4 things I learned in Socializing | 22 Things I Learned in 2022

“[…] my social development was paused and the way I knew how to socialize was erased when the pandemic hit the reset button.”

2022 was gonna be the year I went back to face-to-face classes after more than two years of being online. During those two years, my social development was paused and the way I knew how to socialize was erased when the pandemic hit the reset button. It’s because of this that I learned all of these things during the year which helped me to connect with people on a whole other level.

1.) I re-learned how to make friends and talk to people.

When I was stuck at home and attending class on a computer, I didn’t make any friends. It’s hard for me to believe now that I was able to go through my first two years of high school like that. But when face-to-face classes started the latter half of this year, I knew that wasn’t an option anymore. The first two weeks were rough, but eventually I pulled myself together and I found my group.

2.) I learned how to listen and be more interested in people

Throughout elementary school, I had a problem of talking about myself constantly. In the summer of 2022, I finally decided to do something about it. I did know how to listen to people, but I didn’t know how to show it or how to go any further. I remember a couple TED Talks that became my guide and my big epiphany. And now, my conversations with people have become so much richer and my friendships became more meaningful.

3.) I learned how to be more confident around people

I used to always say that I was confident on the stage speaking in front of hundreds of people, but I couldn’t handle myself in a conversation with four or less people. I learned how to become more comfortable with people and just more comfortable with myself, which helped me learn to boost my confidence in casual conversation.

4.) I learned how to set boundaries

My first year back in high school, there were a lot more dramas than I’d expected. We may be older I guess, but we are still kids in a way and, of course, it’s high school. Through the chaos, I found myself always adjusting to other people even if it was detrimental to myself and my mental well-being. I had to learn to put my foot down, it was hard. But ultimately, everything worked out for the better.

22 Things I Learned in 2022 (Short Version): https://medium.com/@jamainegatbonton/22-things-i-learned-in-2022-short-version-b5c0785c4c78

22 Things I Learned in 2022 (Full Version): https://medium.com/@jamainegatbonton/22-things-i-learned-in-2022-full-version-d37e5a396149

3 things I learned in Life: https://medium.com/@jamainegatbonton/3-things-i-learned-in-life-22-things-i-learned-in-2022-1e929d0c8814

4 things I learned in Socializing: https://medium.com/@jamainegatbonton/4-things-i-learned-in-socializing-22-things-i-learned-in-2022-7a31047c019a

5 things I learned in Myself: https://medium.com/@jamainegatbonton/5-things-i-learned-in-myself-22-things-i-learned-in-2022-6ccb67c9c364

10 things I learned in Writing and Just Doing: https://medium.com/@jamainegatbonton/10-things-i-learned-in-writing-and-just-doing-22-things-i-learned-in-2022-fbb8a56290cb

[Thanks for reading!]