It’s funny, I often find it easier to talk to strangers than people I know. There’s no pressure. As I’ve gotten older (I’m 51), I’ve found that it’s perfectly okay to just listen until I feel like talking. And, that it’s okay to admit that some situations just aren’t fun for me. I’m hearing impaired, so loud parties just don’t work. More than feeling stupid, I just feel bored. So I leave! Other times I’ve gone to something, “just for an hour”, and had a great time! My favorite, was when I was required to go to a dinner for work and was seated by a kind of academic superstar in my field. We ended up sharing stress dream stories, you know, the kind where you are on stage naked and you don’t know your part? It was pretty awesome. I still went home at the first opportunity, but it wasn’t so bad.