>>33369349 (OP)This is way too vague, Anon. Where were you socializing? School? Work? A party? Was this a one-on-one interaction or group setting? Each environment comes with its own set of unspoken rules. If you struggle with socializing, there’s going to be a VERY painful adjustment period where you’ll make mistakes as you learn how to deal with different kinds of people and dynamics. That’s part of growth. Don’t shy away from it.
My senior year of college, I got much bolder in talking to girls and did some pretty stupid things - mostly cold approaching and making an ass of myself. There was a particularly pretty girl in one of my classes that I had a crush on for months. The day I decided to ask her out, I spent half an hour nauseous with my heart racing in my apartment bathroom because of how nervous I was. I felt like shit and wanted to come up with any excuse possible to abort my decision. Told myself, “fuck it,” and asked her out. I got a “no,” but I’ve never felt more relieved. I was very happy that I asked, because I learned a lot about myself in the process and built up my tolerance for highly stressful social situations. If you want to be social, you’re going to need to accept the fact that you’ll be making yourself vulnerable to near-strangers. That’s okay. Nobody’s going to kill you for it. And guess what? A lot of the time, being social does pay off. You might make a new friend, get a lead for a good job, or even meet a girl you like. You’ll never know if you don’t put yourself out there. I wish you the best.
