I am in a similar quandary. I have always had serious social anxiety. For many years I had a social network that worked for me. Then I had to deal with a not good person, and in order to protect myself I have removed myself from nearly all those social contacts. Now I am in the process of trying to build new relationships and save the few I can in the aftermath. I have joined meetup groups online, but haven't actually gone to any meetups yet. I am in college classes now, and the exposure to people there helps desensitize me to the social anxiety. I wish I knew how to make friends.