Exercise your communication muscles

A vital skill that many of us take for granted is employed during those seemingly inconsequential interactions with people in our community as we go about daily life – the banter with the man in the corner shop or the local barista, or the brief ‘hello’ to the dog walker you pass on your morning run.

‘Those quick conversations are like a mini workout. A little “how are you?” hones social skills and boosts confidence,’ says psychologist Sophie Mort.

These ‘weak ties’ provide valuable interim conversations between the big conversations we have with people closest to us. ‘It can feel like a big leap to go from speaking to no one to speaking up in a large group. Communication is a skill and some of us need to relearn it,’ she says. ‘Think back to when you were a teenager… I recall the first time I went into a shop alone, feeling self-conscious about speaking to strangers. It takes a while to learn that back-and-forth social dance.’

As well as giving our conversational skills a workout, casual exchanges within our communities boosts wellbeing. ‘Hearing your neighbour putting out their recycling and going out with yours to chat builds a sense of belonging,’ says loneliness expert Amy Perrin. ‘As social beings, we are tribal. We have to be among others for our sense of safety.’