I started going to a Unitarian Church and participate in a Buddhist sanga and take my kids to religious exploration, These are things I never would have done before going paleo. I wanted to but I was to ill and depressed. This whole paleo thing has also become a hobby in itself, trying to keep up on the cutting edge of modern paleo living while fine tunning my personal diet, has given my live an extra felling of significance. Its a healthy obsession.
wow, theres another random similarity. I started in nursery school at UU and went mostly to my late teens. I find the people there to be wonderful and really shaped my worldview positively. Great environment for general unpretentious goodness. I've hopped around too much and have grown more distant...but I've gone a few times this year.
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http://www.rawpaleoforum.com/general-discussion/a-question-who-have-gone-into-raw-paleo-with-social-anxiety-disorder/Generalized anxiety is usually split between typical psych (childhood or similar issues) and physical factors that can be improved with diet and lifestyle changes. Nervousness over day to day work issues or self esteem problems is completely different and not a medical condition per se, although those also might be improved with diet and lifestyle to increase overall health. Chemicals or glandular health and so forth are probably in play with both
odds are
if the raw paleo diet will increase your sense of well being and confidence, with a little effort in improving social skills it should go a long way. The backfiring could be in that rawpaleo can be a fairly antisocial and self-involved practice. Don't let it be.
I had terrible social anxiety in my early 20's. this coincided with illness but I think alot it is also just age and awkwardness. focus on seizing all the advantages you can in feeling like you have the upper hand in social situations, and practice like its some kind of thing you have to do.
I would start by joining some kind of activity that you are forced to attend regularly, its not the kind of thing that will be resolved by one factor or half-ass efforts.