What's your type?
--If you're a heavy Ti type, socializing maybe tough because you're always stuck in your head, analyzing and reasoning
--If you have low Fe, you may have trouble expressing appropriate social cues/responses
--If you have low Fi, you may have difficulty expressing how you truly feel about someone/something
Fortunately, like anything in life, you can rebalance yourself and learn to open yourself up, through practice - don't let types be a barrier
The feeling like you're blocking people out - it's all in your head. Maybe you feel judged because you don't feel like you belong, and people are feeling that because "what you feel, they feel." They'll pick up on your insecure vibe and go "huh, I didn’t really have an opinion about this guy either way, he seemed like a nice enough dude…but he’s giving off this other vibe, hmmm" and it will be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
I would not overthink it and just bulldoze through and practice having convos / opening up.
Say you're at some kind of event, choose some easy things to talk about, such as work.
If you don’t want to talk topics like work, lead the conversation elsewhere. If a chick is like “What do you do?” Just go “Oh god, please, I don’t want to talk about work tonight. Tell me something interesting about yourself that isn’t job related…have you ever (blah)?”
“Oh, I work in the stuffy boring corporate world. I’ve been pushing papers all week watching my soul slowly die and my girl was like “come out to this event with me” so I figured ya, why not I’ve never been to one of these before. Everyone is all done up and friendly, it’s awesome.
”
If you’re a janitor, be proud and enthusiastic about it if it comes up. And give other people sincere props for their accomplishments/jobs instead of resenting them. Spread value, good emotions, etc. and act as if you expect people to be friendly and they’ll “feel what you feel” and reciprocate.
Again it is 100% in your head. You’re letting people overwhelm and intimidate you. It’s all an illusion. Eeeeeeeveryone is full of shit and putting up a fake “front” persona/facade to try to impress each other. Most of those people don’t act that way when they’re like, with their family opening Xmas presents or with their childhood best buddies having a beer and watching a football game. The environment intimidates them, so they try to put on a front to seem like they belong there.
I would make it goal to try and push your comfort zone to open up more and more, every sociotype is capable of this