Man, I'm still trying to get out of this phase, and it's hard going. I just kind of floated into a secluded lifestyle about 3 years ago, and when all (literally, all) my friends started playing WoW, it made it that much worse. I eventually moved to try and start over (it was a small town), but kept the old habits way too long.

At least for me, the biggest problem has been irrational fear in social situations - which just takes some good failure to get over. You won't learn anything if you constantly stay in situations where you are 100% comfortable, whether it's with your best friends or at home in front of the interwebs, and you'll never grow as a person.

The thing that keeps coming back to me, what makes me go to the dojo, get on okcupid, say hi and smile (which kills me), go with my friends to the overcrowded bars, is what my stepdad used to say: "The world does not care about your happiness. It cares about your attendance record at work, your productivity, and your taxes. Happiness is something you have to make, from scratch, for yourself, and then share it with those around you."