My personal flavor of social anxiety is quite a bit different. I don't expect to have a negative social interaction (I almost never do), and when it does happen

My personal flavor of social anxiety is quite a bit different. I don't expect to have a negative social interaction (I almost never do), and when it does happen, it doesn't actually bother me that much (I find it very easy to roll my eyes and dismiss assholes). My anxiety stems from the fear that the interaction will be exhausting. And that fear is almost always realized. The only thing I've found that reduces my anxiety is to ensure that I am feeling very energetic (e.g., getting a good night's sleep and giving myself an extra strong dose of caffeine), to make sure the interaction happens in an easier and less tiring format (e.g., face-to-face where I can read their face and body language, as opposed to something like a phone call where I have to work extra hard to process what they are saying), and to make sure my schedule is clear for the next few days for recovery. When I can do these things, I find myself actively looking forward to social interactions and enjoying them a great deal. I can even manage to be downright outgoing and charming. So I'm not really sure what a good solution is here. Life requires more social interactions than I can properly prepare for, and assorted necessary interactions sap all my energy for more fulfilling interactions. It creates this conundrum where I crave more interactions with my friends, but I simultaneously avoid them; even receiving a text from a friend fills me with dread.