An Introvert’s Guide To Discovering New Experiences

In order to learn and grow, you must expose yourself to new processes/experiences that you originally thought you couldn’t do.

This is a quick guide, no need for a major introduction. Let’s get right into it.

Why should I put myself out there? Well here are some potential Outcomes if you put yourself out there

• You discover yourself and learn what you like and don’t like
• You can meet amazing people you connect with and form your social circles
• You learn to overcome anxiety and get out of your head. Finding a calm state of mind
• You build a life that you never thought you could have. Through the butterfly effect, you can experience things you never thought you could.

Do an activity you like or discover one that is new outside of the house

• Google events that are you interested in or are curious to learn more about on meetup.com (for groups, clubs), Eventbrite, and concerts/events going on in your area.
• To find more options, dedicate once a week to physically going out and discovering popular/new areas in your city or town that you are unfamiliar with.
• Take an hour or two of one day in the week to go to a restaurant, cafe, bar, library, the park, the beach, a walk, etc. to spend time alone yourself. You may encounter individuals doing a similar activity.
• Do activities that you normally do inside outside at one of the above locations. Bring your laptop, notebooks, and books!

Personal Mindset before the above activities

• Accept who you are and where you are in life. Welcome to wherever you are. Don’t be hard on yourself and embrace who you are. There’s so much remaining that you want to do and can do.
• No one is watching or thinking about you when you’re out and about. be your awesome self.
• Everyone else is always looking to meet great people. All the individuals you see walking around at an event or on the street, low-key yearn to meet new people they can connect with at a personal level.
• Most people that judge others really has to more to do with them rather than you. No doubt about it. You have to be arrogant, selfish, and non-empathetic to put another human down or judge someone for trying to learn or be themselves.
• You have value and something to say. no matter how small or seemingly menial.
• Let go of the end goals you have in mind. You could want to have new friends, a relationship, self-recovery, etc. But, letting go of the outcome shifts the focus onto the present moment and significantly reduces the anxiety and pressure mode that future thinking puts you in.
• Single event interactions won’t be the end all be all. In other words, don’t put too much emphasis on one event or activity if it turns out you didn’t enjoy it or meet anyone. There will be other events! Keep going and discovering, I got your back on this journey!
• Relating to the above two, the process of discovering and learning is the real destination, not achievement or having something tangible. Embrace it, you won’t know it but you are definitively in the process of growing when you expose yourself to original experiences and stimuli.
• It’s okay to feel uncomfortable. The uncomfortably is a valid emotional response, continual exposure will over time get better and better. You will become more comfortable as you expose yourself to new activities and people, I promise you.

Most importantly, enjoy the journey. You are exactly where you’re supposed to be. I have your back if you ever feel like no one else is experiencing what you are.

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Previously Published on medium

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