There are a lot of reasons why people choose to isolate themselves for some time and either limit or avoid social situations entirely.
In some cases it can be the response to a traumatic event such as a breakup or an illness, it can be due to a build-up of stress in other parts of their life, or it can be due to social anxiety disorder or another form of social phobia.
Different causes require different individual therapy approaches, but if you are ready to be more social in your everyday life but do not know how to start, here are some ways to gradually build up your social life again after some time in isolation.
Explore, Understand And Challenge Your Beliefs
Isolation is often caused for different reasons, but remaining out of touch with others can harm your confidence and self-image, which in turn can create a cycle of withdrawal.
A good first step, either in therapy, through conversations with friends you trust or just with yourself is to examine your limiting thoughts and examine if they have any validity to them or are an overgeneralisation.
It is important as well to be mindful that your sensitivity to your behaviour and the behaviour of other people will increase if you spend a lot of time by yourself, so accept that you may be hypersensitive to body language and awkward pauses but do not take too much from it.
As you get more social, this will lower and you will get more comfortable around other people.
Start Small
Being social does not necessarily mean going to a social event or a club right away if you do not feel comfortable doing so, it can be something as simple as saying hello to your neighbours, striking up a break room conversation with your coworkers or chatting to the shopkeeper when you do your weekly shop.
It does not even need to involve other people directly. Go to a park or a nearby shopping centre with a book or sit down and feel what it is like to be around people. Most people are going about their day and will either pay you no mind or smile in your direction.
Small, quick interactions are a way to build up your comfort in conversations and will allow you to gradually build or rebuild your social skills.
Reach Out To Friends Old And New
You will be amazed how often friendships will pick up after a long time as if nothing has happened if you reach out.
In some cases, people are themselves in busy situations so they cannot talk much, but in other cases, people are more than happy to chat, and even if it can be awkward at first, it often does not take long for that friendship to shine through.
As well as this, it can be worth chatting to people online who share a similar interest to you, as this can often feel less intimidating and because most online groups are built around shared interests, there is a wide range of topics to talk about.