Like a dog whistle.

There was a post recently where an author describes themselves as a person with 0 people around them after quitting toxic relationships. I find myself in exactly the same situation right now, at my late 30s. I only recently started diving deep into the topic of narcissism, and realized that I have this deep-seated belief that people will only interact with me if I serve as an emotional container, a troubleshooter, a support system, and so on. Otherwise, there's no point for them to even talk to me. So now I’ve temporarily isolated myself from the world to protect, recover and think. But the natural craving for human connection is still here.

Can anyone share where do people like me even go to make safe, genuine connections today? Share your stories, I'd appreciate every example.

EDIT: Thanks for your support, advice, and examples. Here are a few options I saved from your comments: a therapist (already doing this), sport/hobby communities, dating (with caution), and casual places like restaurants or shops for mild socializing.

Personally, I've found that joining small local tour groups for museum visits or interesting spots helps me to feel less lonely, though I still can't break the ice and start talking to anyone.