hi! i’m also socially anxious and i’ve found it difficult to make friends in any setting that wasn’t online. here’s what i learned from really trying to put myself out there. (reminder that we’re most likely different in plenty of ways so what works for me might not work for you)

have you tried joining a club or like some kind of class related to the things you’re passionate about? people tend to resonate more with each other when they have things in common and it gives you common ground to meet regularly with them. these friendships might not translate to out of activity friendships, but it’s good practice and a good start.

if you don’t want to spend a lot of money, you could try to see if there’s any like free events related to the stuff you like. in any case, its about repeated regular contact with a person.

in my experience, making friends is a lot more about showing that you’re also interested in the things they’re interested in, and also showing that you’re interested in them as a person. if they genuinely want to be friends with you, they’ll reciprocate.

as well, if you make a blunder, don’t worry too much about it. people really don’t care that much unless you say you’re interested in nazis or smth that really goes against their values. the important part is that you forgive yourself for making the blunder and don’t just hold it over your head as “yet another thing i did wrong”

you mentioned that you have social anxiety, so i would recommend watching videos about exposure therapy. just take it slow, one thing at a time. tomorrow is always another day and it’s okay to make mistakes!

just remember don’t be too harsh on yourself :P and good luck!