Jon,

I've been there and got the tee shirt. It is possible to change the dynamic, and the first thing is to drop into 'neutral gear' for a while.

An experiment. For a couple of weeks you could try just agreeing with everyone you meet. Listen to them, pay complements, smile a lot. The thing is, that although this is a strategy, it is also quite a nice place to be.

Of course, we also need to assert ourselves, and get our own points across, and why not? I would suggest that you do that here at PC, or maybe on a general discussion forum. This way you can get the brain stimulation without the stress of 3d body language etc.

If you want to PM I would like to talk a little more about this, It was once a big problem for me, and now it doesn't happen, I can't remember the last time I felt it.

Cheers, M