In a hundred years nobody will remember what you wore to the dance. They might remember who you were kind to.

Detail comes with two very different shelf lives. The surface facts of a night evaporate almost immediately, though they take up most of the worry beforehand. What lasts is what happened between people: who was included, who got spoken to, who went home feeling less alone.

Before the next thing you are nervous about, decide one person you will look after while you are there. The one standing alone, the one who nearly did not come. It is also the fastest cure for self-consciousness.