So, I'm to the point where I want to start dating again and

Mental Health Anxiety & Panic Disorders
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So, I'm to the point where I want to start dating again and I feel the need to work on becoming more social. But, my lack of social skills and my anxiety have been holding me back. The truth is my childhood forced me to grow up very fast. I pretty much was the man of the house at the age of nine. Because of this I skipped a lot of social development growing up and I'm socially inept .
This has lead to long periods of solitude in my life. My typical day is pretty much getting up, going to the gym, then work and back home. I hardly ever get out .

I did put myself on a dating site and joined some meetup groups. But thanks to my anxiety, low self esteem and shyness, the odds of me using my dating profile or going to a meetup are slim to none. I couldn't even put a picture on my dating profile because my negative self image issues prevent me from doing so. Despite the fact that I have been told I'm a very hansom man and get plenty of second glances from women when I'm out and about.

I know I need to get over this and I shouldn't be spending most of my free time locked in my place. I just do not know where to start at this point. It seems like all of my social issues bleed into one another and they have turned into one massive issue.

I'd love nothing more than to attend a meetup and take a woman out for dinner. But, at this point I don't know if it will ever happen. Anyone have any ideas on where I can start or can someone point me in the direction of some help for all of this?

1 Heart
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I've had limited luck with meetups or social events centered around involvement in an activity. For me that usually means playing table top games. A bunch of nerdy guys (myself included) get together and hang out in a store and play on their tables. Most of the interaction is game-based, but there is some chatting too. With the purpose of the social interaction being the game, I feel a little less pressure to talk or keep a conversation going - something that I've never been good at. Part of my personal problem is just going to those meetings. I've found that if I post to the gaming group's facebook wall and ask for a game, I'm more likely to actually go after committing to meeting someone.

Table top games is just one possibility though and could probably be replaced with a number of other activities based on your own interests.

I don't really have a suggestion for dating. That still feels well beyond my capabilities at this point :)

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Hi there well I know how you feel about being in lock down...I would say the best way to meet someone in your case would be at the gym you go to, if you can try any other places where you know there are a lot of social groups, won't be easy as you said you have anxiety... Good luck :) sure things will get better