Trying to reconnect with life after years of loneliness

I’ve been lurking here for a while but never really had the courage to post. For the longest time I thought loneliness was just something I’d eventually grow out of but it turns out that’s not really how it works. There was a time I didn’t even realize how isolated I’d become I’d wake up, go to work come home scroll my phone and go to bed. Weeks blurred together. Friends drifted away. Family got busy. Before I knew it, I was living in silence, and even when people were around, it still felt empty. Recently though I’ve been trying to change that. I joined a local book club even though I was terrified at first and I’ve started talking to coworkers instead of keeping my headphones in all day. It’s weird how something as small as a casual how’s your day going? can start to make you feel human again. I still have bad days days where the loneliness hits out of nowhere and I feel like I’m back at square one. But seeing other people here being honest about their struggles has actually helped a lot. It reminds me I’m not broken or unworthy I’m just a person learning how to connect again. If you’ve been through something similar, how did you start reconnecting with people after being alone for so long? Any small steps that helped you rebuild trust or confidence?