How to make friends?

[Leopard96]

hi, im not sure if this is the right place for this post but if it isnt, ill post it someplace else.
i just wanted to know, how do people make friends? ive honestly been getting really lonely, and realized that i dont rlly have a lot of friends. most people who have talked to me before have either been looking for sexual advances, or are just bad people in general that i know will hurt me yet i have nobody else. i honestly feel lost. i dont exactly like to bring myself out there too much anymore, im scared. i get anxiety easily, even through online games and such. i just dont know any good openers or how to talk to people. even when i DO try to bring myself out there, i end up embarrassing myself. i also feel like im not weird enough for weird people,

but then im too weird for ''normal'' people. i have seen people i think are cool (if thats online, irl, or whatever) but i dont go up to them a whole lot because i fear i might make things awkward. today, a friend tried introducing me to somebody i said i thought was cool, but when i was actually put in a group chat with them, i couldnt think of anything to talk abt and ended up just leaving. how do i fix this issue? i used to be open before, but for some reason i just completely changed. i just dont have much motivation at all which is probably something i should fix; i kind of just shut myself off even with already existing friends. i dont like hanging out with them most of the time because i feel empty. id love to hear any advice about myself as well, since i do think i should be a better friend too but i just dont know where to start

[Sam W]

Hi Leopard96,

This is a great place to post this question!

We can certainly talk about some different approaches to making friends, or to a least gaining some confidence when it comes to social interactions. But there's something in your post that jumped out at me that I think may also be playing a role here.

You mention you used to feel open and then something completely changed and now you find it hard not only to form connections, but to maintain the ones you already have, and that you feel empty. About how long ago did you notice that change? And have there been any big changes in your life, good or bad, that happened at around the same time?