Unlike the more academic topics and skills like math or science, social skills are not something that we are taught. Instead, they are more of the “on-the-job” skills we learn as we navigate the tricky landscape of social relationships. For example, as a child, you learn to make amends, manage fights, make new friends, manage existing ones, and be a part of different groups by actually doing all of these things.
However, most of us take an entire lifetime to learn social skills, and some of us sadly never master them. You see, learning how to improve your social life is not easy, especially if you weren’t exposed to the dynamics of friendship early on in your life and more so if you struggle with mental health conditions like social anxiety, depression, etc.
If you haven’t learned social skills very well while growing up, trust us, you are not alone. And the best part, it is never too late to get started. So to help you begin this tricky journey, here are the five best tips on how to improve your social life.
How To Improve Your Social Life?
1. Work on improving your emotional intelligence skills.
At the very onset of understanding how to improve your social life is looking within yourself and improving your emotional intelligence skills. Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand your own emotions, acknowledge and accept others’ emotions, and use this information to improve your actions. Improving your emotional intelligence will help you significantly improve your social life.
Here are the three essential elements of emotional intelligence that you can focus on at the onset:
- self-awareness – understanding and identifying your emotions and their impact on your behavior,
- self-regulation – handling your emotions as you feel them, and
- empathy – being aware of what type of emotions others are experiencing or feeling.
2. Try to reduce your fear of rejection.
One of the best tips on how to improve your social life is to let go of your fear of rejection. It occupies a lot of your mind space and constantly intrudes on your social life. Therefore, start by letting go of thoughts like “What if they don’t like me?” “What if I am not good enough?” “What if they make fun of me?”
The thing is, everyone is insecure about themselves. This is because all of us are imperfect and flawed individuals. Therefore, don’t waste your time overanalyzing your shortcomings. Instead, focus your attention on your strengths. If you want to stress over weaknesses, think of how you can overcome them. Embrace your uniqueness and take the plunge. Trust us when we say that once you let go of this fear of rejection, your social life will improve dramatically.
Read more: Here’s What Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria Feels Like
3. Choose quality over quantity.
Think about it – would you rather have tens of half-hearted friends or a small group of close-knit, supportive friends? Even though the latter is more important and beneficial, many people, unfortunately, tend to believe that having a lot of half-hearted relationships is the key to a great social life.
See, while it is totally possible to have a good camaraderie with a large number of people, genuine relationships occur with only a few individuals. This small group of people will allow you to fall back on them during hard times. These people will make your bad days better and your good days infinitely more wonderful.
We are not suggesting that you should not have a cordial and good relationship with a lot of people. Instead, we are telling you to invest time in building these special relationships as well.
4. Learn to listen and ask questions.
One of the best tips on how to improve your social life is to learn how to listen and ask questions. The best way to uptick your social life is to showcase the curious child within you and try to learn more about the people around you. This not only helps you know them more, but it also helps you understand whether you match their wavelengths or not. This will help you effectively communicate with other people and also decide whether you want them around or not.
Read more: Empathy in Action – How To Listen Without Giving Advice
5. Be assertive.
Being assertive and confronting people is scary. But it is also one of the best tips on how to improve your social life. When we often encounter a problem or conflict with someone, we tend to brush it under the carpet or ignore the situation to make things better. However, this is actually a way to avoid your feelings about the situation, and eventually ends up doing more harm than good. Therefore, learning to confront people constructively and be assertive about your needs is essential.
Being assertive allows you to voice your opinion in social situations and makes your opinion heard, which is a great way to build your social presence. However, it is important to be kind and cordial during the whole process without hurting anyone else’s feelings.
Conclusion:
In our world, where social relationships and connections are the ultimate things, having a good social life is of utmost importance. Unfortunately, however, not all of us are blessed with the understanding of social skills. This is why we hope the above-listed tips on how to improve your social life will help you understand the tricky dynamics of social relationships.
People with social anxiety find it even more difficult to have a vibrant social life. Learn more about managing your social anxiety and thriving in your social life here.
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