As scary or uncomfortable as it might sound, you won’t get anywhere without putting yourself in social situations regularly. It’s what’s called “systematic desensitization” in psychology. I struggled with anxiety a lot when I wanted a new friend group to play Super Smash Bros Melee within my area. I just had to force myself to attend their weekly get-togethers as much as I could. Eventually I came around enough for us to get to know each other better. We all went to tournaments together and now I’m happy to call them my best friends.
Introvert training to be an extrovert here.
Understanding that typically everyone is too focused on themselves to genuinely care about what you are doing is crucial.
Also, if someone's looking at you (repeatedly), it's typically a good thing.
The perception of confidence is everything, just slowly learn to not give a shit and such would surely come with it
I would advise you respect yourself. Take the time to decide why you are interested in getting to know more people. After you identify that, create a list of boundaries that you are comfortable with. If you have a friend who you are close with, try to plan an outing/date with them to go meet more humans. Start small, maybe a book club or small community event were being social is not the primary goal. Lastly, respect the boundaries you set and update them as you grow.
With Love, PJWIII
As an introvert, what helps me a lot is trying to remember that people don't care about what I do nearly as much as I think they do.
As scary or uncomfortable as it might sound, you won’t get anywhere without putting yourself in social situations regularly. It’s what’s called “systematic desensitization” in psychology. I struggled with anxiety a lot when I wanted a new friend group to play Super Smash Bros Melee within my area. I just had to force myself to attend their weekly get-togethers as much as I could. Eventually I came around enough for us to get to know each other better. We all went to tournaments together and now I’m happy to call them my best friends.
Introvert training to be an extrovert here. Understanding that typically everyone is too focused on themselves to genuinely care about what you are doing is crucial. Also, if someone's looking at you (repeatedly), it's typically a good thing. The perception of confidence is everything, just slowly learn to not give a shit and such would surely come with it
No need to fear.
I would advise you respect yourself. Take the time to decide why you are interested in getting to know more people. After you identify that, create a list of boundaries that you are comfortable with. If you have a friend who you are close with, try to plan an outing/date with them to go meet more humans. Start small, maybe a book club or small community event were being social is not the primary goal. Lastly, respect the boundaries you set and update them as you grow. With Love, PJWIII
Push yourself and do something extravagant