comment: >
  
  I think many people are stuck in high school there without realizing it.
  If you're weird trying to make friends in high school, saying stupid stuff or being too friendly, kids will judge you and be mean to you, and it can make you feel you don't fit.
  In the adult world, most people won't really care. Maybe they won't return your friendliness, but failure does not matter. Nothing really bad will happen if you don't say the right thing, or if the person just doesn't really want your friendliness. That's why you can continue until someone reciprocates.
  In short, the fear of failure in social situations, often developed in teenage years, should not stop you as an adult.
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  Remember, /r/Showerthoughts is for showerthoughts, not "thoughts had in the shower!"
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  I have spent years, YEARS, learning to be social and normal, using correct body language,  not turning bright red and sweating when talking to people...speech classes,  non verbal communication,  acting classes,  psychology,  sociology,  social psychology....but F when I think it's going okay and someone tells me Log is just to much, is too friendly,  is trying to hard - it makes my heart hurt. 
  Yes, I am trying...every damn day- because I became tired of sitting in my house paralyzed with social phobia...ugh.  Those mean comments make me want to crawl back in my hole.
  Those few kind people - Those few patient empathic people I've met along my journey make all the work worth it. 
  Keep at it - even when it hurts.
  
  Thank you all for the upvotes,  thoughtful opinions,  empathy,  personal stories,  and sharing! >
  
  This is a good moment to engage your rational brain and think: "What would my reaction be if I noticed somebody who apparently struggled with socializing making an effort to be friendly and outgoing? If somebody shits on their efforts, what are their reasons for doing so?"
  As a socially anxious person you likely view yourself as being in an inherently inferior position and imagine that everyone else has it all figured out, the trick is in realizing that most people have their own psychological hangups and if they react badly to you it could very well be because of issues in their own development and nothing to do with you whatsoever.