I got over my social anxiety.

It took me half a decade plus of actively forcing myself to do things I hated until I got over it.

I went from scared to answer doors/phones/order food, to giving no fucks and being able to make friends with literally anyone anywhere and having it be one of my favorite idle pass-times (just go to a restaurant/microbrew, sit at the bar with a meal and a drink, and make idle chitchat with total strangers).

Anons right best advice for you is get out there and chat it up

>>16924321
honestly I did it by being friends first. everybody says "oh that doesn't work, you'll get friendzoned etc etc" but it has worked fine for me.

>>16924379
I've not reached idle chitchat stage. Any advice for getting good at that. It sounds fascinating.

>>16924950
not him but just do it. you'll fumble a couple times and stutter maybe, but you'll stutter even more the longer you wait. you get that feeling when you want to talk to someone but are afraid of this or that and the anxiety just builds up until you decide not to talk. just talk. make it a topic you're interested in and just let it flow. always better than asking about the whether or what their schedules are or where they worked. ask them about Trump and play around.

i used to be scared of asking for water in restaurants. it's really got to do with ego strength. you think people might hate you or think you're a weirdo. if they really do nothing will stop them. and that's it. being disliked isn't that bad. everyone's disliked by someone for good or bad reasons.

Make yourself look GREAT, especially if you're a female. If that's not possible, then develop a talent, skill, or interest which will improve your status. The validation you'll receive will carry you through any anxiety you might experience.

This will probably take a while - you need to put yourself out there, at least a little bit, in the meantime. Getting a job which required me to constantly interact with others (retreat counselor) and be part of a team helped tremendously.