Anyone find Sky helping with social anxiety?

I've just got back into the game right around the end of Season of Carnival, after not really playing it that much. Fell in love with it again, even the small stuff like CRing and memorizing times for wax events/shard locations. But there's a lot I haven't done- namely... well, a lot of social activities.

I've yet to actually had the gut to friend a stranger. The most interaction I've had is just with emotes and silly stuff while waiting for geyser or grandma.

It feels like the game pushes me out of my comfort zone- and I think I like it. I just had my first experience with a new player who needed help with finding spirits- it was cute but at the same time having to actively guide them and holding their hand felt wrong, like I was backseating or something, and it felt sort of awkward (maybe just for me...)

Having social issues growing up, and trying to communicate without my voice, tone, or text... and just action, feels like I have far more pressure to get the idea of what I want to get across to another player right. I think I felt less anxious in the big group settings, especially with the wax events because it's a crowd of people who are there for the same reason, instead of a 1-1 interaction.

Is this a normal thing to go through? (speaking to you vets out there!)
How many friends have you met on, or even through Sky?

I've just been kind of going through the loops of cosmetic progression and unlocking stuff, and it feels like as I go through it longer I'm missing out on a big chunk of the Sky experience.