Is it normal to be afraid to go out and meet new people?

Trust me I was in the same shoes as you. I one time went to a trip where I would be put in groups people who I have never met and then I decided to talk more to them. The more you talk the more you would not be feared/afraid of talking to other people who you have never met in your entire life, furthermore you may even meet people with the same hobbies as you for e.g. you probably like a certain movie and they could like it as well as you. So please do not be afraid to meet and go out with other people. It is an awarding experience to do this it could benefit you as well as it benefited me. If you're in any doubt you could always talk to me or talk to anyone on this website. We're here to help you.

Not to mention social anxiety is just a normal thing that we grow up with ( not saying everyone has it) I know some people and people like myself had this problem.

The more you practice talking to someone the more you have less fear.

The only thing thats gonna help is exposure. The more you talk to people the more comfortable you get. The better your timing gets in group conversations and stuff. My job requires me to be away from ppl for long periods of time and I notice when I dont communicate with people for a while I start to have lesser social skills. It helps me to talk to groups of ppl on the phone through headphones while im working. You are going feral my guy. You have to talk to ppl

Pretty much. A random suggestion would be to try and find a community of people that you have something common with. Like - if you're into video games, then perhaps try joining some gaming forums or even visit some events of sorts. If you like comic book stuff , then maybe some kind of comic con or similar events.

It might sound overwhelming and it most definitely could be the 1st time, but finding like minded people to hand out with can certainly help with getting used to being around them and hanging out and chatting and all that :)

You need to find a job where you can be comfortable. I have the same problems, minus the safety nets.

Currently I work a job where I deal with the public at large, but my boss is super supportive, kind, smart, and he likes psychology too. I only work with a couple people and thanks to the virus our doors are locked and I only talk to strangers through thick glass and wear a mask. Even without that it's still such a good fit.

I've worked a lot of jobs like you're talking about, though, and for me it was always hard because I never had time to apply and interview while working 40+ hours, especially when I was homeless.

A strong portion of my fears went away with working customer service oriented jobs, it's like absorption therapy. You can practice being an npc, it takes the edge off.

You can probably find an online job if you have a computer. The virus necessitated a demand for online workers. I would want to work an online job, but in my current situation I have better options staying put.

You can also try therapy, or learning psychology and applying it yourself. You could watch or read something with a compelling narrative, maybe something personal, and really expound upon the ideas, motifs, plots, etc in your head. Some entertainment is really good at portraying character development.

But one thing you can probably successfully ask yourself at any time, do you want to stay like that forever? Coming from someone like you, this was one of a few good questions that really helped me out.

Hope it helps ✌

Social anxiety.