Struggling with being more social

[Dorchester]

Hey guys, as a senior in my second semester, I'm doing an exchange program to attend another US high school with about 10 students from my school. The issue is that out of those 10 students, none of those are really social people.

I just want to be more social, but I'm really lost because I've never been very good at socializing before. Unfortunately, most all of the classes that I'm in have very studious types in them. I want to get out of this bubble and meet new people.

I know what you're thinking, "just talk to more people!", right? It's just that I'm afraid that I'm giving off the "he seems like a nice person" vibe instead of the "I'd like to be friends with him" vibe. I'm not trying to get laid immediately, I just want to be better socially.

Can I get some advice?

 

[DanZy]

Stop over thinking, be interesting, have fun

 

[LearningSlowly]

Double answer: like danzy said, just relax and start talking to people.

Second part, be more content with the people you already talk to. They are not nothing, show them as much love as possible. When you start to distinguish between who is cool and who isn't, you create weird lines of who you "should" be talking to. Those lines are obvious to people around you and that sort of thing sucks. Just enjoy people, all people.

 

[Blistex]

I'm afraid that I'm giving off the "he seems like a nice person" vibe instead of the "I'd like to be friends with him" vibe.

You have an insecurity and that's what is making it hard for you to go out of your bubble and socialize. Forget about these "vibes" because they are simply made up beliefs in your head that are holding you back from making great progress. You're here to improve upon your social skills and become more confident while talking to others. Stop worrying about what other people think of you because that will do you no good.

I know you don't want to be the unsociable 50 year old who looks back at this and says to himself, "I had all these opportunities to become sociable and I didn't capitalize on any of them."

You only live once. Go out and socialize.

 

[AH909]

Dude who cares what these people think of you? Your in an exchange program so it's not like your gonna know them forever. Just start talking to people if they think you weird who cares there's plenty of other people in the world.

 

[Dorchester]

Thanks so much, I feel really charged up. I always get great words of wisdom from this forum.

 

[shonmichael75]

It will be better if you think objective rather subjective

 

[FairShake]

People want to be friends with nice people dude.