For the past 4 months, I’ve been unemployment and living with my dad and his wife in a new city. So I hardly ever leave the house because I don’t need to. So I hardly ever talk to anyone. I will talk to my dad occasionally throughout the day but he ignores me most of the time, I avoid talking to his wife, and sometimes I call my mom but since I don’t do much, I don’t have much to talk about and she is usually busy so I only get like 30 minutes max with her per day.
Well I’ve got a job lined up starting late April and they provide housing so I’ll be living in a dorm and working closely with lots of people. I don’t want to be weird and antisocial. I want to make friends and keep friends and maybe a SO.
So I got a temporary job at a retail store that starts in a few days and I’d like to work on my social skills. My common issues are blanking and not knowing how to respond, not knowing what someone means/the intent, and RBF. I’m looking to make friends, just wanting the ability to talk to people. I will likely not hangout with anyone outside of work bc I’m kind of a newly recovering alcoholic (3 months of rare drinking).
Also, my inner monologue is constantly going on and on. I hardly ever feel alone bc I can basically talk to myself. But when I’m trying to have a conversation with people, I totally shut down and go blank.
Anyways, any tips on practicing social skills would be greatly appreciated! I’ve got 73 days before the real job starts!