All vitiligo fighters yearn to live an active, social life. Friends and meeting new people can not only help you deal with vitiligo induced stress, but they can also encourage you to look beyond those self-imposed limitations. We all know that socializing is fun, but what many vitiligo fighters don’t realize is that spending time around other people can also benefit their health.
Having a wider social circle has been shown to have an impact, both physically and mentally. According to a study from the journal – Psychoneuroendocrinology, social people are less likely to catch a cold. Research from the journal Mind, Mood & Memory shows that connecting with others helps improve your mood and hence can help vitiligo fighters fight off depression. The University of Chicago found that people who are more socially isolated (in this context many vitiligo fighters) experience more nighttime restlessness and disruptions. This is not it. According to research from The American Journal of Public Health, active socializing delays memory loss as we age.
So, probably it’s time to tame that vitiligo induced social awkwardness and go out there and have fun. Don’t know how to do that? Worry not! Here are 5 ways to improve your social skills. We are going to be talking about things that you can do to become more social and more confident in social settings, paying least attention to your vitiligo.
1. Release some endorphins
Before you get ready for social events, take a mile run 2-mile run. Just go to the track and release those endorphins. When you are shy, you’re getting tied up; you’re too nervous or too tight. But, when you exercise, you become a lot looser and relaxed in movements.
2. Take a bus every day
Another issue many vitiligo fighters have is starting a conversation with a stranger. In your head, you start thinking about what you can say to a person, which can take his/her mind off your vitiligo patches. What we recommend you is riding on the bus daily (no matter for how long). Sit in the front row, and every time somebody exits the bus say: have a nice day or enjoy the rest of your day. Don’t overthink it, just say it. If they think your vitiligo looks weird, it doesn’t matter. You’ll never see them again. But most probably, it’s going to make others feel awesome, and they’re going to appreciate it.
3. Try having a conversation with strangers
Start trying to have conversations with people on the bus, so you don’t need to sit in the front seat anymore. Ask them something like “what book were you reading, because I can’t see the cover.” All of these conversations are just throw away things you don’t need to worry about. You’re just practicing having a conversation with somebody, and you’re not going to see the other person the next day. Conversing like this can allow you to get comfortable with meeting new people you’ve never met before.
4. Ask interesting questions
There are vitiligo fighters who go to parties and just freeze up. The moment you meet someone, land upon something of interest to that individual. Ask a question related to the person’s profession, background or kid/spouse/ parents/siblings. By asking certain questions like that, you can lead to conversations. Everybody loves talking about themselves; it’s just something that’s ingrained in all of us. And, soon more will turn to you and they’ll actually be engaged talking to you.
5. Go in the depth of the conversations
So, how do you get that conversation to keep going? You can either ask questions, or you can give your inputs. The most of the healthiest thing to do is to ask questions. So if somebody says I really enjoyed the game of Thrones books, you can respond “Oh I like them too, did you read them all already?” If he says, I read them all the way through. Then you can say something “oh I’ve only finished the third book,” and then he would say “oh I won’t spoil anything for you.”