tried-and-true tips for finding, making, and keeping friends, Paul shows us that laughter and friendship needn't end just because we aren't kids anymore.
Marla Paul writes a column on women's friendships for a nationally syndicated section of the Chicago Tribune. She is a journalist whose essays and features on friendship and parenting have been published in such national magazines as Ladies' Home Journal, 0Health, Parents, and Family Circle. She lives in the Chicago area with her husband and daughter. Contact her via her Web site at www.marlapaul.com.
The Friendship Crisis: Finding, Making, and Keeping Friends When You're Not a Kid Anymore,Marla Paul,Rodale Books,1579547451,Family & Relationships,Female friendship,Friendship,Interpersonal Relations,Psychology,Self-Help,Social networks,Women,Self-Help / General
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