I did it gradually. After coming out of periods of illness I need to spend time with safe people, doing mellow things for a while. After my last severe period I hung out with just a couple people, doing things like ordering take out and playing Scrabble, then after a while going for dinner, and building back up. I felt very raw, and anxious, and embarrassed for the things that had happened, so I avoided people. I also spent alone time doing physical stuff where I could be out around people, but not interacting - so that was running, yoga, aerobics classes, swimming - just anything to get moving, which also helped with depression and prevented weight gain from the antipsychotics. I started working as a casual, so that I could go in when I felt up to it, and turn down shifts when I needed to. For dating I went on a lot of dates with guys I met online, usually to go for a walk by the ocean, or for a drink, which was awkward because I didn't drink alcohol at the time, and didn't want to explain why. Things got gradually better, and it was easier to be social. I've had some minor depression since then, where I've isolated myself, but I found this PC and talked to the people here a lot to help me through it.