I did it dudes. I got through two cold approaches today. A day or two ago I was going to try, but I backed out after looking at myself in the mirror. I thought I looked like a mess, but I actually looked pretty decent. Today, I did it.

Girl #1: I managed to start the conversation with an opener (she was at my old university), and it went pretty well, I didn't make it to the rapport building stage. I got anxious and thought she might've been uncomfortable, so I gave her a thumbs up and said nice meeting you or something along those lines then left.

Girl #2: I got through the opener. She was reading a book so I used that as a hook to start the conversation, I got past the initial phase, and we had a nice chat about various things. She's on my fb now.

I took the advice someone gave me here. That is, evaluate the situation after the encounter, not during it, otherwise you'll freak yourself out. Also, I really had myself fooled. I thought I looked like a mess, but I actually looked alright and I obviously didn't scare anyone away. So perhaps you shouldn't be overly concerned with your looks, as long as they're okay. I'm not saying walk around looking like a complete mess though. Anyway, I'm proud of myself, and I'll keep plugging away, because this is a very useful skill. The challenge of getting over my anxiety is enough for me, plus I get to meet people.