You’d be surprised how many people want to have a 30-40 second conversation with a stranger (it happens to me constantly). You don’t have to go into an interaction expecting to become life long friends, quick conversations are a good step one.
I think you’re approaching with the wrong assumptions: first that there is a place that one can just go to where there’s people you’ll like, and second that meeting people you don’t like must be avoided. If people turn out to be awful for you, don’t meet them again, you can’t always know beforehand.
As others have implied, going somewhere where people with similar interests go can be a good start.
For me political and school related organizations were great but any form of social work helps. You don’t have to go to a bar or a club, you can tend to a community garden or volunteer at a canteen. The first start to meeting people is finding an environment you feel comfortable ti meet them in imo
I figured this out recently! Visit all of the Board Games shops and card game shops in your town and find a group that meets publicly and plays board games.
If you don’t like Board Games, go do an outdoor hobby like disc golf and join other groups.
The board game meet ups have been fantastic because you can just focus on the board game and you don’t have to get a bunch of anxiety trying to come up with small talk. It can just happen organically overtime at your comfort level.
Just go and meet people. It’s not your fault humans weren’t built for isolation.
Even ignoring my intense social anxiety, where and how do I even meet people who arent gonna be awful? I cant figure it out
You’d be surprised how many people want to have a 30-40 second conversation with a stranger (it happens to me constantly). You don’t have to go into an interaction expecting to become life long friends, quick conversations are a good step one.
I think you’re approaching with the wrong assumptions: first that there is a place that one can just go to where there’s people you’ll like, and second that meeting people you don’t like must be avoided. If people turn out to be awful for you, don’t meet them again, you can’t always know beforehand.
As others have implied, going somewhere where people with similar interests go can be a good start.
For me political and school related organizations were great but any form of social work helps. You don’t have to go to a bar or a club, you can tend to a community garden or volunteer at a canteen. The first start to meeting people is finding an environment you feel comfortable ti meet them in imo
There is always the risk of awful people, but doing something with people who have shared interests is a great start.
Birdwatching.
I figured this out recently! Visit all of the Board Games shops and card game shops in your town and find a group that meets publicly and plays board games.
If you don’t like Board Games, go do an outdoor hobby like disc golf and join other groups.
The board game meet ups have been fantastic because you can just focus on the board game and you don’t have to get a bunch of anxiety trying to come up with small talk. It can just happen organically overtime at your comfort level.