Most Useful Ways to Improve Your Social Life
Everyone could use a boost in their social life, but sometimes taking the initiative is hard. You might fear rejection, struggle to get to know people, or not know what to do. There are plenty of ways to ease into it and none of them have to be overwhelming. Making yourself available to be a friend and hang out with acquaintances can actually be quite fun if you know what to do.
Don’t Just Sit There
Don’t just sit at home like a lump. Spend time outside your house as well. Unless you are online making connections through gaming or online groups that you can then safely meet IRL, then you can’t expect people to just find you. While it’s fine to read books, do crafts, or work on hobbies at home, look for ways to enjoy these things outside the home as well. Find a book club, crafting gathering, or even a class to help you not only learn more about but to meet like-minded people as well.
Do Things You Enjoy
Find things you enjoy and put yourself in situations where you can do and/or learn more about them. Take a trip to a historic location on a tour bus if you love history. Go to Comic Con if you are part of the gamer culture. Or if you love to read new books, start a neighborhood book club. Doing things, you enjoy will help you to be more social if you look at it from the right perspective.
Change Your Mindset
Learn how to reframe your thinking. Changing your perspective can be a powerful strategy for improving your social life. Try to look at the positive side and focus on solutions rather than problems. If you’re having trouble making friends, think of ways in which making new friends would help you achieve your goals or be more productive. Changing your thinking is a critical component of becoming more social. In fact, if you went to an antisocial personality disorder treatment center, they would work on different ways to help you change your perspective to become social in healthy ways. This may mean working through trauma, teaching social skills, and more. All of these are most effective when combined with mindset shifts.
People are Not All Bad
Remember that most people are not as self-centered as you think they are. People may not be interested in their own thoughts and experiences as often as you think they are. It’s common for people to assume that other people are more self-centered than they really are, but it’s not true. Most people want to hear about your life and share their own stories with you. They too want to make genuine connections and friendships.
Make New Friends
Sometimes a group of friends that we’ve had for a long time can become a crutch. While they are comfortable, they are not necessarily doing the same kinds of things that you enjoy. Maybe the problem is your friends, not you. Not everyone is a good listener, a good conversationalist, or even an especially interesting person to hang out with. If you’re not super close with these so-called friends, it might be time to consider letting them go or limiting your interactions with them. If you’re the one getting left out of group invites, it’s okay to bow out gracefully without getting offended and go make new friends as well.
Make a Plan
If it’s been a while since you’ve spent time with certain friends, maybe it’s time for you to reach out. Think through the people you’ve enjoyed being around in the past, and plan to call, text, or email. Let them know that life got busy, but you’d love to hang out soon. Give them a couple of dates to consider and see if they’d like to check out a new coffee place with you.
Getting a boost to your social life doesn’t need to be hard. If your old friends are busy with other life events, find ways to be a part of it, or look for new friends. There are plenty of places to find people whether it’s in a running group, a book club, or a local business meetup. Be the one to initiate. You might get some no’s, but if you’re patient, you’ll get some yeses too.
