Ah, you overdid it there.
I guess I was exaggerating a bit, but I do very much fear critcism and people not liking me. Another reason I am afraid to talk to people.
“Excuse me, do you have any job applications? My friend wants to know.”
Meh.
I’ve been reading PSXer’s threads for quite some time and I have to say that he has improved. However, dude, you gotta man up a bit and just mature.
If you don’t know how to mature, just find someone who is a mature man and imitate them. Get out there and do something.
Also, make a nice list of things you are grateful for. It might make you realize how amazing you have it compared to the poor of the world.
Look - even if you’re too scared to go out and do things with other people, and too unmotivated to get therapy to fix this, you know what you could be doing at home?
Reading. Seriously. If you want to try to figure out what you want to do with your life, a good start is to be well-educated and well-read. College does a fine job of teaching you how to be well-educated - how to do research, think critically, and so on. But actually leading a life of the mind is something that you cannot leave to the classroom. Read books with some substance to them (history, science, classic novels, whatever) and seriously think about them. Getting in the habit of thinking, rather than moping, might do you a world of good.
Just to pick up on this bit, I work in a menial job, and there have been days when I’ve spent the whole shift talking about films with people. Not everyone will want to, and learning to be part of a conversation where it’s not your favourite subject is a useful skill, but there’s loads of people out there who love films.
This is excellent advice. Fake it till you make it, basically. It can also work for confidence - watch what confident people do, then try to do it. And, most importantly, don’t worry if you fuck up occasionally. Everyone does, but most people have learnt how to carry on regardless.