Small Talk, Big Skill

Very often in therapy, building friendships becomes a behavioral goal. Two of my earlier posts talk about finding oneself with too few friends and some general strategies for finding friends. This post will give some suggestions on what to actually talk about once you have found people worth getting to know.

Putting yourself in a situation where you can meet people is an important step in the friend-building process. A next, big step and helpful skill is the art of initiating a conversation. A step many people find very anxiety producing. A step many believe they are no good at. A step many people are too afraid to try. A step the leaves people avoiding social situations altogether.

It may be a comfort to know that many people experience social anxiety and many people report having trouble coming up conversation starters. So it never hurts to remind yourself that you're not the only person who struggles to break the ice and make small talk.

But when two people are standing next to each other, and the idea is to socialize, somebody's got to do it, right? And it may as well be you. Especially if you're motivated because (a) you want more connections in your life and (b) someone has caught your eye.

And you never know, the person you're eyeing could be more shy than you. Could be hoping you talk first. Could welcome an end to the awkwardness. This is when you can take a deep breath and tell yourself that your attempt at small talk might just be appreciated.

There are three main types of small talk that I will cover: (1) Ice Breakers (2) Introductions, and (3) Follow Ups. Today's post will concern itself with Ice Breakers. In a later post, or two, we'll talk about Introductions and Follow Ups.

With Ice Breakers, here are some suggestions to keep in mind:

(1) You're not trying to make a deep connection the first time you meet. You don't need to dazzle or impress. You're just trying to get some conversation, any conversation, started. So keep your opener short and simple.

(2) The less you know the person, the less personal your comment or question. Keep your comments neutral and general. Focus on something around you, not about you.

(3) Likewise, the more conventional your location, the more conventional you will want to keep the conversation topics. Conventional means neutral, common, general, maybe even boring. Don't ruffle feathers. Don't try to be profound. Keep it light and upbeat.

If you are in an edgy nightclub, at a rock concert, or watching performance art, taking risks might work. But in general, it's safer to keep your comments bland. You don't know this person yet, or very well, so you don't want to startle, pry or challenge. You want to keep it comfortable. And the less you know about a person, keeping it bland is the safest bet.

(4) Look for something you have in common with the person you're trying to talk to. You may be wondering, what if I don't know this person very well? How you can I possibly know what we have in common. Well, here's the answer. At a minimum, what you have in common is your location.

So look around you. Whether you're in the same room or standing on the same sidewalk, at a minimum you've got your physical surroundings in common. And always? There's the weather.

Here are some general topics along these lines:

4The weather (again, it works).

4Traffic (everybody hates it).

4The building.

4The club, organization or group that is holding the function.

4The sports team that's on the television above the bar (but only if he is paying attention).

4The music that's playing.

4The people you both know.

4The class you're both taking.

4The store in which you're standing in line.

Here are a few examples of Ice Breakers:

At a house party: "Who do you know here?" Or, "How do you know Jon and Cara?" "Do you know this neighborhood very well?"

At a wedding: "Are you here with the bride or the groom?" "How long have you known her?" "Their vows were so unusual. Do you know if they wrote them?" "I know the bride but not much about the groom. Do you know how they met?"

At a neighborhood barbeque: "Do you live in this neighborhood?" "I can't believe how overcast it is today. I hope it doesn't rain." "I see Donna has put in some new landscaping over there. She's really keeping her yard nice." "It's been ages since I've had barbeque. I definately brought my appetite with me today. How about you? Are you much for beef brisket?"

At a restaurant or nightclub: "Have you eaten here before?" "Did you have to wait long for your glass of wine?" "What do you suggest on the menu?" "Have you tried the sushi here? Is it any good?" "Where do people park in this town? It took me forever to find a place."

If you look back at the Ice Breakers I suggested, they mostly tend to focus the topic of conversation away from the personal, away from the individuals involved. Instead they direct the questions to people and things around them.

