Im a very independent person, most of the time i don't give a crap what strangers think of me (its usually the people who know me that suffer the most!) so i have no problem dining alone, or going for day trips etc alone. I actually quite enjoy it - it means i have to focus on what im doing and learn to 'stay' in the present (i have a disorder which means i have the tendency to drift between my perceptions of past, present and future at the drop of a hat) and focus my attentions on what im doing. I find sometimes that when your in someone elses company its easier to loose concentration and if im not in the right company i get really agitated and end up bickering with who im with anyway lol If people stare or start talking i simply smile or if their being particularly rude i ask them directly if theres a problem and that usually puts an end to matters. It doesn't necessarily make me feel less self conscious but by the time my foods arrived im usually to busy scoffing to notice! i guess just try and engross yourself as much as possible in what your doing and if that doesn't help well then i guess you could always ask to be seated somewhere more private or go at times when the restaurant is less busy. Good luck.