Congratulations on your internship.

It sounds to me like you could get some benefit out of going to see a therapist to help you with this issue. It might be worth going to see your GP first too.

Firstly I would say, don’t put too much pressure on yourself. You don’t have to be a social butterfly if you don’t want to.

Why not just take it one step at a time? You could set yourself the goal of visiting one new place a week. You could aim to visit at a time when you feel safe, say mid-afternoon on a weekend, for a limited period of an hour or so.

It might help you to reduce your anxiety if you plan your trips in advance. You could print out a map and trace your route on it. You could make sure you have any public transport timetables that you need too. If it helps you could also do a virtual walk of the place you are going to see using Google Street View.

It might also be worth using a site like Meetup.com to see what socialising groups are available in your area.

I hope you have a great summer.

Agree with Buddhist Wife on all counts. I would only add that if you can’t get a therapist, or want to self-learn some techniques to combat fears and anxiety, check David Burns’ “Feeling Good Handbook”. Also, join some martial art classes, such as karate. Besides practical benefits directly addressing your fears, it is good for your health – physical and mental, it is fun, is suitable for introverts, and is an opportunity to “take out the anger” elsewhere than on your boyfriend 😉
cheers

If you feel like it might be overwhelming to go out to a brand new place on your own or that your paranoia might cause you distress, perhaps you could try a ‘graduated’ approach. First trip visit a place either close to home or another familiar place, maybe 10 minutes in new territory. The following week do a 15 minute jaunt outside your comfort zone, then 20 and so on. Building up might make it less overwhelming.

If you are interested in fitness, may I suggest a personal trainer? Semi private lessons can be very affordable, its a weekly commitment and I found it less intimidating because its small group size (or private if you splash extra coin). Its important to pick one with your values though, fr example when I was seeking one out I had a few key objectives: no one who suggest protein powders and chemicals love real food, no one who thinks pain is gain, someone who uses positive reinforcement and not abuse to motivate me, etc. I found a PT and now a friend in the deal, and its great stress relief getting outside in the air working my butt off.

When I couldn’t afford therapy I dropped into free guided meditation sessions at the local Buddhist temple. Meditation has helped me so much, and while I m quite outgoing, the people I met at my meditation centre were often soft spoken and introverted, which you might find familiar. I also use guided meditations on my iPod, favorutie set I keep recommending is ‘guided meditations for busy people’ by Bodhipaksa. Took me a year of doing them few times a week at least, but almost like magic I woke up a year later and could control much of my anxiety through clearing my mind, breating exercises, etc. I also sleep much better now. Might help for your paranoia/anxiety.

Hope this helps 🙂

You should definitely check them out! But keep looking if they aren’t the right fit… I have tried multiple yoga classes, meditation centres and PTs before I found the right one for me, but it was worth it and it adds priceless value to my happiness 🙂