I’m still pretty young. A senior in high school and I’ve barely had friends over the years. One or two here and there. Covid definitely did not help. I remember having friends my freshman year but when I came back my junior year I didn’t make one friend the entire year. I didn’t even realize how bad it’s gotten until now. I was bad at socializing before but never this bad. I’ll be graduating soon so it’s important that I start to become more social and learn how to network with others. I only speak when necessary and have been told that I seem very confident when I do, but the truth is I struggle so much. What are some baby steps that I can take to start integrating back into society? My anxiety is paralyzing when it comes to talking so maybe I can start with one goal a day.
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Be a part of a club. Anything, it can be from like picking up trash in the community club to year book club. It’s very good that you have noticed there is a problem and you are willing to face your fears and tackle it. There is no other way and you should be proud of yourself wanting to change. This is your biggest step toward your goal… and i can assure you that you got this!! You can do this!
In general, we are all terrified of stepping out of our comfort zone (regardless of our age) and we hate rejection. When you train your mind how to take control of a situation (remain calm and in control, rather than thinking a out what to say or do and what if this or what if that…) and accept the fact that not everyone should like you and that’s totally okay. After all, we all have different personalities and traits… you can possibly not like everyone and same things goes the other way around. You master this, you will be fine.
Socializing is very uncomfortable for most people, trust me… pay attention to your surroundings, listen to ppl and mostly ask questions. People love to talk about themselves…
Good luck!
Habits are easiest to set when you change your environment. As you transition from the high school phase of life to the college or job phase of life you have an opportunity to create lasting social habits. If you use the opportunity to join a weekly club or meetup and make sure you stay for the first few meetings it will be easier for you to keep that habit.