Absolutely. I was painfully awkward as an adolescent, but forced myself to be friends with cute girls and hang out with them. That got me used to interacting an

Absolutely. I was painfully awkward as an adolescent, but forced myself to be friends with cute girls and hang out with them. That got me used to interacting and joking with women, making flirting much easier. My advice is to force yourself to do that which is limiting you. Exposure therapy makes future exposure easier as long as you aren't adjusting maladaptively with ruminative anxiety or panic attacks.