for context: had social anxiety forever. going to new events or meeting people stresses me out big time. usually make up excuses to leave early.
Last weekend signed up for something I found on 222 (an app that organizes casual meetups, site's plain but works). Had dinner with strangers at a small manhattan restaurant.
showed up 10 minutes late because I spent time walking around the block trying to calm my nerves. but for some reason, didn't feel the typical "gotta make a good impression" pressure because nobody had expectations. no profiles to live up to or personas to maintain.
talked about random stuff like travel, bad movies, silly conspiracy theories. laughed more than I had in months. most importantly: didn't leave early. stayed until they closed the restaurant.
not like I'm suddenly super social, but proved to myself I can do this without it being torture.
anyone else had small victories like this? how do you celebrate these moments?