Humans are social animals. We all know that, but what do we do if one is an introvert? Recently, a Redditor talked about wanting to “get out and meet new people” but being unable to do so because of their “introvert hobbies.”
The Redditor regretted the nerdiness of his interests in video games (not multi-player), writing music, and stories that do not really allow any sort of socialization. He’s in 30s and doesn’t care about making extra efforts just for the sake of fitting in a group. He wants to work out his interests in social settings, but is clueless about how to go about it. He said, “How do I take the things I actually care about and make those work for me socially? Or am I just ‘too strange’ for society?”
Well, no, you’re not. Reddit is an abode to creative ideas and unique solutions, and this is what Redditors are suggesting.
1. “You like writing music and stories. Do you also enjoy listening to those things? Go to concerts / shows / plays / Ted talks. NPR story nights etc.”
2. “There’s a site called “Meetup.com”. Its not a dating sight, but more a place to find like minded people who share your interests. I used it as a dating site because at least you know the people there share at least one thing in common to talk about. There was great meetup in my city for those who love movies and beer. They set up a movie theater in the parking lot of a microbrew and we all hung out and discussed movie trivia about the production and stunt work of Indian Jones. Made some great friends out of it and even got a date.”
3. “You also have the option to create your own meetup group. If your interests are odd, it’s a good way to meet others who also have those same interests.”
4. “One of my close friends recently got married, know where they met? In a videogame, sure it might not be common but it happens. They met in a guild in an MMO and hit it off. I have a few friends that are dating people they met off of a discord channel we were all in for a videogame. Just because it’s something you do in your house alone doesn’t mean you can’t meet people and form real connections outside of that game.”
5. “There are forums for people to submit stories. Heck, you can probably post something on Reddit if it is short enough. You could stream your gameplay. There are plenty of people who do solo games and just have viewers watch. Say ‘we are going to…’ whatever in the game today. That is our mission.”
6. “You write music? Go to open mics and make friends with other musicians. You like RPGs? Find a tabletop game and get into it. Trust me, someone might try to be all alpha about it, but they won’t be that threatening.”
7. “Try to make some non-introvert hobbies. Plenty of nerdy hobbies that still bring people together. As a fellow introvert, here are some of my favorites: Board Games – Fun, geeky, and very social. Juggling – This is a great one because it’s an introvert hobby that can become social when you need it to.Rubik’s Cubes – Competitions are very friendly and social.”
8. “Ultimately, if you want to make a change you must step out of your comfort zone to challenge yourself, otherwise you’ll continue doing what you’re doing now, which you admit feels lacking that ‘something.’ I would encourage you to try one or several more ‘social’ activities out for size; you may surprise yourself. I’m much more introverted, but I took a chance on dance classes years ago and here I am years later not even imagining giving it up! You don’t have to like these ‘tryouts,’ but at least you can challenge yourself to try something new and learn a bit about how you’d like to spend your time. Also, you can enjoy more ‘introvert-friendly’ hobbies while still sharing that with others.”
9. “Get into board game groups. There are a lot of great high strategy board games out there nowadays. Note: High Strategy != Super Complicated. It just means you won’t see a lot of dice or random elements in the game. Settlers of Catan is probably the most (in)famous one. But there’s also Puerto Rico, 7 Wonders, and a ton of others. Check out boardgamearena.com to learn how to play them. Then look for groups in your area. Arrive early and introduce yourself to the first people you see. That way you can see which games people play, if you know any of them or which game you should join as a newbie.”
I think when we really want to do something, we have to challenge ourselves. Step out of our comfort zones and give our all. Because, what’s the worst that can happen? You’d go back to where you were? But if you succeed, you can really make a difference.