Spring has a way of making us want to come back to life.
The days are getting longer, the evenings are warmer, and suddenly staying home on the couch every Friday night doesn’t seem quite as appealing as it did in the middle of winter.
We clean out cupboards, spend more time outdoors and start making plans again. But perhaps our social lives could use a little spring cleaning too.
For many adults, particularly after 40, our social world can become smaller without us really noticing it. Work gets busy. Children and family responsibilities take over. Friends get married, move away or settle into different routines. A relationship may end and suddenly the social life that came with being a couple changes as well.
In Short
- Social reset: Spring is the ideal season to break out of winter hibernation and actively seek out new connections, particularly for adults over 40.
- Take the first step: Rather than waiting until you feel motivated to go out, taking action by leaving the house often sparks the desire to be social.
- Harbour After Dark: Turramurra-based strategist Cristina Davy hosts monthly Friday night social events to help professionals build new friendships in a relaxed, welcoming environment.
Before long, meeting new people can start to feel harder than it used to.
Some of the best connections happen when we simply put ourselves in places where we can meet people we wouldn’t normally cross paths with. There is something very different about being in a room together, catching someone’s eye, sharing a laugh and discovering through conversation that you have more in common than you expected.
And not every new connection needs to become something more to be worthwhile. A conversation could lead to a friendship, a business connection, an introduction to someone else, or simply an enjoyable evening with people you hadn’t met before.
I think we sometimes wait until we feel social before we become social. In reality, it often works the other way around. We have to leave the house first.
That might mean accepting an invitation you would normally decline, joining a group, trying somewhere new or messaging a friend and finally making those plans you’ve been talking about for months.
That was part of the reason I created Harbour After Dark, a growing community of professionals who enjoy having somewhere to go on a Friday night where they can meet people, build friendships and simply enjoy being social.
We come together on the first Friday of every month, with familiar faces returning and new people joining us each time. Depending on the month, you’ll find us at Pumphouse Sydney, with its lively pub atmosphere and beautiful historic setting, or at Novotel Sydney Darling Square, where the atmosphere is quieter and more intimate and conversation takes centre stage.
Many people come on their own, while others bring a friend or arrive as a group. It’s an opportunity to get dressed up, have a drink, enjoy some food and conversation, and see who you meet. More than anything, I want Harbour After Dark to be one of those places where you know you can turn up on a Friday night and feel part of a community.
Our next Harbour After Dark is on Friday, 2 October, from 6:30pm to 9:30pm at Pumphouse Sydney in Darling Harbour, with cocktail attire for the evening.
Whether you come along to Harbour After Dark or choose something completely different, perhaps spring is your reminder to open your world a little wider.
You never really know what, or who, might enter your life when you do.
Cristina Davy is a Turramurra-based Aligned Love Strategist who helps people break free from emotional attachment, rebuild self-trust and create healthier relationships. She is the creator of the Reclaim Yourself Transformation Experience, helping people move forward after heartbreak and relationship loss.
Ready to expand your social circle? Connect with Turramurra-based Aligned Love Strategist Cristina Davy for more information on the next Harbour After Dark event or relationship support.
