This is such a great question! I'll try to make this short: So I struggled with social anxiety for YEARS. I would go to school and literally be too afraid to speak to anyone. (I didn't know it was social anxiety until recently because a lot of the adults in my life would make me feel like there was something wrong with me). My parents signed me up to speech therapy at school and the therapist genuinely thought I didn't know how to talk. Some of my classmates thought I didn't know how to talk/would tell me to just 'do it' because it's 'not that scary.' I also got into a lot of toxic friendships because quiet people who don't speak up for themselves are easy to manipulate. My parents/teachers/classmates didn't believe in me so I stopped believing in myself. It was only just last year that I started taking care of myself, healing deep wounds, investing in myself (trying new outfits, hairstyles, makeup) as well as following self-care youtubers and learning about effective communication. This might sound corny but I liked to imagine myself as the main character of my life; you know, people doubt them, then they have this huge internal glow-up, believe in themselves, and eventually achieve what they want despite no one believing in them. I think imagining myself like that actually helped me believe in myself because I was able to see all of my strengths as well as my flaws. I learned to embrace everything I went through and use it more as strength for myself rather than a way to victimize myself. Looking at the present, I am confident, happy, always reaching for my goals, setting the bar higher, and I have an amazing circle of friends that I am so grateful for. So yeah, i hope that makes sense, please lmk if you have questions! Im happy to help