Not at all patronising, and I think that's great advice. Thank you.

One part of my personal identity that makes that approach difficult is debilitating social anxiety, and the aversion to group settings and complete inability for making small talk that comes with that. But that aside, I do hope to at least try putting myself into some situations where making friends is easier.

I agree with your point on male friendship. That's actually been a silver lining for me in all of this. In retrospect, my relationships with my male friends left a lot to be desired. They were seldom supportive, and we always spent our time together engaged in vacuous and unhealthy behaviors.

I hope that having them out of my life will prove to have been a necessary step in order for me to find a better group of friends.