Why Take Advantage Of Vacations To Develop Social Skills
Social skills are the set of skills and abilities that we put into practice daily to successfully relate to the people around us in social contexts.
These communication tools are both verbal and non-verbal and allow us to express our ideas, needs, opinions, objectives or preferences as well as attend to the wishes of our interlocutors, always maintaining respect and cordiality with them.
On the other hand, social skills are developed by the person naturally throughout their growth from the beginning of childhood, and thanks to education and learning processes when interacting with others.
However, some people may present certain deficits in some of them, or lack practice when it comes to deploying some of these skills in specific social contexts. That’s why, Taking advantage of moments at the beginning of a new cycle such as summer vacations can be a very good strategy to train social skills
As indicated, social skills are a complex and varied catalog made up of various behavioral patterns, knowledge, practical strategies and tools that They allow us to carry out satisfactory interactions with other people
The social skills most shared among the majority of human beings and most in demand in both personal and professional contexts are: assertiveness (ability to express our desires, intentions or objectives without attacking those of others), empathy, active listening, negotiation, conflict resolution, self-affirmation, the ability to communicate concisely and emotional regulation.
Why is it important to enhance social skills?
Although most people naturally present these skills necessary to function correctly in society, some others may need to train or develop them with the support of psychology professionals or other experts in that area.
Below we present the main reasons why it is advisable to enhance social skills on a recurring basis.
1. They reinforce self-esteem
Have sufficient skills to maintain satisfactory and successful social interactions with other people It has a very positive influence on the person’s self-esteem whenever the interactions are effective
Knowing how to have conversations with anyone, being able to meet new people easily and being able to assert our opinion at all times is a source of self-esteem that will make us feel better about ourselves and have greater mental health.
2. They help resolve conflicts
It is evident that the more tools we have to communicate with the people in our environment, the more capable we will be to avoid or solve conflicts of all kinds once they arise.
People with high mastery of social skills They tend to have less family or relationship conflicts and they also present greater virtuosity when it comes to successfully overcoming and managing conflicts that may arise at work.
3. They provide learning to negotiate
Negotiation is an essential skill both in the daily social relationships that we can establish in the intimacy of the home with our loved ones and in work or professional contexts of all kinds.
Knowing how to give in when necessary, putting yourself in the other person’s shoes (empathy) and have enough authority to set limits in the middle of a negotiation of any type are some of the capabilities that characterize the social skill of negotiation.
This skill can be developed and trained through conversations with close friends or family in which various fictional or real negotiation scenarios are put into practice.
4. They allow you to prosper professionally
Thanks to the advantages mentioned above, social skills also They allow us to prosper professionally and face increasingly greater challenges, responsibilities or demands at work
There are many companies that are increasingly interested in learning social skills of all kinds in their workers, which is why it is very useful to carry out learning or training in specific social strategies.
5. They lead to deeper relationships
Learning social skills will allow us to relate in a deeper and more satisfactory way both with our partner and with friends, family or co-workers.
Learn to communicate, listen and understand our interlocutor At all times it is essential to weave deep and meaningful human relationships with the people we love.
Why can it be useful to take advantage of vacations to develop social skills?
There are many training modalities that we currently have to learn to develop social skills, the most common are attending training courses or starting a psychotherapy or coaching process specialized in this area with a qualified psychology professional.
Below we list the main reasons why it may be important to enhance these social skills during the vacation period.
1. More free time to dedicate to personal development
The greatest amount of free time we have In summer it can be a great incentive to decide to start training or specialized learning in social skills.
In addition to that, learning social skills will allow us to invest a good part of the free time we have in training in a series of tools that will be useful to us in both our personal and professional lives.
You may be interested: “Personal Development: 5 reasons for self-reflection”
2. Ease of meeting people
Summer is one of the most favorable times to meet people and also to put into practice all the social skills that we are progressively learning.
Training our social skills with real people in social or festive contexts It will allow us to gain greater confidence and acquire experience in the application of different strategies.
3. Prevents isolation
Having so much free time in summer, it is possible to fall into the temptation of staying isolated at home, which is why It is important to implement a series of activities to avoid a sedentary lifestyle
Learning social skills allows us to prevent isolation at home and will help us in the future to have a much more active, satisfying and happy social life.
4. Promotes psychological well-being at the end of the cycle
Training ourselves in specific social skills will allow us to improve in those specific areas in which we present greater deficits, counting on the support of other people, something that will have a positive effect when taking advantage of the end of the cycle (and the start of a new one) that summer vacations mean to undertake personal projects that involve learning from our mistakes and leaving our comfort zone.
Related article: “Psychological well-being: 15 habits to achieve it”
Do you want to harness the potential of social skills?
If you are interested in training your social skills, contact us; in UPAD Psychology and Coaching We can help you both through psychotherapy and with the support of a coach in a personal development process.
