My city has meetups for introverts. I went to one. It was amazing. Everybody was talking up a storm. You would not believe this was a bunch of people who are introverted, shy, socially anxious, awkward. Every person there was relaxed and talkative. That would be a good way for a timid, introverted person to meet others who feel socially anxious. Nightclubs and bars - for me, that never worked. I had much better luck going to gatherings involving TED talks, book clubs, poetry groups, volunteer work. I like being with people who are intellectual, so the bar scene just never worked out for me.

You could start a meetup for introverts. I actually belong to one.

Questions like that makes me miss aol chatrooms

I tried a Meet Up group but as with most social gatherings I was by myself in a group. Sigh. Same goes for all the other old saws like take a class. Yes well if I could do that I wouldnt be asking for advice.

See if you can get into Mensa... once in, there's a common joke that it's a self-help organization for introverts.

I heard about an app called meetup(?)
A way to meet people with shared interests. Not sure if it is regional.
But it is difficult. I don’t like bars either