Folks, I consider myself to be really socially withdrawn. Last year I did one of those D&D stat generator quizzes and ended up with a 4 charisma.
I don't actively go out and make myself repugnant to other people. Just that I don't smile that much, I avoid eye contact on a regular basis, most times I keep my trap shut because in my experience I end up causing a lot more trouble when I speak rather than when I listen to people.
I've tried socializing at work but I feel stymied because when I speak to them as a peer, they look at me like I'm speaking an obscure dialect of Martian. They talk about stupid reality shows, I don't watch television. None of them read on a regular basis and my nose is always in a book. Plus I'm not one for small-talk.
How do I break out of this shell? I'm finding lots of realistic reasons to stay the party line even though deep down I'd like to make a few connections, network myself and that kind of shit.
do the things they do occasionally, I wouldn't watch reality TV either but not all television is completely horrible or just watch popular movies, and bring them up in conversation.
Open yourself up to new experiences, get drunk at a bar, take a holiday somewhere interesting, pick a fight, read books you don't usually, watch mindless entertainment, build something with your hands, get a new hobby, take evening classes, learn to cook, try doing charity work.
Basically go ahead and try lots of new things because once your life experiences are more wider and more varied your ability to understand and bond with different kinds of people will be greater. Doing these things will probably improve your confidence as well.
Networking is fancy of saying "making friends who can get you a job".
>Open yourself up to new experiences, get drunk at a bar, take a holiday somewhere interesting, pick a fight, read books you don't usually, watch mindless entertainment, build something with your hands, get a new hobby, take evening classes, learn to cook, try doing charity work.
He or she is completely right.
Basically, the only way to come off as normal is to conform to society to some extent.