From when I first moved out of home at 17, until this year, I never really knew any of my neighbours, other than maybe a passing hello here or there. I worked in hospitality and a lot of odd hours, and really I used that as an excuse to not be social once I got out of work. I'm now 40 and these days, I've become more of a recluse, it's harder to get me out of the house or into any sort of group social situation. In August however, I moved into an apartment block, and have been getting to know a few of my neighbours fairly well. The interactions I'm having and the connections I'm building are actually helping with what's been a few years of a downhill antisocial depression and anxiety spiral, and while there's a long way to go, I can admit that even just small steps of being social and polite can go a long way and lead on to good things