7 Great Habits That Boost Your Social Life
Most of us, at some point, will experience a period when our social lives are less than we desire. We may be bored, lacking direction, and not knowing what to do to break the cycle. Whether this dry spell is due to a lifetime of shyness, a recent relocation leaving you lonely, social anxiety, or time constraints keeping you at home the result is the same; you are wishing for a more active social life full of friends and adventure. Below are seven great ideas to get your social life swinging again in no time.
1. Take initiative in your social life. This is the simplest and most available way to boost your social interactions. You can take the initiative to boost your social life in many ways. The easiest way to do this is to constantly strive to put yourself into situations where social interaction is possible. Force yourself into situations where you have to talk to other people. This could include a walk through town to interact with people you see along the way. If you have a cute dog, walking him or she will usually attract interactions as people stop and chat about the dog.
2. Accept all invitations. This sounds obvious but sometimes we get so caught up in our lives going about our day-to-day activities that we are often uninterested or too tired to meet up with friends. Sometimes we get depressed and just don’t have the energy. We need to remember that eventually, the invitations stop coming and we end up alone and lonely. This causes a cycle wherein we don’t want to accept the rare invitation when it comes, further perpetuating the cycle. By remembering to accept all invitations, whether we want to go or not, we are opening up our social circle and also increasing the odds of more invitations. Just remember to say yes!
3. Reconnect old friendships. As we get busy with school, work, and life in general we tend to lose touch with our old friends. Usually, nothing has happened to end the friendship except for time and schedule constraints. When you feel like you have no social life, why not reconnect with old friends? It can be a great way to lead to those invitations you’ve promised yourself to say yes to. Pick up the phone and call a friend you’ve lost touch with. The conversation could lead to meetings, lunches, and a rekindling of a beautiful friendship.
4. Just be yourself. When you are in a social situation, be it a dinner or cocktail party, just be yourself. Boosting your social life isn’t going to happen if people don’t know the real you. Pretending to be someone you aren’t or pretending to have interests you don’t have is exhausting and can only go so far. People are going to sense that you aren’t genuine and shy away. Besides, do you want to try and keep up a constant façade?
5. Meet your neighbors. Your neighbors are an excellent social venue if you get along. These interactions often lead to lifelong friendships. There are tons of fun activities to boost your social interactions with neighbors. Cookouts, block parties, movie nights, or game nights are all fun activities where you can get to know your neighbors better. Start by introducing yourself with a plate of freshly baked cookies and see where it leads things.
6. Join a fun group. When looking to boost your social life and make some new friends always consider joining a fun group activity or signing up for a class. There are hundreds of activities or classes available that range from group fitness to photography to musical groups. Have you ladies and gentlemen ever participated in a wine and paint night? They are tons of fun and allow you to forge new friendships while developing talent. How about joining a local softball league or a dance class?
7. Make your social life a priority. Lastly, to give your social life a shot in the arm, you must make it a priority. You aren’t going to become more socially active by sitting at home alone. You must make social interactions a priority to not get stuck in the cycle of boredom. If you don’t prioritize your social interactions you are likely to become complacent and you will never see an increase in activity.
We all go through these dry spells in life. It is important to remember that it is perfectly normal to feel like your social life is lacking. If you follow the tips in this article you should be enjoying a happening social scene in no time at all.