Life After Divorce Support Group
This community is dedicated to starting over after a divorce. With the marriage over, how do individuals begin a new chapter in their lives and what hurdles do they face? Divorce is often one of the most traumatic periods in a person's life. Studies show it is the second-most stressful event in life, after the death of a spouse.
I signed up for meetup.com a few years ago, but never joined any groups. I'm not great at group events or meeting new people, but today I heard that my brother was conversing on facebook with my ex. That led me to looking at facebook (which I rarely do, I use it to mostly see pictures of the little ones) and I saw that my ex has started using facebook. I think it's because of his new job, whatever, but I felt leftout. That really bothered me, and I decided the reason it did was because I feel like I'm stuck in my protective little house, and I might be getting jealous of what the ex's life is like now. I want nothing to do with him, that's a certainty. I know I need to push myself socially, I have a few close friends but their lives seem busier than mine, so we don't get together that often.
So....does anyone have any experience with meetups? I've joined a 50+ singles hiking group, the first outing is next Wednesday night. I'm a little nervous and excited.
I’ve looked at the meetup groups in my area, but there is nothing of interest to me. I would need to travel 35 miles to a larger city for one I might be interested in. So I’ve had no experience with them. Have you tried a dating site yet?
There are no meetups near me, as there were no divorce support groups. I will have to travel, that's just how it is living out where I do. I'm a homebody at heart, but I know I have to work at not becoming a recluse! My mom was one and my older sister are - Interpersonal relationship skills and esteem building were never a thing in my household growing up, couple that with my general shyness - I have to work at meeting people.
I have attended around 105-110 meetups, but so far have not gone to a night time hike, even though at least one of my groups does them regularly. Good for you! Are you bringing a wearable light?
I'm trying again for next wednesday!! Thanks for the reply to the post, I probably wouldn't have remembered to sign up for the next hike. It'll happen, eventually! And I was just going to use my phone's flash, but maybe something else too?
The Meetup company was recently acquired by WeWork. Then they changed their site, and I as well as other users, noticed it became more difficult to navigate. I received an email yesterday from the organizer of one of my groups. He expressed how disappointed he is in certain changes that are making it more difficult for organizers like him, and urged us to join his Facebook group where he posts the same events.
So...the writing is on the wall. Get out there now, meet the people who organize these events, before your groups start moving away to a different platform, where it may not be as easy to find them and connect.
Luckily for me, I've been doing this for years and I already have a dozen or so of my Meetup friends as Facebook friends, but even so, I will still miss out if any of my groups disband due to the changes.
Now is the time! Get out there!
I did finally get to a meetup last night- and it was fun! It was a small group, 3 other people, and they were very welcoming and friendly. This particular group boasts about 330 members, but maybe half are active members. We went on a hike (walk really) along a canal path for a bit over an hour, then out to one of their favorite pizzerias afterwards. Everyone shared their experiences about this particular group, and other groups they belong to. We had a lot of laughs. I will be joining the group for what I hope is a true hike this weekend, and will definitely be exploring other meetup groups. This was a pretty easy, low risk way of meeting people and having fun. I recommend it to anyone trying to expand their interests and friend base - as you can never have too many of either!