tips for interacting with my community/getting involved with things

[thefanciestpigeon]

I want to do things in the world! I want to make a lot and a very diverse range of friends or at least acquaintances! would be cool if I could do things to improve the world in some way as well, even if its just small. I want to learn more new things and stuff. im beinf vague here but does that make sense? but I am so bad at social things, and finding where things are happening and stuff. I feel so isolated and shut out from the world around me. any tips for that? and for doing things like this when you are autistic and have brain fog?

[shevek]

I have a similar experience. I have to consciously remind myself that there is stuff happening outside my home that I could visit. I think it helps to realize that usually, no person has to come up with everything themselves. Most other people hear about gettogethers, events, interesting parties or museum stuff through others or being invited as well, so it is a little community effort between you, family, friends, friends of friends, and so on. It just gets difficult when you have almost no one, or none of them.

What helped me is set actual reminders somewhere - can be a post-it on your computer, or something on your phone - that reminds you to go look for things. Check your city's event calendar, check out the local bar's upcoming events, check out what the museums around you have planned for the year, and check the website of the concert halls around you. Maybe there are also organizations in your city offering workshops, or schools/universities offer interesting classes.
Maybe dedicate a few hours to that and put everything you wanna check out in your calendar, even if it is weeks or months in advance.

[zawieja]

I get the idea, as someone with social anxiety it's really hard not to get stuck at home at all times. I depend on friends a lot to drag me to places and events, really.

Volunteering sounds like something that could work for you, I think. Zoos, shelters, nursing homes, organisations, lots of places would appreciate extra help and could be a gateway to meet new people.

As far as I know, you can find a lot on what's happening nearby through facebook too, which issss not ideal, but if your local area uses it as well.. why not just look around? sometimes even free courses or classes can be found there.

Be ready that it's never that easy to connect with people, though, so it's always better to do something you simply enjoy to do. If you love animals for example,helping them will be satisfying even if you won't quite connect with people who do that. I think it's good to keep in mind to avoid disappointment.

[Thorn]

I would advise going to community hubs and talking to people there to see if there's anyone already making a group or doing work that you'd like to help with in your area. Libraries, community centers, parks, and any nearby campuses are always great for this, but coffee shops, record stores, and occasionally bars can also be good for this since people go there to casually spend time together and talk about things and will often keep the staff at the location in the loop about goings on in the community by talking things over with them (as opposed to places like grocery stores or restaurants which tend to be more fast paced and private respectively). Listening to small local radio stations may also be helpful, since they often advertise local events. If you can't find a suitable group or you find a need in your community that you want to see addressed, you can always start your own group and scout out people who might be interested in helping in those locations.