For socially anxious introverts, the smallest solo traveller moment – sitting down for a meal alone – can feel like the hardest. Tom Holland-Pearse, a certified Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) therapist, explores the fears, avoidance habits, and inner monologues that can turn restaurants into battlegrounds, and shares gentle, practical steps to reframing those thoughts, staying present, and finally enjoying the experience (and the vegetables).