how do i get better at socializing?

@deadgerbil i may talk to them, but i can't seem to connect with them... Like i don't know what parts of me I'm allowed to exhibit... Sorry if I'm not making sense... Basically i overthink everything and live too much in my head for me to actually do anything

@blasphemy666 who's them? friends or just people you may talk to but aren't friends with?

For me, I had bad social anxiety and can feel out of place sometimes, esp during public speaking, but I digress. I've found that online friendships go a long way in helping one break out of their anxious shell, provided you friend the right types of people.

@deadgerbil i think I'm more worried about work kind of situations where one needs networking skills. I think the problem lies in the fact that all my life I've been a giver, because of some misplaced sense of guilt and i feel awkward in these situations because at the back of my mind i know that I'm talking to these people simply for my benefit

@blasphemy666 I think so long as you are cool with people, your network should expand as you meet people.

Well, in a working environment, you kind of talk to people for your benefit. Unless you are working in a charity or something, talking to people for your benefit isn't a bad thing.