Hey all, looking for advice/input:

• 40 year old guy here
• Introvert
• Social anxiety (+ depression on and off)
• I have always enjoyed trying to meet new people, despite the anxiety

Over a very long time, I realized it has always been really hard for me to make friends. I think I understand social cues, even if I don't agree with them, I abide by them as much as possible.

But something is clearly off based on my terrible success rate with people. Others seem to hit it off and have people reaching out to them, while I am always the one trying to make a connection, befriend people, or reach out and make plans.

In the past I have struggled with people pleasing, lack of confidence, and coming off way too needy, which I have done a lot of work to correct, but even after correcting those, success rate is the same.

For those with similar experiences having trouble connecting, what has helped?

Some ideas I thought about:

• Asking friends for feedback (am I "different")
• Asking strangers for feedback
• Finding some type of "coach" for feedback