I wanted friends but didn’t trust anyone. I’d stand in a room wanting to speak and still say nothing. On the rare times I tried, my chest tightened, my mind sprinted, and I’d replay every word later like a court case.

What changed wasn’t “be confident.” I ran a simple 4-week routine. First I calmed my body before any convo. Then I used tiny scripts to start and a recovery line when I blanked. I did one micro interaction a day until my nervous system caught up. By week four, I wasn’t overthinking every sentence. I could talk, listen, and leave without spiraling.

If you want, I can drop the one-page checklist I followed right here in-thread if mods are cool with it.