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Starting Conversations with Strangers
For anyone who would like a little more friendly contact in daily life. Each day is one small, low-stakes way to say hello, ask a question or share a kind word with someone you don't know, from a cashier to a neighbor at the bus stop.
Connection · Loneliness · Social Anxiety · Communication · one to-do a day · you choose how many days
The first seven days
- Day 1Make brief eye contact with one person you pass today and give a small nod.
- Day 2Smile at the next cashier who rings you up, even if you say nothing else.
- Day 3Say "good morning" to one person you pass on your way somewhere before noon.
- Day 4Nod and say "hi" to someone walking a dog on your street or path.
- Day 5Thank a cashier by the name on their name tag, then let them get on with their line.
- Day 6Notice three people today who seem open to a greeting, and smile at just one of them.
- Day 7Hold a door for someone and add "have a good one" as they go through.
Further into the year
The to-dos keep changing as the year goes on. A few from later in this theme:
- Day 30Call out "nice day for it" to someone else who is out jogging, gardening or washing a car.
- Day 60Wish a ticket taker "enjoy the show" or "have a good game" when they scan your ticket.
- Day 120Tell a cashier "I like your pin" when they wear one that shows a hobby or a place.
- Day 240Chat with someone at a fall fair about the biggest pumpkin you've both seen.
- Day 365Choose a new place you've never chatted with anyone, like a car wash or a bakery, and say one friendly thing there.
How a challenge works
A Theraglee challenge is a theme with one small to-do for every day of a year. You choose how long yours runs, anywhere from a week to the full year, and each day you get the next to-do: something that takes a few minutes and fits inside an ordinary day. Tick it off when it is done. Nothing is scored and nothing is lost if you miss a day; the next to-do is simply waiting when you come back.
Challenges come with a free Theraglee account, which never asks for a card. Your progress stays private to you.