[JayKite]

It's time to say goodbye to the hermit life and become a more socially active human being. Although, I'm unfamiliar with where I should begin. Baby steps required!

Please give me your insight! Much love xx

[Skeezyks]

Hello JayKite: Well... the Skeezyks is pretty-much what I sometimes refer to as an urban hermit. I live in a metropolitan area & I am married. But beyond that I keep to myself. I have no extended family & no friends or even acquaintances... by choice. I am an older person though & I have no intentions of making any changes to my solitary lifestyle.

If I were going to make a change in my solitary lifestyle, what I would do is to find some sort of volunteer opportunity to participate in... something that is of interest to me personally. It could be something involving helping other people or animals. It could also be some sort of club organized around some particular area of interest e.g. gardening, cars, music, etc. At least where I live, there are so many of these sorts of things around it would be difficult to even list them all. However what strikes me is that among the "universe" of people, with whom you share one or more common interests, is where you are most likely to find individuals who may become friends. Of course, not everyone you meet will. In fact, the majority won't. But from my perspective something such as this is the best place to start.

I joined BorrowMyDoggy, which is exactly what it sounds like. I help people who are too busy or tired to walk their dogs or puppies. I get exercise, fuzzy companionship and everyone in the park talks to me. It means I interact with people on my terms and there's no stress involved, only enjoyment

[Deejay14]

Congrats for taking g the first steps. That is huge. Here's hoping that it is a success for you. Is there anything that is of interest to you? Best of luck! You can do this!

[Unrigged64072835]

You can try volunteering or seeing if there are groups that do things you enjoy doing. You can also look for support groups to meet with other people with MI.

[*Laurie*]

When I could no longer stand being a hermit I started going to a NAMI support group. I am still going to that group (7 months) & recently the facilitator asked me if I'd like to go through training to be a group facilitator (volunteer) for another NAMI group.

[BrazenApogee]

I've been thinking of this too. I am in community college now, which helps a lot with the getting out of my house, but I need to find social outlets. I lost all my social networks when I escaped from the narcissist. I'm happier free and lonely than trapped and scared though. It's time to move on. I don't know what steps to take either.

[TishaBuv]

They have food events at some grocery stores, where you can go to watch how a dish is made with other people there. Or at hardware stores like Home Depot, where they have classes on do it yourself projects that people go to. This way, you learn something, get out among people, it's free, and there's no pressure on you.

[omgkillthemeteors]

what if where you live isn't a good area and you have difficulty answering 21 questions involved with signing up to regularly volunteer?

[luvyrself]

Originally Posted by JayKite

It's time to say goodbye to the hermit life and become a more socially active human being. Although, I'm unfamiliar with where I should begin. Baby steps required!

Please give me your insight! Much love xx

---i would go to anxiety support groups, people who really get it, and pick someone to ask for coffee or just watch for awhile to get an idea of what type of person could be a good friend for you. Think back to what types of people were friends in the past. Practice being friendly in public places like smiling, saying hello. I practice talking to people in lines. Yes, animal lovers are nice because they have the patience for animals who dont have speech at all!
Read a lot, develop interests so you have things to talk about.

[luvyrself]

Originally Posted by BrazenApogee

I've been thinking of this too. I am in community college now, which helps a lot with the getting out of my house, but I need to find social outlets. I lost all my social networks when I escaped from the narcissist. I'm happier free and lonely than trapped and scared though. It's time to move on. I don't know what steps to take either.

----look at Meetups online, anxiety support groups. Have fun!

[luvyrself]

Originally Posted by omgkillthemeteors

what if where you live isn't a good area and you have difficulty answering 21 questions involved with signing up to regularly volunteer?

----get to a support group that includes folks that r similarly challenged. Ask someone to help u find that group and to help u get there at least the first time.

[luvyrself]

Originally Posted by LauraBeth

When I could no longer stand being a hermit I started going to a NAMI support group. I am still going to that group (7 months) & recently the facilitator asked me if I'd like to go through training to be a group facilitator (volunteer) for another NAMI group.

----you go girl, a huge success!

[vintagexsoul]

If you are into gaming and/or comic books, find a gaming or comic book store to meet like minded people. A lot of such stores have game days where people gather to play games with friends or perfect strangers. I've done it a few times....though it caused me such intense anxiety I was physically trembling the entire time. The people were kind and friendly. And you don't have to be super competitive.

[Delicious]

I'd start small. Go walk around in a park or sit down on a bench and read a book for a few days. When you're used to that, try saying "good morning" or "good afternoon" to strangers that walk by you, it'll feel amazing, trust me.

Once you get used to that, maybe start some small talk with a stranger, or practice in a different area. It's all about training the brain and getting comfortable with little things.

[pumpkinseed]

i like these ideas, but ill take more.