When someone doesn't know you very well, they may not be interested in discussing anything very revealing about themselves. So wait a good while before asking questions of a personal nature.

Sometimes the person you approach will respond to your ice breaker in a talkative way. But there's also the chance of a lengthy pause, an awkward silence. So a future post will talk about the next step, conversational Follow-Uppers.

Meanwhile, picture yourself in a recent situation where you wish you had tried to start a conversation. Or you did make an attempt but didn't get very far. And now refer back to my suggestions and see if you can come up with a few Ice Breakers of your own. Practicing in your head, or covert rehearsal in CBT language, is a good way to up your chances of success the next time around.

A few links you might find helpful:

Tips for Starting Conversation with People you Don't know by Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen

The Shy Person's Guide to Conversation by Susie Cortright

Small Talk on the Job

And there are books on the topic:

The Fine Art of Small Talk by Debra Fine

Small Talk: The Art of Socializing by Kathy Schmidt, Louise Jordan, and Marisha Rogers

The Art of Mingling by Jeanne Martinet

Conversationally Speaking by Alan Garner

Painting: The Conversation by Shelley Grund

January's Here!

It's official! January is here! Right now! On this very blog!

Ok, maybe it's not Mad Men's January Jones. Not a television star. Not as good as that.

It's the month of January. The month of resolutions.

Here we go again, right? How am I gonna change this year?

You know the drill. Take inventory. Have my my ready made list of personal disappointments. Doesn't take long, does it? We know each and every one of those suckers by heart, don't we? Every failure? Every mistake?

Now whip it into a to-do-list:

Lose weight.

Drink less.

Exercise more.

Yell less.

Work more.

Spend less.

But enough of that noise. How about something completely different this year?

Maybe resolutions where we take stock in our strengths. Our good points.

What do I like about myself?

That's right. A List of Likeables. What I accomplished this year. What I'm proud of. What brought me joy. Pleasure. Happiness. What I wouldn't change about myself.

Here are some examples of what might apply:

I experimented with a few new recipes. Even liked one of them.

I made my friends laugh.

I finally cleaned out the garage back in June. The fact that it's chaos again? No matter.

Went two months without arguing with my co-worker.

Made a new friend. Or two.

Took a risk.

Volunteered my time.

Showed compassion.

Passed my annual performance eval. Everybody else did, too? So what. I showed up and didn't get fired.

Passed on second helpings. Most Some of the time.

Helped my sour puss neighbor.

Held my tongue.

Paid my bills on time.

Paid down my credit card debt.

Listened to someone who needed to talk.

So, that's the gist of it. An agreement to recall what I like about myself. What I'm happy about.

Therapy couches are full of people who focus exclusively on their faults.

Yes, especially Super Man.

One part of my job is to help people reframe in a more healthy direction. To help clients take credit for the things they have done right instead of continually echoing things they feel shame about. Giving permission to make mistakes. Understanding that inconsistency is the human condition.

So maybe this year we can vow to take it easy on ourselves. Make this a year of uplifting changes. Appreciate my strong points. Cut down on the self-criticism. Try out a kinder, gentler me. Feel good for a change.

And now it's your turn, reader. What is something you will put on your list? What is something you did in the past year that you feel good about? Proud of? Happy about, even? What are your positive traits? What do others like about you? What do you like about you?

Holiday Plan

Whether your holiday plans involve spending time alone or spending time with a large gathering of family, it's often a good idea to come up with your own Holiday Plan.

What do I mean by this?

A Holiday Plan is one way of making sure the holiday is special and pleasurable for you.

A Holiday Plan can be therapeutic for people who are alone over the holidays. People in transition (recently divorced, widowed, relocated) are especially vulnerable to feeling lonely, alienated, sad, and in some cases, ashamed of their solitary status. Ashamed when others ask them, for example, "Who did you spend your holiday with?" The fear that others will judge them in some negative way or feel pity for them can weigh heavy. Many feel worse about their solo status when confronted with an onlooker's pity, no matter how caring and well-intentioned the concern may be. A Holiday Plan can help fill the gap when asked, "What did you do over the holiday break?"

