Not claiming to be any great expert at this, but - maybe start by imagining what you want to do with your friends? Swap recipes? Play games? Complain about your neighbors? Arson? If it's that last one, talk to your t, but for most things, now you know where you'll meet those people. You're never just "trying to meet people", you're always "doing x AND trying to meet people while doing it". Imagine anything good at all, and then imagine a way to do it with a bunch of people. It's slow work, but eventually it pays off.

Keeping them - well, I'm terrible at that myself. But I hear it has something to do with forgiveness, both the giving and the asking-not-demanding. Maybe try a lot of that. If it works, I'd listen to some pointers