Articles On The Process of Improving Your Social Skills
This section is about the broader process of improving your social skills, what you can expect along the way, and some thoughts on how to avoid common snags.
A Few Encouraging Articles To Start Things Off
- Being Awkward Doesn't Make You A Completely Flawed Person
- You're Not Alone If You're Awkward, And There's Hope Of Improving
- It's Never Too Late For You To Have A Successful Social Life
- Your Social Anxiety And Awkwardness Are Not Your Fault
- An Acknowledgement That Loneliness, Social Anxiety, And Other Social Problems Can Be Really Hard
- The Idea That Basic Social Skills Are Just "Common Sense"
Time Required
- How Long Does It Take To Improve Your Social Skills?
- There's No Quick, Effortless Way To Fix Your Social Problems
- Don't Be Hard On Yourself If Your Social Skills Progress Is Slow And Inconsistent At Times
- Feeling Impatient About Wanting To Improve Your Social Life
- Don't Let Shame About Spending "Too Much" Time Working On Your Mental Health Or Social Issues Hold You Back From Healing
Some Central Principles of Improving
- Why You Need To Directly Practice Your Social Skills
- Indirectly Become More Successful By Improving As A Person
- The Importance Of Simplicity And The Basics In Social Interactions
- Overall Attitudes That Will Help You Improve Your People Skills
- It's Not Automatically Your Fault If A Social Interaction Goes Poorly
- Forcing Yourself To Make Progress On Your Outer Goals Vs. Working On The Core Baggage Holding You Back
- It's Okay To Skip Some Chances To Work On Your Social Skills
Beginner Mistakes
- Some Beginner Mistakes, Traps, And Misconceptions While Learning Social Skills
- You Don't Need To Obsess Over Your Social Status If You Just Want A Regular, Fulfilling Social Life
- Don't Boast About Learning Manipulative Social Techniques
Social Rules
- There's No Single List Of Social Rules And Norms
- How To Figure Out Social Rules And Norms On Your Own
Goal Setting
- Setting Goals For Improving Your Social Skills
- Less-Healthy Motivations For Working On Your Social Problems
- Catching Up On Your Basic Social Skills Doesn't Always Feel Like An Exciting Goal
- Why Some People Regret Trying To Improve Their Social Skills
Getting Feedback And Support From Others
- How To Get Feedback On Your Social Skills And How You Come Across
- Don't Casually Dismiss Feedback On Your Social Skills
- Unrealistic Expectations For How Other People Should Help You With Your Social Issues
Trouble Getting Started
- When You Don't Know Where To Start Working On Your Social Issues
- Overcoming Laziness And Inertia Toward Working On Your Social Problems
- Are You Fully Ready To Change Your Social Problems?
- Some Reasons People May Put Off Working On Their Social Issues
- How To Stay Motivated To Improve Your Social Skills And Make Friends
- When You Feel Deeply Stuck And Caught Between Several Difficult Options For Changing An Aspect Of Your Social Life
What to Expect
- Stages You Can Go Through As You Improve Your Social Skills
- Having A Realistic Idea Of The Effects Of Fixing Your Social Problems
- "Benefits" Of Being Really Shy And Awkward (And Why Your Results May Temporarily Dip As You Improve Your Confidence And Social Skills)
- How Socializing Can Get Easier And Harder As You Grow Older
- Times You Feel Unusually "On" In Social Situations
- "Epiphany Addiction"
- When Getting Over Your Social Awkwardness Or Mental Health Struggles Becomes Your Quasi-Hobby
The Role Of Knowledge And Lifestyle
- Life Factors That Can Boost Your Social Success Quite Quickly
- Lifestyle Factors That Can Affect Your Social Success
- How Traveling/Backpacking Can Boost Your Social Skills
- How Consuming Media Can Help And Hinder You Socially
- Ways People Still In High School Can Work On Their Social Skills For The Future
Interests
Learning Things For Pragmatic Reasons
Thoughts On Some General Social Advice
- Social Skills And Self-Help Advice I Haven't Found That Helpful
- Does "Fake It 'Til You Make It" Work For Improving Your Social Skills And Confidence?
- Thoughts On "Be Yourself" As Social Advice
- Attitudes And Dispositions Toward Socializing That Are Easier Said Than Done
- Thoughts On Social Advice That Portrays Basic, Core Skills As Being Advanced
- How to Win Friends and Influence People Is Good, But It's Not An Ultimate Guide To Social Skills
- Why People Can Give Vague, Unhelpful Social Advice
- Thoughts On The Social Advice To "Give Value", "Don't Take Value", Etc.
- Having Certain Traits Won't Automatically Lead To A Social Payoff Down The Line
Thoughts On General Self-Help And Mental Health Advice
- Countering And Suppressing Mental Health Symptoms Vs. Truly Fixing The Root Of The Problem
- General Reasons People May Not Give Some Mental Health Or Self-Help Advice A Chance
- Getting Into General Self-Improvement Usually Won't Heal Your Core Emotional Baggage
Thoughts On Various Therapy Methods
- Misconceptions And Objections About Cognitive Restructuring In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Cognitive Behavior Therapy Isn't The Be-All And End-All Of Treating Anxiety
- The Range Of Results You May Get From Challenging Your Counterproductive Thoughts And Beliefs
- The Range Of Results You May Get From Gradually Facing Your Fears With Exposure Therapy
- The Range Of Results You May Get From Accepting And Rolling With Distressing Thoughts And Emotions
- The Range Of Results You Can Get From Improving Your Social Skills To Lower Social Anxiety
- The Range Of Results You May Get From Techniques And Lifestyle Changes Meant To Directly Reduce Your Upsetting Emotions
Lack Of Results
- Handling Feelings Of Frustration And Discouragement As You're Trying To Improve Your Social Skills
- When You Feel Like You've Tried Everything But Your Social Problems Still Aren't Improving
- When You Feel Like Giving Up On Trying To Make Friends Or Get Over Your Shyness
- Traits That Can Develop If You've Been Unable To Meet Your Social Goals, And Which Can Hinder Your Further
- "I've Been Working On My Social Issues For Several Years And Things Still Haven't Changed"
Seeking Professional Mental Health Support
- The Option Of Seeing A Therapist About Your Social Issues Or Related Problems
- Therapy And Support Groups For Social Skills Issues
- Worries Or Misconceptions People Can Have About Psychotherapy
- Worries And Misconceptions People Can Have About Therapists
- Is It Pointless And Inefficient To Explore Your Past In Therapy?
- Could Therapy For Your Anxiety Make It Worse?
- Sometimes Therapy Just Takes A While, Even If You're Doing Everything Right
- Factors That Can Affect How Long Psychotherapy Takes
- Things Psychotherapy Clients Can Want That Won't Help Them Long Term
- Good, Possible, And Iffy Reasons To Quit Seeing Your Psychotherapist
- When You Feel Like A Mental Health Treatment Or Therapist Is Your Last Hope
