I guess this counts as a FR. I'm not deluded enough to believe I can jump straight to cold approach as I've never been a very social person, and have lacked social skills my whole life. I have various issues with meeting new people, and have never been great at it. The women I've met in the past were always within proximity, at school, and I met them through people. I'm out of school now so I'm taking it one step at a time.

So what am I doing?

-> Meet ups. I'm awkward enough talking to women in these groups, but I've had good conversations and I've met interesting people. It's a great chance to practice introducing yourself and starting a conversation.

-> Bars & Venues -> I met lots of great musicians, and I'm developing as person as I'm getting back into playing music. The people I've met have given me the opportunity to meet women as well, and it's easier since I'm meeting people through people. It's a good opportunity to get over the fear, and improve small talk, and approach.

-> For now I'm thinking about part time work, and I might volunteer somewhere where I'm forced to interact socially with groups of people, and women.

So essentially I'm working on these things gradually and trying not to rush my self or be hard on myself when I'm awkward. I know eventually I'll get over it. I'm trying to be the best me I can be, and when I do manage to have a conversation that is simultaneously something that interests me and the the other person, it's great.

My aim is to just generally get over the fear and anxiety of a cold approach, and to be able to make small talk. I have a feeling that being able to approach strangers and women I've never met before will open doors for me and improve me as a person. It's a skill I've lacked for a long time. My mindset right now is just "socialize socialize socialize" and don't be hard on yourself. Even if the conversation is completely fake, at least I've gotten over my anxiety.

The last thing I'm considering is medication. I don't know if my anxiety in these situations is bad enough that psychological approaches won't work, but I am considering it.