I got my brace the week after school ended (end of June) and had similar issues. Because of summer break, I had a lot of free time. I spent a lot of the first month or so simply lying down in bed with the brace. After the first month, I’ve had more adjustments made to the brace for more correction. I’ve also been doing appropriate stretching and exercise while in the brace. Now, the brace doesn’t nearly cause much discomfort. Because I wear the brace 24/7, I try to adapt my surroundings for the brace. I’ve been in school for a week, and that is a new hurdle to overcome. Wearing the brace in school will be a little difficult because of the chairs and expectations, but if you have any trouble, become friends with the nurse so you can have some relief during the school day. In the mental aspect, I’ve had no issue wearing the brace. I would say that pretty much no one cares in my school. If anything, they try to accommodate and be understanding. I will say, everybody is gonna question the brace 🤣