Create personal rituals to strengthen your social connections

Replace social media bingeing with a gratitude ritual
Take a one-week break from social media and use that time to practice a gratitude ritual. Instead of mindlessly scrolling through Instagram daily for hours, call 2 people you care about and tell them how grateful you are for them. You can make this an evening practice before you go to bed. If someone doesn’t pick up, leave a voicemail.

Share your creativity with others regularly to make new friends
If you’re struggling to make friends, join a group of creative people and share your talents with everyone. For example, you can join an online community of creatives to support each other’s work. You can share poetry, comedy, writings, music, art, dance, or stories and give each other feedback. If there’s not much creativity to share, just have a conversation about what you’re all feeling at that moment.

Replace the normal drinking weekend with new rituals
Instead of meeting up every weekend for drinks with friends, do something more unpredictable and exciting. You can go for hikes, cook dinner together, go on bike rides, attend poetry readings or lectures, or play games. You can deepen your relationships without having to rely on alcohol.

Carve out time in your schedule to spend some time alone
Schedule a block of time to be alone at least once every week. Use this time to connect with your thoughts and emotions, whether it’s in nature or indoors. You can also create a playlist of your favorite music and light a candle to make your alone time feel special. By spending time alone and getting to know yourself, you can learn how to connect better with others.

If you’re a man, learn to be vulnerable around other men
Compared to women, men tend to struggle to form healthy friendships with other men. To overcome this challenge as a man, gather your friends and have regular meetings at each other's houses. You can start with a meal and then have a short meditation to get grounded. During every meeting, share what’s going on in your lives, what you’re working on, your struggles, romantic partners, etc. Create a safe space for vulnerability and maintain confidentiality with the information shared within the group. Practice not having any judgment and avoid the tendency to want to fix other people’s lives.

If you’re a woman, encourage other women
In modern culture, women tend to tear each other down and pick apart each other’s lives. Therefore, create a sacred women’s circle where you can celebrate each other’s success. Send an email to women you know, talk to colleagues, or post invites on social media. Make your intentions for the group known and start by asking group members what they want to gain from the experience. Focus on creating a safe, inclusive, and confidential space.