[pasbesoin]

Upon reflection, I recall a period of time, earlier in my life, when I engaged in fairly intense, daily exercise. My social comfort increased significantly, as well as my overall ease with myself and "comfort in my own skin".

Unfortunately, a rather serious injury from which I never fully recovered, eliminated my ability to continue engaging in that or similar exercise. But I would definitely look at personal fitness as a course of action. The trick is that it needs to be something you really enjoy and not just a chore. For me, that was cycling. I'd ride for 2 or 3 hours, get home, and be ready to do it all over again -- I liked it that much.

Following up on my "meditation" comment. For me, the closest I got to meditation was perhaps my state of mind while cycling. I found it much easier to reach such a state while engaged in the activity of cycling. I'm not sure meditation need mean sitting in repose. And the cycling definitely encouraged attention to breath and the like. It encouraged an active, engaged attention to my entire body; simultaneously, the ability to "be in the moment" for extended periods of time.