Sometimes people who are alone prefer the solitude to merry making or the energy required to put on the facade of feeling merry. Take, for example, someone who works two jobs and is looking forward to the precious down time. Or someone who is grieving and prefers the quiet recovery time. Or the recovering alcoholics who refrain from a holiday gathering because they are newly sober and don't trust themselves to be around a spiked punch bowl. There are many reasons for choosing to be alone but the choice isn't always understood, or approved of, by others.

So back to a Holiday Plan. Think about ways you can make your holiday a special time of relaxation or pleasure or holiday ritual.

Make a list. This is a great time to consult with your personalized Pleasant Events List, discussed in an earlier post.

What are some activities that would give you pleasure? Which would help you feel the most refreshed? A hot bubble bath? Reading the latest edition of your favorite mystery series? Video gaming? A phone call to a friend or loved one? Taking a long walk along a scenic trail? Slipping out to see a movie? Starting a new knitting, art or woodworking project? Putting a puzzle together? Baking cookies? Sometimes getting caught up on household chores can be fulfilling. Just so long as it brings you pleasure.

If you expect to be around a large group over the holidays and you anticipate feeling drained rather than rejuvenated, as many of us do, give yourself permission to modify your plans. Excuse yourself for a walk after the large meal. Pass on the egg nog for a healthy drink you have brought as an alternative. Leave early so you can fit in some relaxing alone time at home or in your hotel room. Bring along a fun board game or favorite magazine as an alternative to the usual football game watching. Unless, of course, watching the bowl game is on your Holiday Plan.

Whatever your plan includes, be sure to give yourself plenty of time to prepare. Research a pleasant outing or day trip. Shop for needed supplies. If your list includes cuddling under a blanket, with a cup of hot cocoa (mini-marshmallows on top) while watching several rented movies with a pleasantly scented candle nearby, you will want to make your trip to the video and grocery store in advance. Most stores close or keep earlier hours during the holidays. You don't want your Holiday Plan foiled because you are caught empty handed.

Happy holiday planning, everyone!

Out, Out, Belief System!

One important therapy tool in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is exploring thoughts and beliefs that contribute toward an emotional or mental health disorder.

Thoughts can be viewed as relatively simple ideas or statements that guide our self-talk. For people suffering from depression, for example, these thoughts tend to run toward negative, discouraging themes. They may seem quick and random, such as,

I'm never going to get this right!

Or, What is wrong with me?

Or, There's no point in trying.

Cognitive therapy involves paying attention to these automatic negative thoughts, or cognitions, and coming up with healthier alternatives. That is, ultimately changing them or replacing them with more accurate, positive, uplifting, and/or calming thoughts.

Often, in therapy, we CBT psychologists look a little deeper for underlying belief systems that influence our clients' moods and actions.

Gloom and Foreboding

These belief systems, or beliefs, for short, can be made up of a single powerful statement, such as the following examples,

I'm destined for failure.

I can't say no. I hate letting other people down.

Nobody will ever love me.

Something is wrong with me.

Or they can be made up of a series of thoughts that clump together:

Why is my life so hard? At this rate, I'll never get ahead. Why keep trying? It's no use. Every time I take one step forward, something happens that sets me back. I may was well give up.

Belief systems are typically made up of a complex pattern of thoughts that group together to feed and maintain the one, highly charged belief.

Let's take for example a common underlying belief found among people experiencing anxiety and depression symptoms:

Nobody loves me.

Or,

I am unworthy of love.

This belief is usually fueled by dozens or hundreds of smaller impact thoughts.

Look at me! I'm in terrible shape.

She won't come back, I just know it.

I need him. There is noone else out there for me.

I'm not going. What's the use? There's no point in trying to meet anyone.

