You're me at JavaOne in 2006. Here's a cool fact, there's a ton of people there and so the person you're next to in line for a talk, you'll probably never see t

You're me at JavaOne in 2006. Here's a cool fact, there's a ton of people there and so the person you're next to in line for a talk, you'll probably never see them again after you go home. I know anxiety isn't a conscious, rational thing, but you can combat the urge to flee by reminding yourself of just how low-stakes the risk of talking to someone actually is. Standing in line next to someone gives you a chance for bite-sized interaction. I still get stressed in crowds, but what I do is, I just have a short, casual conversation with the person next to me that I naturally let end after a few sentences. That way if the person really isn't interested in talking then it naturally dies off, but if they feel like talking more, they will keep the ball rolling for you.