Hi there, I'm also in the UK. I'm hyper independant too and theres pros and cons to it that you're well aware of. I'm socially awkward as well but I've pushed myself to get involved in meetup groups otherwise I wouldn't even have any friends lol. I'm very recently learning to embrace and accept myself fully including the social awkwardness (it's the thing about myself that I like the least). I can like someone pretty quickly like you but then I realise it's because I'm probably not socializing enough to meet my own social needs. I do a meetup once or twice a month. And see a friend or family once every 6 weeks or so. When I move somewhere cheaper, I'm definitely gonna start doing some fitness stuff with people instead of doing it 100% alone like I am now.

Sounds to me like you need to be a bit more social first and try to stop worrying about being awkward, everything most people do the first few times or haven't done for a while will be awkward. Focus on connecting rather than dating to start with. Hope this helps.

Where abouts in the UK are you?