Have lunch in public by yourself. See a movie by yourself. Or something else you’d usually feel too awkward to do alone

“Personally, I’ve always been too self-conscious in public. It extends to my eating habits too. When I joined a workplace in 2013, I spent the initial days shushing my rumbling stomach eating biscuits at my desk because I couldn’t get myself to step into the building’s giant, crowded canteen without company. As an entertainment reporter, I often shied away from staying back for dinner buffets that followed press conferences because I couldn’t stand watching strangers look at me eating alone, even though I’d be ravenous since most celebrity pressers followed the Indian Superstar Time and began an hour late, if not more.”

“I don't mind the physical act of eating by myself. In fact, I prefer it if I'm about to get down with a particularly saucy dish. When I eat alone at home (in my apartment, where no one can see me), I might as well lay down a drop cloth. And I'm certainly not above wearing a ratty t-shirt over my clothes in lieu of a napkin. It's just easier. But make no mistake, I eat like a delicate flower when I'm eating alone in public because I'm delusional enough to think someone is paying attention to me.”