Notice which people you unclench around. Spend more of your time there.

Your body has an opinion and it gets there before your reasoning does. Shoulders dropping, jaw letting go, the sense that you can say a half formed thought without it being scored: that is information, and it tends to be more honest than how impressive a friendship looks from outside. People can be good fun and still keep you braced the whole time.

For one week, make a note after each time you hang out, just looser or tighter. Then move one hour from the tighter column into the looser one. You are not cutting anybody off, only putting more of the week where you breathe properly.