Also, the driver and passengers still burn calories while just sitting in the car.

There is a video from kurzgesagt on this very topic: link

Awareness is only one part of mindfulness, you already got that, which is great.

The other part is equanimity, being aware of things, but not reacting or judging.

When you practice mindfulness, try to set a time goal of how long you want to do it and stick to it no matter what. If there are suddenly loud noises, or you suddenly feel very hungry, or you suddenly remember something important for work, just stick with the time you set. It’ll get easier over time.

Doing it frequently definitely helps with hyper-vigilance and being overly aware of things.

If you’re still interested to try and meet people, I would suggest still trying to meet up or go to locations with a bunch of people and check yourself.

How do you feel there, what do you notice, what makes you feel tired?

Very often you’ll find yourself overly alert, overly self concious, or simply not used to the experience. These all drain energy.

Try again and notice if it changes. Keep trying.

There are still people out there which aren’t zombified yet. And it’s still worth the effort to try and seek them out.

But in Sydney you will pay the surcharge only when you get off or on at the actual airport station. Just using that line and passing the airport will cost you nothing extra. Usually less than 4 AUD for the whole trip.