If you're not used to doing cold approaches, don't start out by doing them in front of your friends. Think about working on approach anxiety the same way you think about working out. If you do TOO MUCH, then you risk injury. If you do TOO LITTLE, you won't challenge yourself enough to develop.
I usually just smile and walk away. As you do more approaches, you'll naturally know what to do when you get rejected.
Quote:
now see i think my sticking point is not that i'm afraid to get blown out. in fact, i've accepted that, as someone starting out in PUA, i need to experience as much rejection as possible, so that's not the problem.
indeed, the truth to PUA is that you never learn to avoid failure, only to overcome it. The more you experience rejection, the more desensitized you will become to approach anxiety
Quote:
this is killing me from even trying cold approaches at all. but without that, then there's no fucking point learning the game.
Learning the game is not just about learning how to cold approach. You could argue that it applies even more to relationships / LTRs. It is all-encompassing, every single one of your interactions with another person is based on social dynamics.
Lastly, you don't always have to approach with the intention of closing. Sometimes, approach simply to approach. I e; don't even give them a chance to reject you. In the scenario you described before, if you approached a set quickly in front of the other girls, you simply show that you have balls. Walk by and neg another girl or start talking to a girl next to you and immediately disqualify.