I NEED A SOCIAL LIFE AGAIN – BUT HOW?

 A recent question posed to me sounded something like this: “My social life is non-existent.
How can I start connecting with others again?”

I keep hearing phrases like this from people who want to get out and have more fun, but they are socially “stuck.” Where to start? If you're reading this and thinking that's you~please know that you are not alone!

Social isolation is real. There are more people working remotely than ever before and more of them connecting online and with phone apps, but we all know it's not as beneficial as “in-person contact.”

Let's dive in to this, but first I'd like you to read my recent post from 4/11/23 titled: “Social
Isolation - a New Perspective.” In that post I talk about your presence, and making a good first
impression.
 
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
1- Sign up for a “live” class (preferably). This increases your chances of talking to others at a
deeper level and exchanging numbers for future meetups. If you do opt for a “live” class, you'll want to read my blog post from 2/17/21 titled: “How to Connect with People.”

This will be incredibly helpful once you do join a group or attend an event. It will teach you specifically how to draw people in. It's all about being interested in the other person first and making them feel special. They will in turn be interested in you, guaranteed.
 
2- Sign up for an online class (if #1 is too big of a stretch for you). Remember, you will still need to be open to putting yourself out there and chatting with someone in the chat room and asking if they'd be interested in further discussion around a certain topic. This could be done via zoom for starters until you feel safe enough to meet in person (at a public place of course). Remember, you set the pace here. Listen to your gut, let your intuition guide you.
 
3- Get out and walk around a lake or go hiking on some beautiful trails, or check out the upcoming Farmer's Markets. They are plentiful in the twin cities. As you're strolling, look at people, don't be afraid to make eye contact and SMILE.  If they don't smile back, that's fine. Nothing is personal here. If they do smile, feel free to strike up a conversation. Ask them if they're familiar with certain vendors, or certain foods here, or whatever. I do this all the time and it works! Sometimes you need to just get over yourself, right? Feel the fear and do it anyway! It will build your confidence.
 
4- If the above suggestion is too much, you can find a “MeetUp” Group – they are plentiful in this city.
 
5- Start volunteering for an organization that you feel a heart tug for, where you will most likely meet other people with similar interests. This will give you some common connecting points.
 
Now, if you've read this along with the other two posts mentioned and you still feel “stuck” and isolated, please reach out to me so I can help you get “unstuck.”

You deserve to get your life back and thrive and be happy again. 

Be grateful, Be Well.