I've been told that the main way of getting past social anxiety is "fake it 'til you make it". With experience, social situations will become familiar - familiar things don't typically produce anxiety.

This is extremely hard to stomach.

This is the only time I'll say that bipolar disorder is any way good: when manic, I have no anxiety whatsoever. Cumulatively, I've spent years manic.

During those manias, I date, I club, I buy condoms, I apply for jobs and do interviews, I make conversation with strangers about random shit...

Eventually, those things became normal rather than special anxiety-provoking situations. In situations I didn't repeatedly handle while manic, I'm still very anxious. I have two young nieces who love me but sometimes I'm too anxious to hug them or even talk to them. I try to anyway, but sometimes it's just hard.

Fake it 'til you make it. Anxiety meds will help along the way. Or go full batshit crazy like I did.