The Social Task: part 1

You know those people who tell you what to do…but you know wouldn’t follow their own advice?  They’re really annoying, aren’t they?

Well, long story short, I don’t want to be that annoying person.  I certainly don’t want to be that annoying therapist.  So, I’ve decided to set myself tasks that I occasionally work with clients to achieve and write about them here so you can see that:

• I practice what I preach
• I am human
• Sometimes things don’t quite go to plan (people who know me will know how very, very true that is for me), and that is mostly OK.
• (Hopefully) these tasks have great benefits and if you think they would help you, maybe my stories will give you a nudge to step out of your comfort zone too, whether you are a client or not.

There is a task a client and I set for her a while back that I felt a bit guilty about as I knew I would struggle with it.  (She didn’t – she was AMAZING).  It was around meeting new people.  Connection with other human beings is vital to our well-being, and without it, we don’t do as well as we could.  In fact, if the needs that a social circle would usually meet aren’t, we can sometimes try to achieve the same outcomes in less positive ways.  In a very simplified view, being lonely could lead to things like comfort eating, drinking a bit too much, smoking, over exercising…. you get the picture.

So…I decided it was about time I set myself <drum roll, please….> ‘The Social Task’. It was my turn to meet new people.  How did I do it?  Well, to start, I worse my heart on my sleeve and posted this to the local Facebook group:

I didn’t expect much, but look – 36 comments THIRTY-SIX! 

People suggested all sorts of classes, offered to get me free passes to their gym, people endorsing other people’s suggestions, and I had a direct message from a local lady in a similar position to me who suggested meeting up for a coffee.  They she decided cocktails.  And when I saw the message it was the end of Dry January (no alcohol for the entire month if that concept is one that passed you by), and I might have had a glass of wine in celebration which might have helped me come to the conclusion that this would be A Great Idea.  In the same 30 minutes or so I also committed to a Monday night circuit class and two classes on a Wednesday: band workout and dance fit. 

I get very nervous meeting new people, I’ve never done circuits, I didn’t know what a band workout would entail and I last danced actual steps in my ballet class in primary school…

A Great Idea indeed. 

Want to find out more?  It’ll be coming soon …