Are you an unnatural connector?
Maybe you say you’re introverted or even antisocial. It could be related. But I’m talking about the difficulty making personal connections.
You’re at a party or conference and you’re surrounded by people you don’t know. Do you wait for someone to talk to you? Do you strike up a conversation? Do you leave?
I admit I deal with this type of anxiety. But this can impact us in the online world, too.
Do you make online friends easily? Do you reach out to people you don’t know? Are you worried about how they’ll interpret your message? Do you resist or distrust many of the people who do reach out?
The problem is that we can’t do this on our own. We need real-world AND online friends. We need the support and this is also how we make business relationships.
I feel this gets more and more difficult with time as I work from home. I now need to make a conscious effort to reach out to people and either strike up or maintain online friendships.
How about you?