I'm not nearly as introverted as it seems you are, but I was a bit awkward when I'm was younger. Probably still am, but less so! One thing that helped me was t

I'm not nearly as introverted as it seems you are, but I was a bit awkward when I'm was younger. Probably still am, but less so! One thing that helped me was treating small talk as a game and a technical skill to master. I can still get pleasure and find interest in doing a good job of making small talk, even if I'm not interested in the topic per se. It's a complicated game for sure, which is what makes it interesting.