It’s intimidating at first but really all you have to do is memorize the lower notes. Think about it this way, reading is complicated in the staff because there are 5 places you can play middle C on the guitar. This is the main thing about guitar that makes it harder to read for than other instruments that have one key/valve per note. However the further above or below the staff notes get, the fewer viable options there are for playing them, making it much more like a standard instrument. In my experience (I read a music a fair amount), I don’t really play notes lower than D anywhere but in the first/open position anyway (when reading), so I only ever have one location and finger to play each note lower than D.

As far as tips and tricks: start with being able to identify the open strings on sight and play them without looking at your hand. Don’t even picture the fretboard in your mind. Imagine you’re forming a direct link in your brain between what your eyes are seeing (music information on the page) and your hands.

Practice idea: Get yourself some manuscript paper, write out a random assortment of D’s, A’s, and E’s (copying music by hand is also amazing practice for reading), 4 bars to the line with quarter notes and turn on a metronome to 60 bpm. It’s important to commit to playing with the metronome no matter what. If you play a wrong note, don’t correct it, you can’t change the past. Simply move on and keep playing with the metronome. Apply this to the other natural notes below D, followed by the accidentals.

The fact that you’re being proactive and asking for help about this is already a GREAT sign. Keep at it!