I originally read this post and was inspired to comment, but it grew to the point where I thought it deserved a new thread altogether.

Let's take a figurative walk while I share with you my journey:

Growing up, I was always quiet and distant, never having many friends. I would rather sit my scrawny ass in front of a book or command prompt -- a bona fide nerd. I was bullied frequently, drawing even the ridicule of the popular girls and cheerleaders. People muttered to each other under their breath that I was the kid who would snap one day and come to school with a TEC-9. Due to the bullying, severe cystic acne, an extremely overbearing and overprotective mother, etc., I became socially isolated and developed severe depression and social anxiety disorder, among other things.

I reached my lowest point three years ago at the age of 19, suicidal and never having interacted with any women or experiencing any sort of physical or emotional intimacy. I spent my days at home finding video games and pornography my escapism. Fortunately, I had a great sense of introspection and determined that I was a smart person who had a lot of potential. I wanted to experience the human condition rather than waste away in solitude.

This is when I went to a mental health counselor available through my university. Unfortunately, she was terrible. Though I'm sure she was well-meaning, she was unhelpful and came across as condescending. I went to my general practitioner and was recommended another therapist. I felt more at home with her, and we started cognitive behavioral therapy. After months of grueling effort, I slowly developed a relationship with her and began to make progress.

I eventually got to the point where I was relatively happy every day and able to be in social situations comfortably without having panic attacks. I got braces and contacts, my skin cleared up with miraculously little scarring, I learned to dress myself well, and I started to lift. My confidence skyrocketed; however, my social skills were still unrefined: a blank slate. I hit a plateau like this for a while. I managed to have many women interested in me, but I was oblivious to even the most overt signals, blundering past countless opportunities a kissless virgin. Thankfully, I realized that social skills can be learned through continuous practice, just like troubleshooting kernel panics or nailing rail shots in Quake 3.

I made this my defining life goal. Every conscious decision I made from this point forward was deliberately chosen to further this goal. I started working a retail job in which I was required to greet customers. I was literally forced to approach strangers dozens of times daily. I went from just barely mustering a “hi” to being able to shoot the breeze for minutes with anyone. I made an effort to become involved in as many student organizations at my university as I could make time for. I took an improv class, which I can't recommend highly enough. It helped me get better at speaking the first thing that comes to mind and suppressing the fear of judgement which filters my actions. It also helped improve my ability to make eye contact, observe body language, smoothly channel the flow of conversation, and sharpen my quick wit. I continued to push myself into new situations to develop my conversational and nonverbal communication skills, expanding my social circle along the way. I went from silently shrinking into the corner of a party where I don't know anyone, to introducing myself to everyone and introducing my new-found friends to one another. From hardly being able to pick up a telephone with my shaky hand, to training to become a college radio DJ.

My confidence was climbing every day, but I was still hitting a sticking point in the romantic aspect of my life. It was just recently ( a few months ago) that I stumbled upon the world of pickup. I was intensely skeptical at first, but I soon realized that the important concepts were not misogynistic or deceptive as portrayed in popular culture. After reading and internalizing inner game concepts, I finally mustered the courage to go sarging for my first time this past week. I snagged my first # close ever on my first try. I've just started working on making eye contact, and I've noticed at least 6 (very attractive) women who I see on a regular basis at work and school who are attracted to me.

I'm still making baby steps, and admittedly am still a kissless virgin. But, at this rate of progress, I'm not worried about a thing.

I know this may not be as impressive as some sedditors' stories (lol TofuTofu), but I saw that there is a demand for the perspective of someone who overcame social anxiety.

tl;dr hopeless guy learns how to be a people

I'm sure there were other things I wanted to talk about, but I forget now and I've written enough. I'm thinking about writing a [FR], maybe I'll write it and post it in the comments later. Any questions: ask away.

Edit: typos