Sometimes I feel like the process of writing something out or telling someone else what I'm thinking about winds up knocking things loose a little and I'm able to come up with answers more easily than I was before! Maybe that's what happened with you.
I think these are all good conclusions. It sounds like falling back on your regular ways of handling anxiety is a good plan and keep in mind, too, that people say silly things, or miss the point of a story, or wind up being boring sometimes. Everyone does, from time to time. I am
very good at being embarrassed about "wrong" things I've said, sometimes for years, but when I think about those times objectively I can see that they weren't a big deal, especially in the long run. I hope you can find some new ways to open up and new things to talk about even if it feels a little scary and over-vulnerable, at first.