>be comfortable with it, introvert and proud

That's the hardest thing to understand. I had all these issues until I realized that: A) me is me, and it is permanent (and I am important to me); B) my empathy and caring what others think is mostly my own illusion.

Meta-issue is that 'be comfortable' is probably a thing that doesn't come easily. First step for me was to start to accept future uncomfortable situations, instead of trying to prevent them. Acceptance is not a comfort, but it leads to it.