I don't know what to do when I arrive at social events.

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I occasionally get invited to social things. But even though I would like to go, I don't because the thought of arriving somewhere by myself, and walking in, and there are people standing around in little groups..

The idea of it just makes me feel a bit nauseous. I don't know what I am supposed to do when I get there. I don't want to be painfully awkward and interrupt people's conversations. I just feel stupid and unwanted.

I think most of us here feel like that.
I mostly only go to social events if I know theres gonna be people I know there.
Being party or whatever and everybody standing around in small groups without knowing anyone there is horrible. I often feel sorta sick because its so incredibly uncomfortable. It probably does not help that my ability to small talk tends to be limited to a 2 minute duration.

If you are anything like me, i'd say don't go unless you know that there will be several people there that you can talk to.

Me too. Sometimes I rather not go because I end up sitting on the chair waiting till the event end. I will feel very lonely.

I generally don't attend many social events, much less events where I don't know anyone; but, for example at a work event, I'll hang out in a group of coworkers. I don't talk much, but I like listening to them for a while.

The good thing about many social events is that there's food, so if conversation gets really boring, you can pretend to be doing battle with the meat in a cocktail shrimp tail or something. Or, if there's alcohol, I nurse a single drink the entire night, just to keep my hands busy.

Sometimes in the past when I have gone to a party I was invited to, I walked in, saw all the little groups, and then turned around, pretending I had forgotten something, and walked out and gone home.

I hate it at situations like that. I have mentioned before it hurts my feelings that I am not invited a lot, but I'd rather not attend then go and be ignored. Any advice on approaching groups of people like that?

I know it's a hard thing to do, to go somewhere you don't know many people. Try to find the person that invited you. They have the responsibility to introduce you around.