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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Emily Bratt

The loneliness fix: I wanted to find new friends in my 30s – and it was easier than I imagined

Emily Bratt standing on a cliff with the sea in the background
Emily Bratt: ‘I knew I needed to meet people living a similar life to me.’ Photograph: Peter Flude/The Guardian

Tonight, Rachel, Elvira and I will meet for dinner. A year ago, none of us knew the others existed. Six months ago Rachel and Elvira were strangers until I introduced them. But now, here we are, something as close to firm friends as is possible after such a short time.

If you’ve ever consumed any media, you would be forgiven for thinking that life after 35 is a burning wasteland of unimaginable horrors: the beginnings of incessant back pain, an interest in dishwasher loading, the discovery that you’re ineligible for entire industries billed as “a young person’s game”, and, apparently, an inability to make friends.

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