I'll never find anyone else.

Why would anyone want to go out with me? I have nothing to offer.

I feel so fat and horrible.

I'm disgusting. No wonder he hasn't called me.

All of these thoughts could be related to the core, underlying belief, Nobody loves me. Or, I am unloveable.

One of the keys of CBT is uncovering dysfunctional belief systems, bring them to the light, and helping the client let go of their powerful hold, and move forward.

Sometimes dysfunctional beliefs are formed in early childhood. An abusive, neglectful parent can contribute to their formation. A group of teasing, bullying kids in the neighborhood can do the same.

Sometimes beliefs get started in adolescence or later in adult life, say, when a cherished lover or spouse is abusive, unfaithful, or abandons.

Whatever their origins, the good news is they can be outed and purged using CBT techniques.

More examples of dysfunctional belief patterns to come.

bumper sticker of the month

Saw this one today on the back of a pick up truck:Happy Thanksgiving, readers.

And please, do not bring your bartender to our therapy sessions. I wouldn't want to have to prove you wrong. The power of positive thinking and all that.

freedom

There are many reasons I am a big proponent of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

Chief among them is the freedom to overcome the unhappy elements of our past.

Freedom to decide that, at this moment, change begins.

Freedom to let go of our former selves.

Freedom to let go of patterns that bring us distress.

Freedom to move forward into wellness.

Today marks 20 years of another, equally profound, form of freedom. Freedom from political oppression.

Twenty years ago today the Berlin Wall came down.

Twenty years ago today 16 million people were united with the west.

How is Germany celebrating?

A long string of dominoes mark the former placement of the wall. Germans will line the colorful wall and watch as the dominoes fall, one by one.

An angel watches over the Berlin dominoes:

The celebration began one month ago when giant marionettes walked through Berlin:

You can see more pictures documenting the event, here.

Congratulations, Germany! Wir gratulieren!

decide not to decide

Indecision by Pat Kumicich

It is quite common for people to enter therapy in the midst of a crisis. They want answers.

Is my marriage over?

Cognitive therapy is all about replacement thinking. A cognitive therapist will listen for faulty or dysfunctional thinking patterns that are contributing toward a client's lowered mood, anxiety, anger, or indecision.

And sometimes those problematic thoughts are questions. Especially questions whose answers involve major life decisions. Upheaval.

My job is horrible! Should I quit now or find a new job first?

One calming thought replacement is decide not to decide. At this moment, anyway. Perhaps for an undetermined period of time, if the situation allows. Give yourself the time to make a more informed decision.

I'm not happy here. Should I move back to the West Coast?

First we must explore whether there is an urgency to decide now. Many, if not most, of life's crises do not require immediate action. They may, at some point, require a decision. But right now? Not usually. And hasty decisions are often the source of regret or self-doubt down the road.

My neighbors are so toxic. Is it time to move?

What crises typically do require is calm and thorough deliberation. Careful consideration of the options available. Analyzing the situation so that we know what we're dealing with. Generating a range of steps to take before making a drastic change.

By the time someone has entered the therapy room, however, they are often worked up into a frenzy or feeling overwhelmed to the point of depression. They are not thinking clearly. They cannot focus. They are unable to come up with creative solutions. They're engaged in black or white, all or none, thinking.

So rather than focus on making the decision, we want the client to slow down, calm down, reduce the stress, increase the self care, and decide not to decide.

Concentrate on self-soothing. Take care of yourself until you are in a position where you can carefully assess the available information, until it can be gathered in a calm, deliberate and accurate manner. And then reflected on without haste. Seek opinions from respected experts or someone who has been in your shoes.

Slow down.

Get some good sleep.

Regroup.

Think of my options.

List pros and cons.

Consult with colleagues.

Get some support.

Take a walk.

Take deep breaths.

And full exhales.

Again.

And again.

Give myself the time to decide.

In good time.

Decide not to decide.

