THRIVEIN2025
Thrive in 2025 cont ...
BRUSH UP ON YOUR SOCIAL SKILLS
Increasingly considered an important component of positive mental health in modern-day life , broadly speaking ( so , negating the influence of changeable settings ), social skills , or ‘ social competence ’ as this is referred to in professional psychology , involves our ability to evaluate social situations and determine what is expected or required from us ; to recognise the feelings and intentions of the people that we ’ re with ; and to then select social behaviours that are most appropriate for that given context . Given the relative chaos of the past few years and the long-term fallout from such an unusual human circumstance , quite a lot of us are falling short on our social skills , or avoiding situations where they may be put to the test altogether .
Research on prisoners , astronauts and hermits has shown that isolation atrophies our social skills and , in the post-pandemic world , it seems us regular folk appear to have lost our grasp on basic interpersonal norms , from meeting new people to something as simple as splitting the bill at dinner ( why is that often so awkward ?). With a recent Forbes Health Survey stating that 60 % of respondents admitted that they find it much harder to form relationships since the onset of the pandemic , it ’ s time we brushed up on being social – and , crucially , feeling comfortable while being social .
• Focus on your company . It ’ s easy to get distracted in a conversation , subconsciously running through your to-do list or reacting to the buzz and bleeps from everyone ’ s phones , so aim to be more present in conversations . Put your phone away , resist multitasking and try not to spend the time they ’ re talking thinking about what you ’ re going to say next .
• Ask open-ended questions . When someone tells you something interesting about their life , show an interest and ask a genuine follow-up question ; let ’ s face it , a lot of people love talking about themselves . Be careful not to interrogate though ; a smattering of curiosity often makes for the discovery of mutual ground .
• Think about your body language . Non-verbal cues go a long way when it comes to relaxed conversation . Crossing your arms , for example , will not only make you feel closed off , you ’ ll look it too , so relax into your posture , make eye contact , use your hands to talk and don ’ t be afraid to let your face join in ! www . insidekent . co . uk • 21