By Nanette Wiser
FIND FRIENDS
In 1990, only 3% of Americans said they had no close friends; in 2021, nearly 12 percent said the same. Loneliness is an epidemic but it’s curable. From meet-ups to clubs, there are 1,001 ways to develop a friendship, which can boost your happiness and reduce your stress. To find people with similar interests, get off social media and mingle over darts, bowling, birding, hiking, photography, a crafts class, art show, theater, volunteering or book club. Marisa Franco, a psychologist who studies friendship and author of Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make – and Keep – Friends, offers sage advice. “The more you can show people you like and value them, the better. Research shows that even texting a friend can be meaningful.” Some tips for making friends? Be a good listener, do a small favor, start a conversation, show interest in their ideas, don’t be afraid to meet new people and keep it going with small gestures, from a card to a call. Even better, share a meal and giggle over the ultimate friendship manuals: Golden Girls, Friends, Girlfriends and Sex and the City.
LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE
Expand your world and prepare for your next international trip or global business opportunity. Around town, French and Spanish language classes at local restaurants, even French karaoke at Marquise Café, are growing more popular. Get a jumpstart with a language audio tape from the library, a perfect companion for your morning commute. One of the most popular clubs at Midtown Academy—the French Club is hosted by three Eckerd College students: Ava McLeod, a junior marine science and French major; Breanna Muldowney, a senior chemistry and French student and YuHan Burgess, a senior computer science student. The Midtown Academy Center for Cultural Arts, Gifted Studies and Literacy Innovation is a K-5 Title 1 public elementary school in St. Pete.
GET FIT
Tai Chi can help spiritually as well as physically, especially balance training, an important skill that impacts longevity and quality of life beginning at age 40. According to the New York Times, a June study in Brazil found that 20 percent of the 1,700 older adults tested couldn’t balance on one leg for 10 seconds or more and was associated with a twofold risk of death from any cause within 10 years. Initially, Tai Chi was practiced as a fighting form, emphasizing strength, balance, flexibility, and speed. Through time it has evolved into a soft, slow, and gentle form of exercise which can be practiced by people of all ages. Find classes at neighborhood rec centers, the Y, local gyms both indoors and al fresco. We like Tai Chi Easy for Life, which conducts classes at OLLI Eckerd and St. Pete Beach. www.taichieasyforlife.com
MAKE ART
What better gift than to give a poem or a painting this season? Take an arts class at Morean Arts Center, Practically Picaso, Painting With A Twist, The Hive St. Pete, Pinot’s Palette or discover your inner poet at Keep St. Pete Lit’s open poetry mic hosted by Studio@620 or at The Factory’s St. Pete Library Nov. 12 where Rose Cervantes will be the featured poet followed by an open mic.