Until I am ready.

finding friends

In my last post, I talked about being new in a city and the struggle to find friends.

Years ago, I read a research study dealing with social support. It found that the variable most predictive of a friendship developing between any two people was, simply, time spent together. Not common interests, like I guessed. Not same background or religion. Not age. Not level of education.

Greater length of time spent in each other's company was the factor most associated with friendship bonding. Either long periods of time in one space (think weekend workshop or jury duty) or repetitive intervals across time (weekly art class). Time that allows for talking and getting to know each well enough to break down the barriers and move to a point where calling each other for a get together feels acceptable. Safe. And eventually easy.

I wish it were faster. I wish we could attend a party, walk up to someone new and say, "Hi. I overheard your conversation and you seem like someone I could be friends with." But this rarely happens. It might have been this easy in kindergarten. The older we get, though, the longer it usually takes. We grown ups are a leery lot.

Place of employment is a common venue for making friends. We can see the "time spent together" factor at work here. Many of my clients in this friendless predicament report the social scenerio at their jobs is lacking They might have made slight inroads or none. "Everyone is married." Or, "They're all older than me." Or, "They all do the bar hopping scene. I don't like bars." When friends don't arise in the work place, it can lead to looking around and wondering, "Now what?"

Well, here's one idea for the now what. Remember this one goal: Put yourself into situations where you are likely to see the same people again and again.

Visiting a museum one afternoon is not going to cut it. Signing up for a book club where the same people will be meeting week after week might.

What kind of situations? Start with an interest. A hobby. A creative outlet. An athletic pursuit.

What do I like to do? What am I interested in doing that I've never done before? What have I long wanted to try but haven't made the time to do so? Gardening? Creative writing? Volley ball? Woodworking?

Thumb through the newspaper in the local/metro or life section. Check out informal classes or adult education available at nearby colleges. Read over the available class schedules as a way of getting ideas or jogging your memory: photography, landscaping, stained glass, salsa or country western dance, yoga, walking tours, home improvement, bridge, dominoes.

Look for events that meet repeatedly, once/week or every other, where it seems likely you'll see the same faces on a repeat basis. A one-time seminar on a Saturday is better than sitting home and meeting no one. But a class or support group that meets regularly is a better bet for getting in the time needed to develop a friendship.

Some venues encourage interacting, such as team sports, creative writing classes, support groups, walking clubs. Others are more of a solitary pursuit. Avoid the latter. We want to optimize our recreation and volunteer time. Go where the opportunity for getting to know others is made easy.

The beauty of my plan is this: Even if your pursuit doesn't result in friends, let's say you're not interested in anyone who shows up, you are spending time doing something entertaining, challenging, and fun. You might be learning something.

Another benefit? You become more interesting this way. So when you do meet someone who has friendship potential, you're more likely to have something to offer. To be found friendship worthy.

So starting with something you're interested in is one friendship finding avenue. I'll have more to offer in a later post or two.

feeling friendless

Living in a large city, I see quite a few people coping with transition. One of the common requests for an initial appointment will go something like, "I'm new in town," or "I've lived here a year," followed by their complaint, typically something to do with depression or anxiety.

Many clients, particularly those beyond their mid-20's, are shocked, at a loss, or somewhat ashamed when they realize they are struggling in the friendship department.

Maybe they were used to making friends easily. Or they remember that reaching out to make friends never was easy but they somehow stumbled into a group of chums.

And now they find themselves feeling friendless. They start to feel the panic rise. How do I do this? Where do I start?

At some point in therapy, it becomes apparent to me that they are struggling to establish friends. It might take us awhile to reach the stage where we decide the client needs to target socializing. It's seldom a problem area people feel comfortable bringing up on it's own. People feel awkward admitting their lack of affiliation. The worry about the stigma of appearing friendless. The fear of being judged as a social dud.

