Back in August, I set a goal for myself: 200 approaches by December 2025. The challenge was that I was rusty and struggling with a lot of anxiety. My last approach—and last lay—was back in 2021, during my final semester of college. After graduation, I moved for work, and while I enjoyed that new chapter, I stopped going out altogether and gradually slipped into depression.

Now I’ve made the decision to get this part of my life handled before I turn 28 next year. So far, I’ve managed 24 proper approaches (conversations that lasted at least 5 minutes). But I still feel the anxiety creeping in, and I’m not doing as many approaches as I know I could. How do I push through that and handle it better?