start small with saying hi to neighbors or people you make direct eye contact with out and about. Then make small talk with a barista or server or bartender. they don’t have to me the most gripping conversations, just super easy and light banter. Compliment strangers and try and see if you can turn it into a longer conversation if the vibe it right. view most of your interactions with people as practice in socializing. just play and have fun with it! sooner or later it will just feel like second nature and you can turn it on and off as your please. socializing is like a muscle, you simply have to train and exercise it to be comfortable using it. I hope this helps!
PS: something that I started telling myself that kick started me being more social is that everyone in this world is a little awkward and anxious, so if we are all dealing with similar anxieties and anxiousness, it just levels the playing field. Also, when it comes to talking to strangers I find that most people are just wanting someone to break the ice first. Very few times have I talked to strangers and was met with rudeness or people being mad that I’m talking to them. In the rare instances that I do, I don’t take it personally and just tell myself they are having an off day. I’m most cases, when it comes to talking to strangers, I find that people are more shocked and pleasantly surprised that a stranger is talking to them. I just try not to talk peoples ear off and will only extend the interaction if I see that they are engaging and reciprocating back with me (ie. asking questions and responding to what im saying with genuine interest and not simple politeness). I know it all seems like a lot to think about but it gets easier with time and you figure it all out as you go. You just have to start 😊
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talk to five random stranger’s everyday. They don’t have to be full blown conversations just a 10 second relationship. Try to use a conversation starter that is based on the environment you’re in but have a few good questions in your pocket, literally, have them written on an index card and just ask. It worked for me, even now that I’m a lot more personable than I used to be, if I’ve gone too long without striking up a conversation with someone I don’t know, I take my own advice and have a 10 second relationship with five random strangers 😊
Feb 3, 2025
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I know, I know, the horror! But socializing can be as small as saying hello to a cashier or a neighbor. Ask them if something interesting happened to them today. Try to do it every day.
Also, look for ways you can help people. Hold a door open, wave a pedestrian to walk in front of your car at a stop sign.
Little things add up, don’t believe your mind when it tells you they aren’t worth doing.
Jan 24, 2025
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whenever i’m waiting in line, or walking next to someone, i love to try start a conversation. just say hi, try to make some small talk and see what happens. sometimes its awkward, but sometimes we really hit it off. its scary at first but ive found im always glad i did it. usually i don’t even get their name - its just nice getting to know someone
May 22, 2024
Top Recs from @ekaynuh
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i feel like internet culture has conditioned me to feel like I always have to have an opinion on something. And as a result I’m always judging an artist work as good or bad based on my own individual taste. But it’s absolutely bonkers to think that I’m the target audience for everything an artist that I like makes. Sometime, the song or the painting or the movie ect. Is not for me, and that’s fine. It doesn’t mean what they are producing is bad, it simply means it’s not resonating with me. And thinking this way allows me to respect an artists decision to experiment with their art form a bit more. Because I can only imagine how constricting it must be to feel pressure to create just for people approval and consumption. Maybe sometime the artists just wants to put out a funny little song that makes them happy. And sure, I may not get it and it may not be something I want to listen to, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad, just that it’s not for me, and that’s okay.
May 14, 2024
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I don’t fish for compliments but id be lying if I said that I don’t make sure I smell extra extra good before leaving the house just to hear someone say this.
May 15, 2024
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very much raw dogging the world, but it’s nice to just tap into the sounds of nature and the life around you. Also, it helps to just think and process things without added stimulations
May 4, 2024