i agree with heaven on the faking it till you make it!

sometimes you just gotta put that smile on & get out there - like you say, it's never as bad as you expect! once you do it a few times, it gets easier & soon you'll hopefully find yourself looking forward to it. are there any BB members near you? cos that's sometimes a good way to start - meeting up with other people who might feel a bit the same but you know they already 'like' you from your online persona