I know I suggested taking up riding, and I don't know if you could really afford it, but you could find a local stable and see if you can clean stalls or help out in exchange for lessons. I know you have social phobia, so I am thinking about how you can work around that Illegal. I am not sure if you like animals or not, but I was just thinking about something you could be learning, and having a horse standing around that you could be tending to could give you something to distract the feeling of nervousness in the social atmosphere. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to learn the basics about horses, cleaning their stall, grooming them etc. Even learning how to ride them, well, typically a horse that is very calm and gentle is used by a trainer to teach beginners on. Once you get over the initial fear, it can really be a lot of fun.

Horses are used for all kinds of therapy Illegal. There are barns around that are all about therapudic riding and these barns are always looking for help from anything from cleaning stalls to being a sidewalker for handicapped children. Horses offer that distraction that people use to calm them down because there are lots of ways someone can touch a horse and calm them that in turn calms the person who is touching and grooming them.

It is just a suggestion, something to investigate, something to learn about and something where your not put on the spot to control the conversation or being judged somehow.

Open Eyes