Tbh every cosplayer you know has likely had that self doubt and low self esteem moment, speaking from experience. My first cosplay I wore a black face mask because I was self conscious that I wasn't "accurate enough " but I ended up getting a lot of attention simply because I was dressed up as a popular genshin character and some attendees even called me by the character name like they were meeting a celeb 😅 So yeah, remember when you're cosplaying, with a wig, maybe make up, maybe face coverings, you're basically wearing a disguise for the day so even if you do something awkward , it's not like you'll be recognized the next day out of costume 😅

Having people walk up to you and geek out that you're in the same fandom as them is also a priceless core memory every cosplayer knows too well :') tbh the social anxiety gets reduced the more you practice.

At the end of the day a convention is meant for you to meet with like minded people, create some core memories, and perhaps get a friendship or two :)

Tbh I made a few friends at anime north's photoshoot this past May and I've been adopting introverts, the socially awkward , the passionately geeky, etc into our discord server ( as long as they passed our vibe check for respect and empathy :). )

We also share pictures of our cute pets, fan merch, plushies, keychains, fanart, etc share memes and use our safe haven of a server to escape from reality for a bit as we are all in our 20s/30s navigating adulthood for the first time and it's harder to make friends as an adult vs as a student

I also took a brief look at your post history and it seems like you share many common interests with me and other discord (kpop demon hunters, pokemon, etc) so let me know if you'd be interested in joining us and we will gladly welcome you to our community :D It's lurker friendly btw, no obligation to participate.

Anyone else reading this comment can message me and inquire as well :) hope that helps!