lonely + extrovered

i am an extrovert and a people person
i have been out of practice .
i am not shy but i am nervous because i'm no longer accustomed to interacting and am not in touch with my current self (it was easier to be social before, when i was just pretending to be something else)
too much time isolating has made me miserable
i am an extrovert and get my energy from interactions and am happiest when i connect with others .
yet i am quiet in school and self conscious and have no idea how to make friends .
i am very very lonely and crave more connections with people . i am so friendly and i try to be open but it seems that i have given off the vibe for people to stay away . no one tries to initiate conversation with me.

i am lethargic and depressed and exhausted without intimacy and comraderie. how do i remedy this? what am i supposed to say to people?

i want to be the person i am inside

Have you tried to talk to others about their interests? People like to talk about themselves. I tend to think too much about what is going on in my mind when starting a conversation and it can make people feel I am not interested in them --- which is not true.

Yzen has some good suggestions. Take baby steps. Start talking casually about their interests or other light-hearted topics..

Are you around people within your age bracket? Sometimes it's hard to relate with those who have different interests.

Excellent advice above. People DO love to talk about themselves. So if you show an interest in them, it will open up conversation.

Welcome to psych central

I think Yzen and Mickey Cheeky are right.

I will add that being self conscious is not a social vibe.
Self conscious people make all but the Angels uncomfortable.
Uncomfortable people make others uncomfortable.

Interacting for the purpose of making friends sends out a vibe of neediness.

The healthy thing to do is to interact with specific people you are interested in without having expectations of any outcome.

The solution is to "get out of yourself" and get into other people.

I know it is difficult. I have been there and I can still go there sometimes.

Lack of self esteem and confidence may prevent healthy socializing as well.

Right now a strategy that comes to mind is to be your wonderful self and not care what anyone thinks about you.

If you feel good about yourself; others will feel good about you!

Of course the Angelic People will always be there for everybody they can.

I hope you find friends that are as sensitive and caring as you!