Hi everyone,
For context, I am a college-aged male and have found myself having difficulty forming and maintaining relationships which I believe is due to my inability to converse well. It's not really that social anxiety is the issue (perhaps it is a bit more so in groups), but rather, I have spent a very long time somewhat isolating myself and now feel a bit "out of touch" when talking, texting, etc. Meaning, I am lacking in life experiences and overall knowledge to hold conversations and connect with others. I feel that I have, unfortunately, forgotten many of the funny moments and interesting memories I did have due to a pretty rigid and monotonous routine all throughout high school. I'm not sure I could say what i did of use in my free time, but it wasn't learning or furthering an interest that I have now, but that is in the past now.
So, basically, I feel that I simply do not know much about anything really, pop-culture, sports, history, current issues, etc, so I just can never think of anything to say to keep a conversation going. So, I think that to help me connect with others I first need to "rebuild" myself in this aspect but am feeling overwhelmed. This is pretty niche, but has anyone felt this way before? Would anyone have any advice on steps to take to build up my knowledge to be a more interesting person to talk to? I would greatly appreciate any insights!