In my experience, a lot of my emotional pain (from being alone on weekends, having no friends, etc...) were from desires that could only be fulfilled by other people.
If I need to be accepted by others, then anxiety usually occurs because there's no telling whether or not I'll be accepted. If I focus on desires that I know I can fulfill and not worry about being accepted, then I tend to be happy.
I would suggest this article:
How I Stopped Being Needy