I can relate to your situation. Like you, I am an introvert and I feel overwhelmed by too much interaction with other people. Yet, you say that your soul knows that you need to connect with more people. Here is what I do to be able to trust and connect with more people.

1. Listen to your gut feelings. Your intuition will help you figure out who is good for you and who is toxic. The more you pay attention to your gut, the stronger your intuition will become.

2. Learn all you can about spotting toxic behavior such as emotional manipulation, verbal abuse and narcissism. Then, you will be more able to separate those who can be trusted from those who can’t.

3. Take baby steps. Try making one new acquaintance and take your time getting to know that person, always listening to your instincts and being aware of any manipulative behavior.

4. Spend enough time by yourself and limit the amount of time you spend socializing. Introverts need time to themselves to replenish and rest. Try spending one hour a week doing something social that is outside of your comfort-zone and see how that goes.

You also mentioned that conversation feels forced and awkward. My way around this is to ask the other person a lot of questions. People like to talk about themselves and they really like others who are good listeners!

If you ask questions, you may find things that you have in common with the other person that can help build conversation and friendship.

I hope some of these ideas help. 🙂

• This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by Cindy.