In therapy we explore the client's friendship history. How did they make friends in the past? Did it feel easy or was it a struggle. What types of friendships did they enjoy? Close confidantes or more distant acquaintances? Feel a part of a close knit group or often like an outsider looking in?

We often talk about the ease of making friends in high school and college, in particular. Life surrounded by hundreds or thousands of same-age, similarly situated peers. Mostly single, working part-time jobs, flexible schedules, with a variety of clubs and avenues available to study, exercise and socialize. To make friends. Dorm life is a friendship building tool for the asking. Close to campus apartment living is another. Potential friends all around, within arms reach, even.

Sometimes friends come in a bundle. A sports team. A choir group. Or we start to date someone and they have a big group of friends. We like them, spend a lot of time with them, and gradually they become our friends, too. Though not always easily. This wriggling into and feeling accepted by a pre-existing set of friends can feel difficult for many. Especially when their friendships seem to go back to their days in the nursery. It's a situation ripe for feeling odd-person-out.

Which brings me to relationship break-ups and divorce. These are transitions where friendships are often lost. Partners exit and take their friends with them. You see this in a large group of couples. After the break up, maintaining friendships with those remaining in the couples club is a logistical nightmare. Seeing and hearing about the ex can be too painful. Too close a reminder of what is lost. Learning about their new dating interests. Ouch.

Sometimes the friends appear to take sides. Or they don't know what to do and in their uncertainty, fail to reach out. This can really hurt the person left behind. Loss on top of loss can leave someone with profound self doubt, feeling sad and lonely.

It is well documented in the research literature that socializing on a regular basis is associated with physical health and emotional wellbeing. Feeling connected and cared about, laughing and going places together, keeping busy, exercising together, having someone to confide in. These are all benefits of friendships. It is no wonder, then, that finding oneself in a suddenly-friendless situation is associated with the onset or exacerbation of depression, anxiety, or a number of psychological conditions.

So how does one go about finding friends, exactly? Stay tuned. In my next post we'll talk about the goal of meeting new people and making friends.

this is your brain on stress

The New York Times reported on a Portugese study which demonstrated that persistent stress changes the structural makeup of the brain. And not in a particularly helpful way.

According to Dias-Ferreira and his colleagues at the University of Minho, brains under chronic stress show an increase in the neurological pathways associated with doing familliar, repetitive, rote kinds of responses, even in the absence of success.

Think of the end of an intense and tiring work week. You find yourself channel surfing, up and down, dozens of times, even though you know nothing is on.

Circling around the kitchen, searching various cabinets, fridge and freezer for a salty/sugary/creamy treat, coming up empty each time.

Then there's the supervisor who schedules yet another staff meeting where the same, tired ideas are passed around, the same ineffectual instructions are issued. Where everyone leaves muttering, "Why do we think it's going to work this time?"

According to the article, brains under longterm stress also show a decrease in neurological connections in "regions of the brain associated with executive decision-making and goal-directed behaviors."

A shortage of problem solving circuitry, in other words. The light bulb burns out. We stop thinking creatively. We shrink away from new and different ways to respond. Instead we retreat into old, familliar and comfortable habits.

We get ourselves into a big, fat, rut. (Pass the Oreo cookies, please?)

The good news is, relaxation helps undo these stress induced changes. Taking brisk walks. A friendly game of hoops. Talking it out with supportive listeners. Thinking positively. Deep breathing. Contemplating nature. Getting away for the weekend. Creative outlets. Good nutrition. A full night's sleep, or two, or three. Exercise. Meditation. Yoga.

So turn off the TV. Stop circling the kitchen. Do something different. Step outside and take several rounds of full inhales and full, emptying exhales. Gaze at the stars. Resolve to get to bed earlier and engage in a healthier self care routine. Talk more respectfully and assertively to loved ones and co-workers. Eventually (four weeks, in the case of the rats in the study) your brain can revive and new connections can branch out.

Recharged, you might just find that the light bulb flickers back to life.